Philanthropy Front and Center - New York

Kickoff 2009 at the Foundation Center-New York

The first few weeks of 2009 are filled with exciting events and our free classes for nonprofits and individual grantseekers. Take a look at what's coming up and register online while we still have space:

• Tuesday, January 6

Guide to Resources on the Foundation Center's Web Site
1:00-2:30 pm

Prospect Research Basics: Researching Individual Donors
3:00-4:00 pm

• Wednesday January 7
  Finding Foundation Support for Your Education
  6:00-7:00 pm


• Thursday, January 8
  Proposal Writing Basics
  1:00-2:00 pm
  
  Proposal Budgeting Basics
  3:00-4:00 pm
  
  Special Event:
  Online Fundraising Strategies for Tough Times
  5:30-7:30 pm
  
  
• Saturday, January 10
  Grantseeking Basics
  1:30-3:00 pm
  
  Introduction to Foundation Directory Online
  3:30-4:30 pm

And save the date for our newest offering, Special Events Fundraising: Getting The Most From Your Efforts, a workshop presented in collaboration with Cause Effective.

We're looking forward to seeing you all again at these classes and in the library. Regular hours will re-commence on Tuesday, January 6.

For additional classes and events offered over the next three months, please see our New York Calendar.

Have a happy New Year!

Special Event: Online Fundraising Strategies for Tough Times

Is your web site as effective as it could be in helping you promote your mission and improve your donation results? If you're not sure of the answer, we hope you'll join us here at the Foundation Center on the evening of Thursday, January 8, for our first event of the year, Online Fundraising Strategies for Tough Times. Our panelists will provide expert advice on developing a well-conceived (and affordable) e-fundraising program for your organization. More than 80 nonprofits have signed up so far, so if you'd like to come, register online while we still have space. We hope to see you there.

Looking for a Fiscal Sponsor?

I rarely finish a reference shift in our library without talking to at least one visitor about fiscal sponsorship. This being New York, it's usually an individual artist  trying to raise money, but lacking that critical 501(c)3 public charity status that funders generally look for. Since funding given directly to individuals is limited, I often suggest investigating sponsorship for the project as an alternative.

The newest virtual resource we've seen on this topic is a free online Fiscal Sponsor Directory  created by The San Francisco Study Center, in conjunction with the Tides Center and the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors. The searchable directory provides detailed information on 139 fiscal sponsors in 26 states.

If you are doing both a funder search and a sponsor search, don't forget that our database, Foundation Grants to Individuals Online, is available free in our libraries and Cooperating Collections and also includes the term "fiscal agent/sponsor" in the Type of Support index.

Fiscal sponsorship is not limited to the arts, of course, and there are multiple models, so to learn more, take a look at the additional resources on the Foundation Center's web site:

Guide to Fiscal Sponsorship

What is a fiscal sponsor, and how do I find one?

Where can I find examples of policies, procedures, and guidelines for fiscal sponsorship agreements on the Web?

We suggest contacting several sponsors, comparing their services and experience as well as their fees. Ask if they work with individuals or only emerging groups, and if they have a standard written sponsorship agreement. And don't forget to check with your  funder prospects to see if they accept fiscally-sponsored projects, and if there are restrictions about what type of sponsor you may use. And if you are located near our New York library/learning center, come in and use additional resources in the collection.

Tell Us How Grants Make a Difference

We’re living in uncertain times, filled with mounting anxieties about the potential effect of the economic crisis on nonprofit organizations and the communities they serve. But as the holiday season begins, we may gain some perspective as we consider not our losses but rather the many gifts given and received that help to build a better world every day.

  It seems like the appropriate moment to ask for your submissions for our new feature, Grants That Make a Difference. We invite you - nonprofits, foundations, individual grantseekers, and anyone else involved in or touched by philanthropy- to share your experiences about the impact of grants or other support you gave or received. What effect did the grant have? Who was helped? What positive change did it create? Why was it effective?

Tell us your stories and help us tell the story of philanthropy. We will feature selected stories regularly on PhilanTopic, at one or more of our regional Philanthropy Front and Center blogs, and at other areas of our web site. Share your story.

This Week at the Foundation Center

The week before the holiday break is packed full of training opportunities. Come and take a class or two!

Monday, December 15
Finding Foundation Support for Your Education
1:00-2:00 pm

Getting Started with Foundation Grants to Individuals Online
3:00-4:00 pm

Tuesday, December 16
Foundation Fundraising: An Introductory Course
9:00 am–4:00 pm

Wednesday, December 17
Film Series -
"The Successful Ask: Winning the Gift," Part 1
1:00-2:00 pm

Introduction to Foundation Directory Online
3:00-4:00 pm

Grantseeking Basics
@ 5:30 pm

Thursday, December 18
How to Approach a Foundation
11:00 am-12:00 pm

Introduction to Corporate Giving
1:00-2:00 pm

The New York library/learning center is open to all grantseekers and offers free access to Foundation Directory Online, Foundation Grants to Individuals Online, and other funding research tools. Come and try them out! Please note that the library will be closed on Saturday, December 20.

Making the Most of Your Research Time

As nonprofit staffers, we are frequently pressed for time, and the online information explosion makes it hard for even skilled searchers to retrieve what they need efficiently.

If you need quick information on a topic, the FAQs at our website are real time-savers. Take a look at one of the most recent ones, on a topic we'll be  discussing regularly, tracking the economic crisis:

 "Where can I find advice and information about fundraising in times of economic downturn?"

You can also look at our online publication Philanthropy News Digest for our most recent articles on the subject, or browse the Chronicle of Philanthropy's special report, How Charities Cope with a Troubled Economy, which compiles articles on the effect of the economic crisis on fundraising, management, and careers.

And if you missed our first post on this topic, you can go directly to our new web feature, Focus on the Economic Crisis.

If you've got questions on philanthropy and fundraising you can't find answers to, post them here and we'll try to help.

This Week at the Foundation Center

Tuesday, December 9
Cultivating Grantmaker Relationships
9:00 am–4:00 pm

Prospect Research Basics: Researching Individual Donors
3:00-4:00 pm
   
Wednesday,December 11
Proposal Budgeting Workshop
9:00 am–4:00 pm 
   
Thursday, December 12
Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits
11:00 am-12:30 pm

Grantseeking Basics
1:00-2:30 pm

Introduction to Fundraising Planning
3:00-4:15 pm
 
Visit the New York library/learning center to use Foundation Directory Online, borrow books, and get reference help free of charge with no appointment necessary.

Hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Wednesday: 10:00 am-8:00 pm
Sunday, Monday: Closed

Tracking the Economic Crisis

We know that many of you are very concerned about the impact of the current recession on giving. To help you track what’s going on, and to give you some historical perspective, the Foundation Center has created a  new web feature that brings together headlines from Philanthropy News Digest, Foundation Center research, interviews with leaders in the field, podcasts, and other resources on the topic.

Here’s a sample of the expert information and advice you can access:

• Steven Lawrence, Senior Director of Research, the Foundation Center:  Past Economic Downturns and the Outlook for Foundation Giving
• Paul Brest, President, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation: Smart Philanthropy in Tough Times
• Deborah Hoover, President, the Burton D. Morgan Foundation: The Economic Downturn, Entrepreneurship, and Foundation Giving for Economic Development 

Other resources on this topic:

The Economic Storm: Challenges and Opportunities Changing the Paradigm to Meet Community Needs provides a summary of the roundtable meeting convened by the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, the Foundation Center, and United Way of New York City.

Foundation Center’s MapShots lets you see the distribution of recent grants and program related investments, as well as the location of community foundations and Cooperating Collections.

Nonprofits and Economic Downturns: Reading List

PhilanTopic: Blog Posts on the Economy

For updates, check back with the Center’s  Focus on the Economic Crisis page. We hope you’ll use this space to let us know how you like this new feature, and to share your own experiences as well. 

Ask Us: Expanded Hours for Live Reference Help

We know times are tough, and to lend a hand we have expanded the evening hours of our live reference service. To get answers fast to your questions about foundations, fundraising, nonprofit management, and related topics, ask us. You can connect with a Foundation Center librarian live, in real-time: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 8:00 pm Eastern time and Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm Eastern time. Go ahead, Ask Us!

This Week at the Foundation Center

Get the fundamentals right from the start with our free classes on the grantseeking process. You can even take a free class (or two) on this coming Saturday.

December 1-6

Wednesday, December 3

Grantseeking Basics
1:00-2:30 pm

Introduction to Foundation
Directory Online
3:00-4:00 pm

Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts
5:30-7:00 pm

 

Friday, December 5

Proposal Writing Basics
1:00-2:00 pm

Proposal Budgeting Basics
3:00-4:00 pm

Saturday, December 6

Your Board and Fundraising
1:30-2:30 pm

Guide to Resources on the Foundation Center's Web Site
3:00-4:30 pm