December is the time of the secular year where we look backward and forward - making best-of lists and summarizing our prognostications for the future. While many faiths join together for revelries related to the secular new year, for Jews it is also the season to recall the value of perseverance and faith in collective Jewish endeavors, as well as the unexpected miracles that we encounter along the way. So in the spirit of the new year but nevertheless inspired by how one ancient prediction regarding a small vessel of oil gave rise to the miraculous tale of eight nights of luminescence, here are eight predictions for the coming twelve months of 2010: 1. The new “I” word is… Imagination. If 2009 was the year when the newness of Jewish innovation became more widely discussed (or … Continue Reading
NewsBits: Philanthropy in 2033; A Look Ahead
Sean Stannard-Stockton has re-published his March 2008 Financial Times column on the social stock exchanges of the future. Philanthropy in 2033 Philanthropy is undergoing a transformational shift. While most donors continue to give in the same ways they have for 100 years, the vanguard of philanthropy is busily reforming the fabric of the charitable sector. Often referred to as the “social capital markets” and characterized by a model of giving that mirrors the financial markets, this emerging model is still in its infancy. Since you can create only that which you imagine, I thought I would take a quick trip 25 years into the future to see what philanthropy might become. For many donors, the year 2033 does not look a whole lot different from 2008. Many people simply write checks to … Continue Reading
A Strategy for the Jewish Future
The start of a new year is an apt time to think about the implications of David Bryfman’s recent study of non-Orthodox Jewish teenagers. He summarized his glimpse of the Jewish future in America here on eJewish Philanthropy a couple of weeks ago in a thoughtful and important essay. His conclusions have the ring of truth. “For many Jewish teenagers,” he writes, “being Jewish is only as important as the context allows it to be and very rarely will be at the expense of other identities.” Indeed, “inter-marriage [is] accepted as a fact of life - even a source of pride for some because “halvsies” are seen as lucky to get to know about more than just one culture. […] This also means that one can be positively Jewish in a non-Jewish framework and with non-Jewish … Continue Reading
The Future of Jewish Media
from The New York Jewish Week: A "McKinsey Study" on the Jewish Web In these troubling times for the Jewish community and the media industry, the Internet is a vast resource - but also an underutilized one. To provide a bit of perspective, 4Wall, in conjunction with its Jewish initiative JInsider, released the Jewish Internet Metric Study, which takes a business-oriented, top-level look at the Jewish Web using the practices of the renowned consulting firm McKinsey as a guide. With this analysis the community can better understand the business issues, the competitive situation, and the hurdles and opportunities for sustainability on the Web. The report will create a basis for productive discussion on what individual or cooperative strategy might be considered. Here are some key … Continue Reading
Impact Reporting Takes Hold
Savvy donors are no longer interested in flattering self-portraits from charities. They want more transparency from impact reporting as the UK's Celina Ribeiro tells us. Donors are becoming more demanding. Charities can no longer hang ‘genius at work’ signs outside their doors and expect their supporters to wait patiently to be shown a finished masterpiece. Organisations are being asked to show works in progress and any mistakes that are made. As a result impact reporting is becoming an increasingly critical component of a charity’s work. Fundraisers may well find themselves at the centre of a push for increased transparency. The push for greater transparency from the funder side has gained steam over recent months. In this spring, the Big Lottery Fund this spring commissioned a … Continue Reading
Jewish Revival in Uncertain Times
from Reform Judaism online: The financial crisis and demographic shifts are reshaping the Jewish community in ways we could hardly have imagined a generation ago. Historian and Brandeis University professor Jonathan Sarna sheds light on what history can teach us about Jewish revival in uncertain times. What are some of the trends to watch as Jewish institutions adjust to the new economic reality? First, I think we will see an increase in the number of mergers among institutions - Jewish with Jewish, as well as Jewish with secular. A second trend I think we’ll see is an effort to reengage small donors. Third, as a result of Madoff losses, belt-tightening, and nationwide dissatisfaction with executive perks, we’re likely to see higher ethical standards, reduced executive … Continue Reading
Economy Sends Fund Raisers’ Confidence Down
The fundraising climate for U.S. charities continued to decline in the first half of 2009, according to the latest Philanthropic Giving Index (PGI) released yesterday by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The PGI, similar to a Consumer Confidence Index for charitable giving, includes three indexes on a scale from 0 to 100, based on a semiannual national survey of nonprofit fundraising professionals. Higher scores indicate more positive or optimistic attitudes about the climate for fundraising. The fundraisers’ assessment of the current giving environment fell to its lowest level since the Center began the study in 1998. In the latest survey, the Present Situation Index (PSI) is at 58.0, an 8.7 percent decrease from six months ago and a 28.9 percent decrease from one year ago. … Continue Reading
Economic Crisis Update: The Foundation and Nonprofit Response
Nearly 540 people throughout the U.S. and beyond called in on Wednesday, July 22, to the teleconference Turning Crisis Into Opportunity: A Conversation with Two Nonprofit Sector Leaders, to hear Bradford Smith, president of the Foundation Center, and Robert Ottenhoff, president and CEO of GuideStar, discuss the foundation and nonprofit response to the economic crisis. Smith and Ottenhoff shared their perspectives and presented data gathered through research and surveys that both organizations have conducted periodically since the crisis hit last year. The discussion was moderated by Katherina Rosqueta of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania. A downloadable recording is now available. Below is a summary of the highlights of the conversation and new data about … Continue Reading
NewsBits: Sunday Reading
Some recent articles from around the nonprofit world from Frogloop: Tough Times at Your Nonprofit? Don't Cut Back - Expand! Even in tough times, nonprofits need to expand their outreach. Why? Because it’s likely to be both cheaper and more effective in a down economy than in one that’s growing. When times get tough, those nonprofits and businesses that survive usually end up cutting costs to the bone, since donations, grants and sales are all probably headed down. But some smart leaders have realized that expansion can actually be cheaper at times when assets are undervalued and services are under-used. from Fundraising Success magazine: What’s Hot, What’s Not: 2009 Edition The fundraising landscape is always changing and forcing nonprofits to work even harder to keep up … Continue Reading
U.S. Charitable Donations Fell in 2008 Yet Still Surpassed $300 Billion for 2nd Year
According to Giving USA 2009, the yearbook on philanthropy released today by the Giving Institute, 2008 charitable giving in the United States totaled $307.65 billion, a decline of 2 percent over the previous year and only the second decline since the Giving USA Foundation began tracking American philanthropy 53 years ago. Highlights of the Giving USA 2009 study include: Philanthropy constituted 2.2 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (fairly consistent with past years). Religion received the largest share of contributions in 2008 (35 percent), and giving to religion increased 5.5 percent (in current dollars). Giving to public-society benefit organizations rose 5.4 percent. This sector includes a range of organization types along with groups engaged in voter registration, … Continue Reading
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