Do You Have a Funding Model?

from the Stanford Social Innovation Review: Ten Nonprofit Funding Models Money is a constant topic of conversation among nonprofit leaders: How much do we need? Where can we find it? Why isn’t there more of it? In tough economic times, these types of questions become more frequent and pressing. Unfortunately, the answers are not readily available. That’s because nonprofit leaders are much more sophisticated about creating programs than they are about funding their organizations, and philanthropists often struggle to understand the impact (and limitations) of their donations. There are consequences to this financial fuzziness. When nonprofits and funding sources are not well matched, money doesn’t flow to the areas where it will do the greatest good. Too often, the result is that promising programs... Continue Reading

Updated Resources

Have You Checked Our Resource Section Lately? If you haven’t, you should take a look. We are regularly adding new links to organizational resources and how-to articles culled from professional fundraising blogs and magazines around the world. We added these today: Avoiding A SPAM Complaint Meltdown The current state of email deliverability is one of increasing complexity. Successfully delivering messages to supporters’ inboxes is no longer a simple matter of just pressing the “send” key. There are numerous factors that can trigger email delivery barriers and significantly diminish your organization’s efforts to effectively communicate with constituents. Can Social Media Marketing and Traditional Marketing Coexist? If the goal is to integrate social media marketing into your traditional marketing,... Continue Reading

This Year, Symbolism Isn’t Enough

Reminds us of The Girl Effect, a direct, simple and powerful use of video. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxiV9sAtQAI[/youtube] [Translate]  Read More →

Departure from Yemen: An Editorial

from The Forward: The Politics of Rescue “It was Maimonides who said that there is no greater religious duty than pidyon shevuyim, the redemption of captives, an injunction with deep biblical roots and plenty of historical illustrations. This obligation fueled the movement to free Soviet Jews and undergirds the contemporary Israeli impulse to strike lopsided deals and embark on military campaigns to redeem its soldiers. It’s the reason that Gilad Shalit has become a household name in Israel and beyond ever since the Israel Defense Forces soldier was abducted two and a half years ago. So the plea to rescue Jews who are in distress in countries hostile to them resonates in an almost tribal way. Who among us wouldn’t want to save one’s sibling and, by extension, a member of the (very) extended... Continue Reading

Tax Breaks vs. U.S. Policy

A Washington Post op-ed about charities that support the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is getting an awful lot of exposure: A Tax Break Fuels Middle East Friction For many years, the United States has had a policy against spending aid money to fund Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which successive administrations have regarded as an obstacle to peace. Yet private organizations in the United States continue to raise tax-exempt contributions for the very activities that the government opposes. But critics of Israeli settlements question why American taxpayers are supporting indirectly, through the exempt contributions, a process that the government condemns. A search of IRS records identified 28 U.S. charitable groups that made a total of $33.4 million in tax-exempt contributions... Continue Reading

Puff, the Magic Dragon, in Jerusalem?

Peter Yarrow, of the legendary 60′s folk-singing group “Peter, Paul, and Mary”, will visit Shalva Institute in Har Nof on Monday, March 30th as part of his visit to Israel under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy. Yarrow, a lifelong social activist and educator created Operation Respect, a non-profit educational organization working to assure all children a respectful, safe and compassionate learning climate where their academic, social and emotional development can take place free of bullying, ridicule and violence. Operation Respect  disseminates a highly regarded and effective educational program called “Don’t Laugh at Me.” This program is implemented across the United States and around the world in countries such as South Africa, Hong Kong, and Croatia. It is designed to promote civility... Continue Reading

America’s Nonprofits in Danger

Survey of 950+ Nonprofit Professionals Finds Half Expect the Recession to Have Long-Term or Permanent Negative Effect on their Organizations America’s nonprofits, including the “lifeline” organizations that many depend on for food, shelter, and other basic services, are strained to the breaking point – this according to a survey being released today by the Nonprofit Finance Fund. The survey of 986 nonprofit leaders in markets nationwide captures the financial state and particular challenges facing these organizations. Key findings include: Only 12% expect to operate above break-even this year. Just 16% anticipate being able to cover their operating expenses in both 2009 and 2010. 31% don’t have enough operating cash in hand to cover more that one month of expenses, and another... Continue Reading

The Yemen Spin

Recently, there has been a great deal in the Jewish news and blog-o-sphere, and emails and phone calls are a constant, dealing with the danger to the Yemen Jewish community. Particular emphasis has been placed on the relationship between the UJC and the Satmar community and also whether those leaving Yemen should be settled in the U.S. or Israel. Personally, I’ve heard multiple sides of the same story. If the situation in Yemen resonates with you, check out this article from The Forward: Visitors to Yemen Report That Jews Are Reluctant To Be Rescued;  New Assessment at Odds With Communal Groups’ Dire Warnings In recent weeks, Jewish organizations have insisted that Yemen’s tiny Jewish population is in grave danger and that a secret evacuation is necessary to bring the people to safety.... Continue Reading

Score One for Brandeis

The Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG), a foundation dedicated to strengthening Jewish identity among Russian-speaking Jews worldwide, has committed up to $10.8 million to Brandeis University to establish the Brandeis Genesis Institute for Russian-speaking Jewry and to provide scholarships at Brandeis for undergraduate and graduate students. The grant will also support a variety of activities to support Russian-speaking students, including recruitment, extra-curricular and community activities, outreach and organizing conferences, and exchanges with other institutions and groups. Dr. Misha Galperin, ceo of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and GPG’s Senior Advisor on the Brandeis project, said “Russian Jews have a lot to learn about, but also have a lot to contribute to Jewish communities... Continue Reading

Philanthropy Annual 2008: Highlights of News and Issues That Shaped the Year

The Foundation Center has just released Philanthropy Annual: 2008 Review, the second edition of its yearly compendium highlighting the news, issues, people, organizations and giving trends shaping the field of philanthropy. The new edition “serves as a permanent record of the ups and downs we’ve faced together in 2008 and the efforts of so many people to strive for something better,” says Bradford K. Smith, the Center’s president, in the Annual‘s introduction. “Further, it’s a manifestation of the Foundation Center’s ongoing commitment to our founding principles of accountability and transparency in philanthropy, which are as important now as they ever were.” Continue Reading [Translate]  Read More →

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