April 2009

"Tithing isn't giving, it's returning."
- Ray Nixon (Dallas businessman)

How a Sweater Changed My Life
Poverty is solved by market and philanthropy

FORBES - Jacqueline Novogratz -- founder and chief executive officer of Acumen Fund -- left Wall Street to "save the world." Instead, she learned that most people don't want "saving", they want to make their own decisions and solve their own problems. read article...

Anatomy of a Failed Grant
What we can learn from unsuccessful giving strategies

CARNEGIE RESULTS - In this quarterly newsletter from the Carnegie Corporation, Susan King describes the failure of a media grant she made in the hope that it will improve the giving of others. Knowledge of failed giving is an important resource to build philanthropic effectiveness. read more...

Making A Profit Giving It Away
Can you truly make a profit by giving?

KARDIA PLANNING - Since our country was founded upon biblical principles, it should not surprise us to find out that our country maintains this financial principle through the design of our tax laws: give and it will be given to you. But how can you actually become wealthier by giving away some of your wealth? We will give you one example. read more...

Twitter Users Raise Money for Charity
Charities use technology tools to increase effectiveness

CHARITY NAVIGATOR - In these tough economic times, charities have been forced to be creative in their fundraising strategies. Social networking sites such as Twitter are often mentioned as effective strategies for broadening donor base and reaching new audiences. Recently, Charity: Water used Twitter to raise more than a quarter of a million dollars for their cause. read more...

Assessing the Impact of Your Giving
How to measure social value creation

ALLIANCE MAGAZINE - One of the most perennially vexing questions in philanthropy is how to assess the impact of funding. Alliance talked to representatives of some of a number of top U.S. foundations about the strengths and weaknesses of their valuation approaches, what they had learned from the research, and what they see as the next steps for the field. read more...

Obama Defends Push to Cut Tax Deductions for Giving
President argues that shift would not adversely affect giving

WASHINGTON POST - President Obama defended his proposal to cut the tax deductions that wealthy Americans can claim for their charitable donations by arguing that the shift would not have an adverse effect on giving, but two independent analyses concluded that the proposal could result in a drop of as much as $3.87 billion for the already reeling nonprofit sector. read more...

Giving Less But Leading More
Demonstrate your value as a donor beyond dollars and cents

ON PHILANTHROPY - The economic downturn has hit the nonprofit world hard and foundations are struggling as well. How do they respond in a way that maintains crucial services but minimizes damage to their own endowments? How do they manage the heightened scrutiny of all financial transactions in this "Madoff era"? What regulations may government impose? How can foundations meet rising expectations that they fill the funding gap? read more...

Nonprofit Safety Net is Fraying
Financial health of charities is deteriorating

NEW YORK TIMES - The financial health of the nation’s nonprofit groups is rapidly deteriorating, according to a survey of some 900 nonprofit leaders around the country. Only 12 percent of those organizations expect to end the year with an operating surplus and almost a third said they did not have enough cash on hand to cover more than one month’s expenses. read more...

Major League Baseball Player Helps Poor
Dave Valle follows through on his promise

READERS DIGEST - Former major leaguer Dave Valle could have retired to the golf course when he hung up his catcher's glove. Instead, he returned to the Dominican Republic to keep a promise. read more...

The Blue Sweater
Bridging the gap between the rich and poor in an interconnected world

The Blue Sweater is the inspiring story of a woman who left a career in banking to spend her life on a quest to understand global poverty and find powerful new ways of tackling it. From her first stumbling efforts as a young idealist venturing forth in Africa to the creation of the trailblazing organization she runs today, Jacqueline Novogratz tells gripping stories with unforgettable characters—women dancing in a slum, courageous survivors of genocide, entrepreneurs building services for the poor against impossible odds. She shows, in ways both hilarious and heartbreaking, how traditional charity often fails, but how a new form of philanthropic investing called "patient capital" can help make people self-sufficient and can change millions of lives. buy at Amazon.com...