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The Open Society Institute's Human Rights and Governance Grants Program (HRGGP) seeks proposals from national and international organizations to advance government accountability in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Mongolia. HRGGP will support efforts to promote public participation in and oversight of governmental activity, including in the delivery of services, at both the national and local levels.

Funding will be provided in the following three areas to national and international non-governmental organizations to monitor public administration and to curb corrupt behavior by state authorities.

1) Access to information: HRGGP will consider projects that assess the quality of freedom of information laws and ensure implementation. HRGGP also welcomeS litigation programs that challenge narrow interpretations of and failures to implement the law.

2) Fiscal transparency and abuse of state resources: HRGGP will provide support to NGOs to monitor the budget and expenditure process at the national and local government levels.

3) Transparency in governmental decision-making: HRGGP will support projects that make governmental debate and decisions public, especially efforts to promote the adoption and implementation of whistle-blowing protections. HRGGP also WILL support efforts to eliminate criminal defamation and libel laws and to limit the use of civil libel suits as a means of preventing meaningful public scrutiny.

See the Open Society Institute Web site for complete program information and contact details.

Read more | Open Society Institute

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Enhancing the quality of life of people all over the world through activities that promote education

Category: Children | Community | Education | Health
Available from: Flahive Family Foundaton
Deadline: Rolling

The purpose of the Foundation is to enhance the quality of life of people all over the
world through activities that promote education, self-sufficiency, health and wellness.
The emphasis is on international projects and third world countries, especially Africa.
The areas of interest to the Foundation are: reducing poverty by educating children;
establishing safe and healthy systems for impoverished areas; support programs for
disease prevention, health and wellness; and improving educational opportunities for
children in third world countries.

Read more | Flahive Family Foundation

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Supporting, Strengthening, and promoting those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world

Category: Environment
Available from: The Ocean Foundation
Deadline: See Website

The Ocean Foundation (TOF) is a unique community foundation with a mission to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world. They work with a
community of donors who care about the coasts and oceans.  In this manner, they grow the financial resources available to support marine conservation in order to promote healthy ocean ecosystems and benefit the human communities that depend on them.  They operate using a well-established business model (the community foundation) to serve donors and partners interested in marine conservation. TOF does this by increasing the capacity of conservation organizations, hosting projects and funds, and supporting those working to improve the health of ocean species globally.

Read more | The Ocean Foundation

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Providing support towards strengthening of civil society for sustainable development

Category: NGO Capacity Bldg
Available from: Commonwealth Foundation
Deadline: See Website

The Commonwealth Foundation is an inter-governmental organization supported by Commonwealth governments to provide support towards strengthening of civil society for sustainable development, democracy and intercultural learning within the commonwealth countries. It has grantmaking programmes for NGOs specifically for supporting activities that involve intercultural exchange: such as short training courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, cultural festivals, exchanges and study visits in other Commonwealth countries. The Civil Society Responsive Grant programme of the Foundation is specifically for NGOs in Commonwealth developing countries.

Read more | Commonwealth Foundation

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Supporting leaders and institutions working to achieve a biologically rich, sustainable world

Category: Children & Young People | Community | Education | Environment | Health | NGO Capacity Bldg
Available from: David & Lucile Packard Foundation
Deadline: See Website

The Foundation supports leaders and institutions working to achieve a biologically rich, sustainable world where all families can plan for their children and all children reach their potential. They also invest in efforts to learn from their work and increase the impact of their investments through targeted evaluation and communications grants. They have a number of program areas: Conservation & Science; Population & Reproductive Health; Children, Families & Communities; Organizational Effectiveness & Philanthropy; and Local Grantmaking. Eligibility and geographical focus varies with the program.

Read more | David & Lucile Packard Foundation

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Supporting some of the most disadvantaged and poorest people in the world

Category: Children | Community | Disability | Education | Environment | Health | Human Services
Available from: Comic Relief
Deadline: Rolling

Comic Relief supports some of the most disadvantaged and poorest people in the world. Africa is the focus for most of our international work as the continent has the highest levels of poverty and injustice in the world. At the same time we support work in a limited number of countries in Asia and Latin America. Comic Relief grants to UK-registered charities only (including charities registered in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) whose main aim is development and who work closely with identified local organisations. They believe lasting change requires investing in work that addresses people’s immediate needs as well as tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. To do this effectively they’ve developed a set of principles which guide the way they work and the expectations they have of the organisations they fund. Organisations applying will need to demonstrate how their work addresses the following: understanding the context; consulting with key players; building on good practice; involving local people; investing in local organizations; working with others; implementing learning strategies and applying learning.

Read more | Comic Relief

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Protecting children from all kinds of abuse

Category: Children & Young People
Available from: UBS Optimus Foundation
Deadline: See Website

The UBS Optimus Foundation is committed to the welfare of children around the world. Their overall goal is to protect them from abuse of all kinds. In the area of education and child protection, they require all their partners to fully comply with a zero tolerance policy for child abuse, exploitation and child pornography. They promote and respect the standards set out by the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, which outlines the fundamental rights of children within its sphere of influence. Projects are primarily identified through periodic calls for proposals, which typically occur in the fourth quarter of every year.
Exceptional funding is available outside the regular calls, however these applicants have a considerably lower chance of receiving funding. Projects funded in this phase are meant to demonstrate proof of concept: the unconventional, even risky approaches that have a promising potential for realization.

Read more | UBS Optimus Foundation

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Supporting wildlife research, habitat protection, animal rescue, and conservation education

Category: Environment
Available from: Seaworld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund
Deadline: 1st December 2011

The Fund supports wildlife research, habitat protection, animal rescue, and conservation education in the United States and around the world. Since its inception in 2003, the fund has awarded more than $8 million in total support, including animal crisis grants to fund rapid response efforts when animals or their habitats are in peril due to either natural or human-caused events and catastrophes. The fund's annual grant program accepts applications from organizations around the world. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations based in the U.S., non-U.S.-based nonprofit organizations and
nongovernmental organizations, governmental entities (including public schools and universities), accredited universities and research centers, and AZA- or AMMPA-accredited institutions. Applications from individuals not affiliated with any of these entities will not be accepted. The project for which funding is requested must have broad community/constituency support and be based on legitimate scientific and conservation principles.

Read more | Seaworld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund

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Improving the well-being of children made vulnerable by HIV, AIDS

Category: Children & Young People | Health
Available from: Firelight Foundation
Deadline: See Website

The mission of Firelight Foundation is to improve the well-being of children made vulnerable by HIV, AIDS and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Firelight supports grassroots organizations that help families and communities meet the needs of their children.

Read more | Firelight Foundation

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Opportunities for children who are growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances

Category: Children
Available from: Bernard van Leer Foundation
Deadline: Contact the Foundation

The Bernard van Leer Foundation is an international grantmaking foundation based in The Hague. Their  mission is to improve opportunities for children up to age 8 who are growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances. They see this both as a valuable end in itself and as a long-term means to promoting more cohesive, considerate and creative societies with equal opportunities and rights for all. Their have three program goals for 2010 to 2015 - taking quality early learning to scale, reducing violence in young children's lives, and improving young children's physical environments. Support is focused on the following countries: Brazil, India, Israel, Netherlands, Peru, Tanzania, Turkey, and Uganda. Until 2012, they will continue to work in the Caribbean, Mexico and South Africa on the issue areas defined by the previous period: Strengthening the care environment, Successful transitions from home to school, and Social inclusion and respect for diversity.

Read more | Bernard van Leer Foundation

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Advertise here

“President Bill Clinton Opens the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting With a Focus on Generating Jobs for the 21st Century, Sustainable Consumption for Our Planet, 'What Works' for Girls and Women, and Progress of Member Commitments.” Clinton Global Initiative Press Release

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Marketing: a Controversial Spend?'

4th October 2011, 6pm - 8.30pm, Ping Pong Dim Sum, Appold Street, London

Should you spend more money, time and effort on your marketing? Rather than accepting the donating public's wariness of charity marketing, how can you persuade them otherwise? In what ways can you internally justify and make a business case for your marketing spend? Last but not least, does your charity's marketing reflect that marketing is more than just promotion, incorporating donors' motivations?

Strategically prioritising spending wisely on marketing should grow - or save - your organisation.

We will find out what marketing-savvy charities, both small and large, are doing right and what their approach to marketing is. Looking to the private sector for more lessons, we will see what charities can learn from their experience.

Panel Includes:
David Burland, Deputy Chief Executive at Help the Hospices
Judith Brodie, Global Brand & Funding Director at VSO
Joe Saxton, Driver of Ideas & Founder of nfpSynergy
Judith Davey, Director of Performance & Accountability at ActionAid

[More information / Book a place]

American Foundation Research – Researching US Foundations, a practical approach.

Helping you to meet your fundraising targets!
This workshop, which has been profited and enjoyed by over 60 organizations over the last two years, is aimed at anyone wishing to explore the multi-million dollar funding opportunities represented by the 100,000+ US Grantmaking Foundations.

The workshop includes:

- 3 hours plus of supervised individual research time at a dedicated terminal using the most comprehensive and flexible American Foundation Research Database available;

- An overview of what you need to know to maximise your chance of success when applying to US Grantmaking Foundations.

Duration: 7 hours
Cost: £201.25 + VAT Early Bird Discount Price: £175.00 + VAT
(inc. Lunch & Refreshments)
Venue: Intuition House, London, SE1 1JX, UK
Workshop presenter: Peter Haley

BOOK TODAY
Wednesday 12th October 2011 - [Click here]
Wednesday 30th November 2011 - [Click here]

How Sept. 11 changed charity in America

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, inspired Americans to step up and help their neighbors like never before, donating billions of dollars to families who lost loved ones.

Americans donated a record-breaking $2.8 billion to help the victims of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a Washington-based news agency that tracks institutional charities like the American Red Cross.

Four years later, after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the Deep South, Americans pulled out their checkbooks once again. Donations to help the survivors of Katrina outpaced September 11 charity by 90%, establishing yet another record.

"September 11 was the first time there was such an outpouring for an event like that," said Michael Solomon, spokesman for the Chronicle of Philanthropy. "When Katrina came along, charities and donors were ready for that moment."

The years of experience that charitable organizations acquired in the wake of September 11 set the stage for an even more generous outpouring after Katrina cut a swath through Louisiana, Mississippi and other states, killing 1,723 people in what the Federal Emergency Management Agency called "the single most catastrophic natural disaster in U.S. history." Americans donated $5.3 billion to the victims of Katrina, according to the Chronicle.

[Read more] Source: CNNMoney

Apple's philanthropy needs a reboot

As newly crowned CEO Tim Cook gets used to his new role and the extraordinary power and pressure that it brings, many Apple fans will likely urge him to continue leading the company much as his famous, turtle-necked predecessor Steve Jobs did.

After all, Jobs managed to create a brand synonymous with just about every technological advancement in recent years, as well as a hugely lucrative corporation.

Devoted Apple users ourselves, we, too, hope that much of the company's trademark culture stays the same. However, while Apple's design identity aligns with our lifestyles, its charitable identity -- or egregious lack thereof -- disappoints us. It's time for Apple to start innovating in philanthropy with the same ingenuity, rigor and public bravado that it has brought to its every other venture.

To this day, Apple has no publicized corporate giving strategy of any kind, aside from a "(RED)" edition iPod Nano, $25 iTunes gift card and new iPad cover -- through which some undisclosed percentage of profits ultimately goes to organizations fighting AIDS in Africa. According to the (RED) website, the proceeds from the sale of one iPod Nano "provides life saving medicine for one person in Africa for more than three weeks."

The campaign's founder, U2 frontman Bono, told the New York Times that Apple's (RED) line has amounted to "tens of millions of dollars that have transformed the lives of more than 2 million Africans through HIV testing, treatment and counseling."

[Read More] Source: CNN

Living with the Gates Foundation: How much difference is it making?

Every autumn, an American university publishes a list of once popular items and phrases that fell out of standard use before the new class of students were born. For instance, a few years ago the list noted that incoming students probably hadn’t ever used cassette players. The intent is to remind professors and administrators that young people do not necessarily share many of our perceived cultural touchstones. Today, a discussion of philanthropic foundations’ role in society always begins with the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and the Ford Foundation. But this shared cultural touchstone is being eclipsed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

When Rockefeller, Carnegie and Ford began their foundations, they were largely treading new ground, making and remaking conventions as they went. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation so far outstrips the resources, scope and spending of every other foundation on earth today that it is treading new ground and defining that ground in much the same as Rockefeller and his philanthropic peers. The Gates Foundation is rapidly becoming the new exemplar of what a foundation is. Some point out that the Rockefeller Foundation’s spending was much greater relative to government spending than that of Gates today. While true, it is largely irrelevant: like cassette players for college students, that context is just an abstraction for philanthropists and policymakers today.

It is not just in size and scope that the Gates Foundation is treading new ground. The publicly vocal role that Bill and Melinda Gates play as influencers and advocates is also unique. No other foundation leader today can demand the attention and access that Bill Gates can. Perhaps no other foundation leader has ever used that attention and access so willingly and purposefully to advance their philanthropic agenda.

[Read more] Source: @lliance

IKEA founder pledges £1bn to charity following Nazi past revelations

The 85-year-old businessman, Ingvar Kamprad, has instructed the IKEA foundation, which has owned the company since 1982, to more than double its charitable spending to close to £100m a year.
Around £40m will go to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, split over three years, with the rest shared between UN agencies such as UNICEF, UNHCR and UNDP, and Save the Children, to which the foundation is already the largest corporate donor.

“We will donate 1bn Kr per year (£95.7m),” Per Heggenes, Mr Kamprad’s press spokesman, told Sweden’s Expressen newspaper. “There’s been a strong will from Ingvar to do more things for more people by setting a more ambitious goal for the foundation.”

The move follows last month’s revelations that Mr Kamprad at the age of 17 had been an active recruiter and a registered member of the Svensk Socialistisk Samling (SSS), the successor to the Swedish Nazi party.

Mr Kamprad’s youthful Far Right sympathies first came to light in 1994, with the posthumous publication of the letters of Per Engdhal, the leader of the Far Right New Swedish movement of the 1950s, which detailed the friendship and financial support he had enjoyed from Mr Kamprad.

[Read more] Source: The Telegraph

UK Government invests £10m in new ideas to boost giving

The government has launched a £10m fund to support new ideas that use technology to encourage charitable giving and volunteering. Ideas could include the use of online platforms to connect donors and causes or smart phone apps to make giving easier.

The Innovation in Giving fund is part of the £34m Social Action Fund, which was announced in the Giving White Paper in May. It will be managed by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta).

Grants will be given to the private sector as well as charities and social enterprises to support innovative ways to promote giving and volunteering. Even the application process relies on technology, with applicants having to submit a three-minute video of their idea.

According to Nesta, the Fund aims to invest in ideas that bring about a ”step-change in levels of giving and exchange and which have a credible route to being self-sustaining in the longer term”.

[Read more] Source: Philanthropy:UK

The Forbes 400: The Ten Biggest Gifts since 2010

With great wealth comes the rare opportunity to make a lasting impact. Through their philanthropy many members of this year's Forbes 400 have extended their legacy well beyond the success of their various business ventures. Here we list the largest reported charitable gifts made by rich listers in 2010 and 2011. In the case of big pledges we counted only what has been transferred so far. Just four of the ten donations were made by individuals who have taken the Giving Pledge, a promise to give away at least half of one's net worth to charity: Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, George Kaiser and Mark Zuckerberg.

Warren Buffett
$3.27 BILLION
RECIPIENT: BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION PURPOSE: GLOBAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION

Stephen Mandel
$134 MILLION
RECIPIENT: ZOOM FOUNDATION PURPOSE: ENDING POVERTY THROUGH EDUCATION

Len Blavatnik
$117 MILLION
RECIPIENT: OXFORD UNIVERSITY
PURPOSE: ESTABLISH A SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT

Mark Zuckerberg
$100 MILLION
RECIPIENT: STARTUP: EDUCATION FOUNDATION
PURPOSE: SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN NEWARK, N.J.

[Read more] Source: Forbes.com

The 7 Habits of Effective Personal Fundraisers

Your supporters love your nonprofit and the work that you do. Many of them want to raise funds for your nonprofit or cause, but don't know how to approach it.

We know it's a real struggle to fundraise effectively when you're not a professional fundraiser. We're with you and want to help your supporters become the best fundraisers possible.

To do that, we combed through the thousands of individuals who used our fundraising platform and selected some of the most successful to study. We examined what and how much they raised, and identified seven habits they all had in common; a few experts weighed in, as well.

We can't guarantee that your supporters will raise a ton in donations easily, but if they follow these suggestions, they'll be on the right track.

1. Personalize your fundraising

Online fundraising is most effective when it's made personal. Personality and passion have to shine through in any type of fundraising effort. Making the campaign personal gives your cause credibility. Personal connections motivate people to give more than the cause in and of itself.

2. Use multiple ways to raise awareness

To get maximum exposure for your fundraiser, ask your personal network of friends, family, and co-workers; use different ways to reach out to them. This doesn't mean you should incessantly blast out streams of messages to your network asking for donations. Be mindful to pick the best methods to reach your audiences.

{Read more] Source: Nonprofit Technology Network

7 Tips for Better Fundraising Emails

Email marketing represents a critical component of online fundraising. In fact, in spite of the social era or perhaps because of it, more email is being generated. A growing minority of emails are read and responded to on mobile devices now. Contacting friends and supporters who may back your fundraiser via email cannot be overlooked.

For most nonprofits, email has been and remains the heart and soul of their online strategies. Even social media-heavy programs seek to engage more loyal supporters through email programs like newsletter, petitions, pledges, advocacy and more. The purpose is to build a house file.

So how can you make email work best for your campaign? Here are seven tips to consider.

1) Vet your list

Carpet bombing your entire rolodex and house file is not a great way to make potential investors feel good about receiving your email. If you are looking for support from friends, focus on creating a small list of people who will likely care about the effort. The email itself is an ask. If at all possible, a personal email to each fundraiser makes a big difference.

If you are a nonprofit, you will want a list that is opt-in, and not purchased wholesale. There are great solutions from companies like Care2 to develop email lists of customized, qualified parties who will opt-in to information from you. Spend the money to build a list, but don’t buy an existing one that is not directly associated with your cause.

There are many elements to consider in writing a great headline, but make no bones about it, this is essential. Only 15% of emails are even opened, according to Blackbaud. Creating pithy headlines that are active in tense, short in length, and clear in purpose are critical to success.

[Read more] Source: Inspiring Generosity via razoo

Email Alert Service: European Grants Update Service

The EU Grant Proposals Update Service is the most efficient way to obtain the full range of information available on the latest calls for grant proposals for Members of the EU.

We will regularly email you our “EU Grants Proposals – Alert” which will include a link to the following information:

• Call for grant application
• Grant objectives, current priorities etc.
• Grant deadlines
• Grant rates
• Application timetable
• Contact names and address
• Partnership requirements
• Application forms
• Guidance notes

Subscription for this service includes updates (at least 1 per month) for 12 months and costs £25.00

Each European Grant update contains an HTML attachment that takes you directly to the latest call for grant proposals.

EMAIL ALERT SERVICE | £25.00 | BUY

Learn from rejected grant applications

The Art of Refusal: Promising Practice for Grant Makers and Grant Seekers

The full report of this research project, “The art of refusal: experiences of grant makers and grant seekers”, provides the findings of a study of communication experiences and practices, at the point of grant refusal, among selected grant making and grant seeking organisations. Its context was the frustration and disappointment being experienced by many grant seekers in a period of enhanced competition for funding, alongside the multiple pressures facing grant makers, in responding to grant seekers’ needs and in meeting their own range of obligations. The overall purpose of the research was to support learning and improvement in policy and practice among grant makers and grant seekers. A summary of the findings from the qualitative research undertaken for the project is provided at the end of this paper.

[View Report] Source: Cass Business School / Charities Aid Foundation (PDF)

Cancer Research UK tops Social Charity 100 Index

Cancer Research UK has topped a new index which ranks charities by their use of social media.

Aaron Eccles, social media manager at the charity, said: “We’re proud to have ranked highest in this survey because it shows how hard we’re working to have conversations about our work with as many supporters as possible.”

He added: “Working with our supporters in this way is helping them to really get involved in the core work of the charity – that’s inspiring for us and them.”

The Social Charity 100 Index is compiled by Visceral Business and analyses the activity of 300 UK charities on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and their own online communities.

A snapshot of each charity’s social media activity was taken at the end of May and the end of August, and charities were ranked by the strength of financial income, strength of brand and performance across social networks.

It found that in only 32 of the top 100 was there a correlation between the financial strength and brand strength.

The report concludes that while most charities are using social media it is in its “infancy” and that charities need to work on being more responsive to increase engagement with the charity rather than just broadcasting to their supporters.

The Top 5 Charities are: Cancer Research UK, British Red Cross, Oxfam, Macmillan, RSPCA

[Read more] Source: Civil Society.co.uk

Compelling tool to identify potential US foundation funders

Multi-million dollar funding opportunities at your fingertips

Updated daily, FoundationSearch, an American Foundation Research database,includes more than 120,000 US grant making foundations, representing billions of dollars in annual granting and includes tools to locate grants by type, value, year, recipient, donor and historical giving trends, and much, much more.

FoundationSearch is in our opinion the best database of its kind in the world. It provides more accurate, accessible information than any other comparable database and its unique features enable you to appreciably reduce expensive research time, make your choices significantly better informed, and considerably improve your chances of success.

If you would like to learn more about FoundationSearch or are interested in a free online demonstration please contact research@chapel-york.com for details and costs or visit Chapel-york online

[More information]

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August '11 - Grant Opportunities & Grant Activity items from all over the world helping you find possible sources of funding covering a vast array of giving interest areas | Ask the Expert: Insider tips from people in the know about philanthropy - EU Funding & Compliance | American Foundation Research – Researching US Foundations | Mr. Buffett, The IRS Needs Your Charity, Too | 10 things to do before writing a fundraising strategy....and much, much more! View G&R August here

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10 things to do before writing a fundraising strategy

Having a shared purpose and a common fundraising goal is essential to any  successful nonprofit campaign or program.  This is why it is important for charities to work hard in order to develop their fundraising strategy prior to setting out with their asks or before beginning work on a fundraising project.

Developing a strong and coherent fundraising strategy helps cut down on wasting time and resources and gives a common purpose to the organization’s staff, including any volunteers.

Having a fundraising strategy with built-in timelines and targets also manages expectations amongst senior staff and board members and provides an effective manner in which to verbalize desired outcomes.

Before you start writing your strategy, here are 10 things your organization should be doing:

1. 1. Review your charity’s current status.  What are your present resources?  What went well in the past and what needs improvement?  Consider a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats)
3. 
   2. Ask yourself, what kind of funding do  you need? Unrestricted income? Gifts in kind? Major donations for specific projects?

[Read more] Source: adviceforgood

Mr. Buffett, The IRS Needs Your Charity, Too

Warren Buffett is preaching higher taxes again. Yet he keeps abusing plenty of tax loopholes himself, and doesn’t that make him a hypocrite on taxes?

Other writers pointed out this week that Buffett avoids taxes by holding on to his Berkshire Hathaway stock.  Lower long-term capital gains taxes (currently up to 15 percent) aren’t due until he sells his shares.

But, other writers missed exposing one of Buffett’s favorite tax loopholes. In my Nov. 24, 2010 blog “Dear Mr. Buffett: Put Up Or Shut Up On Taxes”, I pointed out how Mr. Buffett abuses another popular tax loophole of the super-rich, charitable contributions of appreciated stock.

Buffett, and his billionaire crew, avoid capital gains taxes on donating their own company stock to their own charitable foundations. Many will wonder – how can charity be a tax loophole or scheme.

I presume Buffett double-dips on tax breaks by taking very large tax deductions for charitable contributions of his shares at the appreciated value. Yet, his cost is a small fraction of the value and he doesn’t have to pay those long-term capital gains taxes on the shares he transfers to charity.  In many cases, Buffett just transfers those shares from his taxable pocket to his own – or friend Bill Gates – charitable-foundation pocket.

[Read more] Source: Great Speculations - Forbes

Future trends: Predictions for charity IT

We asked charities and IT suppliers alike for their predictions on IT trends in the charity sector over the next year, and received a huge response. Of course, cloud computing and mobile technology were frequently cited – so to avoid repetition just a few of the comments on these topics were included, with preference given to predictions addressing other interesting areas.

In our case it is improving our remote access capabilities to allow more efficient and more integrated work to be done by staff who are away from - or not based in - head office. In general I think that the maturing (finally) nature of the "cloud" and SaaS will (eventually) have an impact in how charity IT operates (assuming we all decide the security implications of having your data somewhere else are ok). In particular the scalability of this approach should mean that small charities can effectively operate
on the same type of systems as large charities.
Adrian Mitchell, IT manager, Variety Club

Complete pull to web-based apps (internal and external) paving the way for staff to use their own equipment within corporate networks (if all they need is a browser....not much for IT departments to support). This will be the norm in less than 10 years.
Paul Hughes, head of IT, the Stroke Association

[Read more] Source: Civil Society.co.uk

The seven deadly sins of fundraising appeals – and how to avoid them

These points and tips are mainly written in the context of individual giving, although many are also just as relevant to events, community and legacy fundraising, membership marketing, volunteer recruitment or anywhere direct marketing techniques are used.  They represent the most common issues in fundraising appeals that I have come across and include suggestions to help you avoid the same pitfalls.

I hope that some of these insights and suggestions are useful to you and that you will test to prove or disprove them for yourself!

1. Beating around the bush
Many people seem to feel slightly embarrassed about asking for donations.  I only say this because there have been numerous occasions where I’ve been asked to remove most of the asks for a donation from appeal copy; once to the point that the first mention was almost at the bottom of the last page of the letter, almost as though it was an afterthought.

This is a fundraising appeal, not a magazine article or a short story, so get to the point and do it quickly.  You’ve heard of the saying, ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’, and never has this been more true than in this context.  Experience and testing tells me that the earlier you include an ask, and the more direct you are about it, the better the response will be.

Tips to uplift response & income:

• -Include your ask early – the earlier the better
• 
  -Repeat the ask several times throughout your copy
• 
  -Be direct – phrases like, ‘will you donate today?’, will be more effective than, ‘your support would be appreciated’

[Read in full, Tips 2-7] Source: Beautiful World

New philanthropists, new attitudes, new questions

The New Philanthropists
Many philanthropists today want something that charitable donors a few decades ago never asked of their beneficiaries: A stronger voice in how their contributions are spent. “People are much more astute and sophisticated about holding nonprofits accountable,” says Jeff Kaminker, President, Frontwater Capital. “It’s very easy to look up the tax returns of similar charities on the Internet and then ask, ‘Why are you spending 35% of every dollar on administrative costs when this other charity only spends 25%?’”

New Generation Takes Over
But the desire for accountability is just part of what makes today’s philanthropists different from those who gave in the past. They also want to perpetuate the same entrepreneurial values that, in many cases, gave rise to their fortunes. To them, contributions should provide measurable returns.

“People are looking at donations not just as contributions, but as investments in a solution,” says Kaminker. To this point, a growing trend toward strategic, ‘investment-like’ giving aimed at maximizing societal return on investing. Philanthropists are now giving their charities the same kind of disciplined scrutiny they devote to stocks and bonds. These donors are consulting with their Investment Advisors to develop strategies designed to realize the maximum potential of their charitable dollars.

[Read more] Source: Saint Louis Metropolitan Association for Philanthropy

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CHAPEL & YORK
International & cross-border fundraising for charities & non-profits
PO Box 50, LINGFIELD, RH7 6FT, ENGLAND, UK