Philanthropy Front and Center - New York

This Week at the Foundation Center - March 3-10

Courses:
Developing a Fundraising Plan
Tuesday, March 3, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Cost: $195 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration.

Proposal Budgeting Workshop
Tuesday, March 10, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Cost: $195 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration.

Free Classes:
Wednesday, March 4
Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits
3:00-4:30 pm

Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts
5:30-6:30 pm

Thursday, March 5
Grantseeking Basics
1:00-2:30 pm

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

Saturday, March 7
Proposal Writing Basics
Registration is closed for this session, but you'll find open sessions online.

Proposal Budgeting Basics
11:00 am-12:30 pm

Training in Your Community:
Wednesday, March 4
Susan Shiroma, senior librarian at the Foundation Center, will give a presentation at Keeping Track of Brooklyn's Children, a discussion for community-based organizations presented by the Brooklyn Borough President's Office and the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York. Call 718-802-4488 or send an e-mail to xrose@brooklynbp.nyc.gov to RSVP.
9:30-11:30 am

The Foundation Center's New York library/learning center is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday (see hours and directions) and offers free access to a specialized book and periodicals collections, as well as to electronic databases for funding research. All are welcome!

From the Answer Desk: Where can I find examples of conflict of interest statements for nonprofit organizations?

Answer: Since this is a board related issue, and policies such as these are spelled out in an organization's bylaws, we recommend reading our Frequently Asked Questions on these subjects.

Where can I find information on nonprofit boards?provides links to online and print resources held by our libraries. One resource listed, BoardSource, is an excellent site for this type of information.

Where can I find information on bylaws for nonprofits? is helpful as well, as it links to specific examples of bylaws posted on the Internet.

You can do a keyword search of the Center's Catalog of Nonprofit Literature using the phrase "conflict* of interest" to create a list of items available for your review in our New York library.

For those of you who haven't visited us in person, the New York library/learning center is located at 79 Fifth Avenue at 16th Street and is open to the public without charge. Look here for directions and hours.

Do you have a question? Ask Us!

Rob Bruno, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-New York

This Week at the Foundation Center: February 24-28

Courses:
Proposal Writing Seminar
Tuesday, February 24, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Cost: $195 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration.

Proposal Budgeting Workshop
Wednesday, February 25, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Cost: $195 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration.

Free Classes:

Tuesday, February 24
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

Thursday, February 26
Film Series - Relational Fundraising: "Types and Motivation of Donors"
11:30 am-12:30 pm

How to Approach a Foundation
1:00-2:00 pm

Your Board and Fundraising
3:00-4:15 pm

Friday, February 27
Principios de la escritura de propuestas
11:00 am-12:30 pm

Elementos básicos del presupuesto de un proyecto
1:30-3:00 pm

The New York library/learning center is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday (see hours and directions) and offers free access to a specialized book, periodicals, and electronic database collections for nonprofits.

¿Necesita información en español sobre el sector filantrópico y cómo funcionan las donaciones a organizaciones sin fines de lucro? ¿Quisiera tener acceso a entrenamiento en español para mejorar su conocimiento del sector? Utilice nuestro recién rediseñado sitio Webpara consultar todos nuestros recursos en la materia.

Full-Day Fundraising Seminars

Are you looking for specialized training in specific areas of nonprofit management and fundraising? Have you taken some of our free introductory classes and are now ready to go further in your training? In the next few weeks the New York library/learning center is offering in-depth programs for grantseekers who want to maximize their skills in proposal writing, budgeting, and fundraising. Learn more by clicking on the links below.

Full-Day Seminars

Proposal Writing Seminar
February 24, 9:00 am-4:00 pm

Proposal Budgeting Workshop
February 25, 2009, 9:00 am-4:00 pm

Developing a Fundraising Plan
March 3, 9:00 am-4:00 pm

Proposal Budgeting Workshop
March 10, 9:00 am-4:00 pm

Proposal Writing Seminar
March 16, 9:00 am-4:00 pm

Cultivating Grantmaker Relationships
March 17, 9:00 am-4:00 pm

A complete list of winter/spring seminars offered throughout the country is available in the Marketplace area of our web site.

New Tool! Foundation Giving Forecast

The Center's Focus on the Economic Crisis online information hub has yet another targeted tracking tool to offer foundation watchers!

Foundation Giving Forecast is a dynamic chart that takes information from multiple data sources and in one place presents foundations' planned responses to the economic crisis, news about these foundations, their most recent fiscal information, and summary forecasts for giving in the near future. Users can use the chart to gain insight on how the philanthropic sector is confronting the economic crisis and how the largest foundation in the country plan to support the work of nonprofits.

The forecast tool is free and available to all and will be updated on a continuous basis, so check it out and let us know what you think.

This Week at the Foundation Center

February 10-13

Free Classes:

Wednesday, February 11
Grantseeking Basics
1:00-2:30 pm

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

Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts
6:00-7:00 pm

Thursday, February 12
Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits
11:00 am-12:30 pm

Introduction to Fundraising Planning
1:00-2:15 pm

The New York library/learning center will be closed on Saturday, February 14, and Monday, February 16, in observance of Presidents' Day. We will resume regular hours on Tuesday, February 17.

Special Events Fundraising: Five Tips

Have you considered holding a special event, but worry that it won’t yield the crucial funds that your organization needs?  With good planning, you just might find an event that fits your goals.  This week, the Foundation Center invited Judy Levine and Susan Gabriel from Cause Effective to our New York library/learning center to share their expertise in a workshop called Special Events Fundraising: Getting the Most from Your Efforts. 

A few choice tips from their discussion: 

•  An event can boost fundraising substantially, increase your nonprofit’s visibility, and pump up the morale of both donors and staff, but if it doesn’t shape up as planned, an event can also lose money and cause significant embarrassment for your group.

• Set clear objectives before getting started on your event planning; be sure you know exactly what you want to accomplish and what type of event would have the best chance of success for your particular organization at this particular time. Special events are not for everyone, and they are not one-size-fits-all.

• Be “brutally realistic” about your financial arrangements. Set a fundraising plan and a strict, detailed budget. Be careful not to take on more overhead costs than you can handle, or to make too many assumptions about how much money you’ll be able to raise. Consider finding sponsorship for your event, but be careful to choose a sponsor who is a good match for your nonprofit’s mission and for your particular event.

• Think of your fundraising as “friendraising.” You will need the help of these friends in developing your event, and the event itself is also an opportunity to bring new friends on board and engage them in your nonprofit’s mission.

• Above all, remember that successful fundraising is the right person asking the right person for the right amount of the right thing at the right time at the right place and in the right way.

If you want to listen to Judy and Susan’s presentations and find more tips, excerpts from this program will soon be available as an audio file in our Events Archive. Stay tuned!

Tracy Kaufman, Library Assistant, Foundation Center-New York

This Week at the Foundation Center: February 3-7

Courses:
Foundation Fundraising: An Introductory Courses
Tuesday, February 3, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Cost: $125 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration

Proposal Writing Seminar
Friday, February 6, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Cost: $195 per person. Save $25 for each additional registration

Special Programs:
Special Events Fundraising: Getting the Most From Your Efforts
Thursday, February 5, 9:15-11:00 am
Presented in collaboration with Cause Effective.

Web Conference: Developing Major Gift Donors Who Deliver
Thursday, February 5, 1:00-3:00 pm
This is a hosted web conference for AFP featuring Laura Fredricks.

Both programs are free to attend, but registration is full at this time. Check our web site for audio recordings of these events later this month.

Free Classes:

Wednesday, February 4
Introduction to Foundation Directory Online
3:00-4:00 pm

Grantseeking Basics
6:00-7:30 pm

Saturday, February 7
Introduction to Corporate Giving
1:30-2:30 pm

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

The New York library/learning center is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday (see hours and directions) and offers free access to a specialized book, periodicals, and electronic database collections for nonprofits.