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In the news section you will find opening paragraphs and links to news articles about building nonprofits.
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Developing an Online Facebook Strategy Many nonprofits today are utilizing new media and social networking sites to increase awareness of their organization, market their work, raise money and engage their audiences. The most popular social networking site, Facebook, boasts of 225 million users around the world.
An article in the Campaign and Elections magazine has some pointers that I think you will find helpful in developing an online Facebook strategy for your organization.
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New Ways to Rate Charities Sought |
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New Way To Rate Charities Sought An alliance of prominent philanthropists and entrepreneurs is developing a rating system that they hope will radically alter the way donors evaluate whether a charity is worth their money. The Social Investing Rating Tool would assess not only how nonprofit groups spend their money but also whether their work is making a difference. The goal is to encourage donors to think more like investors -- to consider their charitable donations social investments, complete with risks and responsibilities. "There are commonly accepted metrics to be able to say this is a good corporation or a good restaurant or a good movie, but there are none of those metrics for the nonprofit sector, and there have to be," said Robert Egger, president of D.C. Central Kitchen, who participated last week in the first meeting of the Working Group on Effective Social Investing. |
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Philanthropists Increasingly Focused on Advocacy |
Philanthropists Increasingly Focused on AdvocacyIn a marked shift, a growing number of philanthropists and their foundations are spending large amounts of money and raising their voices to influence public policy, the New York Times reports. According to Joel L. Fleishman, author of The Foundation: A Great American Secret, this increased interest in advocacy can be credited to a greater ambition to tackle big and seemingly intractable problems; a growing frustration over government gridlock; and an increasing number of foundations that plan to spend down their assets by a specific date. Indeed, those speaking out to advance specific causes include some of the biggest names in philanthropy, among them George Soros, Warren Buffett, Jeff Skoll, and Bill Gates, whose foundation spends roughly 10 percent of the more than $1 billion it gives away each year on advocacy efforts. |
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IRA Provision for Charitable Gifts Extended |
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As part of the financial rescue plan that President Bush signed into law last week, Congress extended the program that allows seniors to make charitable contributions from their individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Through 2009, individuals who are 70 ½ or older can make tax-free charitable donations up to $100,000 from their IRAs. The program includes donations made this year. This program was originally established for a two-year period under the Pension Protection Act of 2006. According to the Council on Foundations, it produced more than $130 million in charitable gifts in 2006 and 2007. Why is this important? People 70 ½ or older must take a required (taxable) minimum distribution from their IRA account each year. So if they don’t need the income, this new provision allows them to make a contribution with those withdrawals without tax obligation. How can you take advantage of it? - Talk to your tax advisor to understand all the details of the provision and how to accept these gifts.
- Educate your donors about the tax benefits in your newsletter, on your website, and in other donor communications.
- Search your donor database and, if possible, segment out donors who are near the age of 70 ½ or older. Consider sending them a special, personalized letter.
- Inform everyone in your organization who has contact with donors.
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