February 2009
"The excellence of a
gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in
its value." - Charles
Dudley Warner (American author)

Ex-Wall Street
Executives Help Nonprofits
Wall St. methods to finance
nonprofit expansion
NEW YORK TIMES -
Charles Harris, a former Goldman Sachs partner,
founded an organization that uses Wall Street
methods to help charities raise money to finance
expansion. The goal of the organization is to
create a nationwide donor network of wealthy
individuals and family foundations that can be
mobilized with other existing sources of funds to
provide growth capital for entrepreneurial
organizations. read interview...
Half a Million Nonprofits May Lose Tax Exemption
According to IRS estimates, many defunct
non-profits
GUIDESTAR - Did
you know that in May 2010, half a million
nonprofits could find themselves stripped of
their exempt status? The IRS estimates that
that's the number of smaller organizations that
have failed to file a Form 990-N. That means that
18 months from now, hundreds of thousands of
charitable nonprofits, many operating on a
shoestring, may no longer be able to accept
tax-deductible contributions. read more...
How Donors Can Help Deliver a Nonprofit's Promise
Givers can ensure that their
donations make a difference
BRIDGESPAN -
Questions of donor impact and
effectiveness lie at the heart of effective
philanthropy, and there are no easy answers. But
there are guideposts, as noted in an article by
Bridgespan managing partner Jeffrey Bradach,
chairman Thomas Tierney, and partner Nan Stone
for the December 2008 edition of the Harvard
Business Review. Listen in as Mr. Tierney
discusses the important factors funders must
consider. download podcast | read the HBR article ...
Giving Principles in Tough Economic Times
A biblical approach to giving in
uncertain times
FOCUS ON
ACCOUNTABILITY - The Bible has
much to say about managing your life during
uncertain times. Paradoxically, the biblical
messages stand in contrast to what the world
says. Gary Hoag, vice president at Denver
Seminary, explores the Bible has to say about
giving and fund-raising during a time crisis such
as this. read more...
Should Donors Increase Giving During Downturn?
Nonprofit leaders look to foundations for relief
BOSTON BUSINESS
JOURNAL - The impact of the dwindling funding is
being felt across the board, from human service
organizations and health centers to theater
groups. Nonprofit leaders are looking to
foundations for relief. Some players question why
foundations are not giving more, especially those
that only give the 5 percent of endowment
required by law. In good times grow the
endowment, they argue, in bad times spend it.
read more...
Private Foundations Step in to Rebuild Economy
As economic crisis deepens,
foundations step into the breach
CHRISTIAN
SCIENCE MONITOR - As debate
continues in Congress on how best to give a
genuine boost to the troubled economy, some of
the nations foundations have responded
quickly to the crisis. Despite being hit hard
themselves, close to 50 foundations have
committed more than $100 million toward efforts
to reduce foreclosures, provide financial
counseling, and shore up services to the jobless
and homeless. read more...
A Giving Recession?
The downturn poses new challenges for
philanthropy
THE ECONOMIST -
Among the more difficult things to forecast for
2009 is what will happen to giving. On the one
hand, the turmoil in financial markets has
reduced the assets of many prominent givers, both
foundations and individuals. On the other hand,
giving has proven remarkably recession proof, at
least in America. The heads of two of America's
largest foundations speak with the Economist. read more...

The World We Want
by Peter Karoff
In The World
We Want, Peter Karoff presents a collective
vision of an ideal world. The book weaves
together multi-sector, multidiscipline
strategies, but in large part it is about the
power of human connection, reinforced by personal
stories of motivation and the human capacity for
caring. Without ignoring the institutional and
cultural obstacles, and the courage needed to
face down the dark side of human behavior, Karoff
shows how citizen engagement and open source
solutions could tip the scale toward a better
world. buy at Amazon.com...
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