Philanthropy Front and Center - New York

El Foundation Center en español

This post is especially for our Spanish-dominant readers, and we invite all of you to share these FAQs with Spanish-speaking colleagues.

Hoy en día, las organizaciones que trabajan en el ámbito civil necesitan información corriente acerca del manejo de organizaciones y de sus finanzas, la recaudación de fondos, y otros temas relacionados con una gestión exitosa. También las personas interesadas en cursar estudios universitarios, realizar proyectos independientes, o conseguir apoyo financiero para otros propósitos necesitan información específica.

Para todos ellos, el Foundation Center ofrece preguntas y respuestas en español con enlaces a recursos adicionales.

Organizaciones: Esta sección incluye los siguientes temas:

- Cómo constituir una organización nueva
- El proceso de recaudar fondos de fundaciones y corporaciones
- La redacción de propuestas
- Las colaboraciones y alianzas estratégicas
- El patrocinio empresarial

Particulares: Para los que buscan información en estas areas:

- El apoyo financiero para cursar estudios universitarios
- Becas para estudiantes internacionales
- Asistencia financiera para cubrir costos de urgencia
- Asistencia financiera para personas con discapacidades
- Apoyo para empezar un negocio o pequeña empresa

For these and a complete list of FAQs in English, please see the Get Started section of our web site. And if you don’t find the answer here, Ask Us.

Pulse Check 3: How Are Nonprofits Doing?

As a follow-up to earlier Pulse Checks posted by our Cleveland colleagues in March and July, here is another round-up of the latest surveys and studies indicating how the nonprofit sector is handling the effects of the economic downturn.

Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Results of GuideStar's Latest Nonprofit Economic Survey (August 2009)
GuideStar’s most recent nonprofit economic survey takes a look at the financial health of charitable organizations from March-May 2009. They found that since the last update, covering October 2008-February 2009, the percentage of nonprofits reporting decreased contributions has remained steady at 52%. Other findings showed that:

• 18% of responding nonprofits saw their contributions increase, while 29% reported that their contributions had stayed about the same from the previous survey period.
• Nonprofits reported that the decrease in giving was the result of the following:
  • Fewer individuals gave (69%)
  • Gifts from individuals were smaller (68%)
  • Corporate gifts were smaller (38%)
  • Private foundation grants were smaller (37%)
  • Read more>>

Volunteering in America: Research Highlights (August 2009) [PDF]
The Corporation for National and Community Service collects information on the American volunteer landscape in an effort to track changes and developments that may be useful for civic leaders and nonprofit organizations. Some of the key findings showed that:

• In 2008, 61.8 million Americans or 26.4 percent of the adult population contributed 8 billion hours of volunteer service worth $162 billion, using Independent Sector’s 2008 estimate of the dollar value of a volunteer hour ($20.25).
• As the economy slows and nonprofit organizations struggle to provide services on smaller budgets, volunteers become even more vital to the health of our nation’s communities. Between September 2008 and March 2009, more than a third (37%) of nonprofit organizations report increasing the number of volunteers they use, and almost half (48%) foresee increasing their usage of volunteers in the coming year. Almost no nonprofit organizations are showing a decrease in their volunteer usage.
• Volunteers were much more likely than non-volunteers to donate to a charitable cause in 2008, with 78.2 percent contributing $25 or more compared to 38.5 percent of non-volunteers.
• Read More [PDF]>>

Nearly 30% of Nonprofit Leaders Took a Pay Cut This Year; Pay in 2008 Grew Quickly (Sept. 2009)
The Chronicle of Philanthropy conducted a survey of 325 organizations that raised the highest amounts of donations from private sources in 2008, as well as grantmakers holding the highest assets that year. The results of the survey revealed that:

• 57 charities and foundations—29 percent of the 195 groups that responded—reported that their top executive had taken a pay cut this year due to the recession, declined raises or bonuses, or had his or her pay frozen. The median pay cut was 10 percent.
• The median compensation for chief executives at the organizations surveyed was $361,538, based on information from 253 groups that provided data for both 2007 and 2008. In 2007 the median compensation was $330,395.
• Read more>>

Have you read other enlightening reports and survey findings? Tell us about them.

Katie Artzner, Online Librarian, Foundation Center

Listen! High Net Worth Philanthropy: Giving Behaviors of America's Wealthiest Donors

If you missed this program when held at the Foundation Center earlier in the year and at Bank of America at the end of June, here's your chance to listen to an audio recording of it. The program featured a presentation by representatives of Bank of America's Philanthropic Management group, who explained findings from The 2008 Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy: Issues Driving Charitable Activities among Affluent Households. This was followed by a panel discussion of the findings and how they can be put into practice to more effectively target fundraising strategies.

Listen to the full program or download an mp3 file from this area of our web site.

Total running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

Major Gifts for Education With Laura Fredricks: Tips and Takeaways

June is Funding for Education Month here at the Foundation Center, and last week we kicked off our month of special programming with a visit from Laura Fredricks, best-selling author of The Ask: How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose and Developing Major Gifts: Turning Small Donors into Big Contributors. On June 3, Laura shared her fundraising expertise in the event Raising Major Gifts for Education.

Below are a few key tips taken from her presentation, which centered on educational fundraising in the context of our current recession:

• Increase your focus on stewardship, which is the most overlooked area during a recession. Reach out to your existing donors and emphasize why your organization needs support now.
• For donors who are concerned about giving during a recession, suggest charitable gift annuities, donor-advised funds, or challenge gifts as more appealing options. Also try seeking a verbal pledge from these donors, then revisiting that pledge in a few months.
• When courting a donor, try making a positive statement and quantifying it. For instance, you can inform your donor, “Our goal is to raise $_____ to provide ______ for our school. With your help, we know we can get there.” Or, “With a contribution of $_____ from you, we will have reached _____% of our goal.” By quantifying your statements, you’re clearly illustrating to donors just how much their donation will impact your organization.
• Look at your donor list, and see which donors have lapsed who you can try to get back. Create a chart to predict your donors’ giving patterns in order to find some good candidates to ask.
• Whatever you do, don’t stop fundraising because of the economic conditions. If anything, increase your fundraising!

Laura also advises educational fundraisers to take heart, because the longer a recession continues, the more donors tend to give to healthcare and education.

Remember to check the Foundation Center’s calendar for more Funding for Education Month programs!

Tracy Kaufman, Library Assistant, Foundation Center-New York

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.

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.