Tuesday, November 28, 2006

If you like this Blog you may also like our Recent News of Note Blog.

A review of that blog is below.

Thanks to Tom Watson for this honor and kind remarks.
Reed Stockman

News onPhilanthropy: Blog of the Week: AFP Blog: "Blog of the Week: AFP Blog

The Association of Fundraising Professionals is the national membership organization of those who raise money for a living in the major gifts arena and as a trade group, most of its attention is focused on members. Rightly so. But the AFP Blog is wonderful service for anyone working in the sector - and that's because of the terrific work being done by blogger Reed Stockman."

Giving Circles

Standard disclaimers apply.
From the AFP website
Research Study: Giving Circles and Fundraising in the New Philanthropy Environment
The purpose of this project was to better understand how fundraising professionals are responding and adapting to tools of the "new philanthropy" environment, especially to funding from "giving circles." Scholars, practitioners, and journalists claim a new era has begun in American philanthropy; one that is more engaged and uses unconventional modes of giving and volunteering. This report by Angela Eikenberry of the Center for Public Administration and Policy, School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech, examines the practice in depth.

http://www.afpnet.org/research_and_statistics/afp_research

The PDF Is here
http://www.afpnet.org/content_documents/eikenberry_research_giving_circles.pdf

News articles
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/20/eveningnews/printable2201582.shtml

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/PersonalFinance/story?id=2644183&page=1

Websites

http://nonprofit.about.com/b/a/196471.htm

http://www.givingforum.org/givingcircles/

http://www.minnesotagiving.org/options/circle.htm

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Anniversary Special Events

We often get questions about Anniversary Special Events. Here is some material we found that relates to the topic.

CELEBRATE YOUR NONPROFIT

History - A Powerful Fundraising Tool

http://www.150years.umd.edu/150yearsplanning/info/

Anniversary Fundraising

Some material we've seen on the Cost of Fundraising

Here are some links from AFP and elsewhere which discuss the Cost of Fundraising.
A December 1st 2009 story via the Chronicle Give and Take Blog
http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake/index.php?id=1482
An AFP article on Avoiding the Cost Ratio Trap
AFP member Barbara Clemenson comments and provides a personal white paper on Percentage Fundraising.
Material on the AFP website which discusses various aspects of this topic at the following links.

Congressional Committee Proposes Fundraising Cost Disclosures
(Jan. 21, 2008) The House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a second hearing on Jan. 17 to investigate fundraising costs by veterans charities, with several members of Congress calling for charities to disclose their fundrai

Overhead Costs Too Low, You Say? Watch Your Mouth!
(July 28, 2008) Much has been made of fundraising costs and the overhead expenses of nonprofits. There are percentages thrown about and charities measured and judged based on these numbers. But if you have an “acceptable” or “good

Majority of Americans Believe Nonprofit Overhead Unreasonable
(Feb. 19, 2008) Sixty-two percent of Americans believe the typical nonprofit organization spends more than what is reasonable on overhead expenses such as administration and fundraising, according to a new survey. (Feb. 19, 2008) Sixty-two percent of

Fundraising Costs: Keeping Your Board…On Board
(Sept. 15, 2008) Showing your board how to see past over-simplified cost ratios is a critical way to ensure strategic growth and arm your biggest advocates with the information to engage in these conversations with donors and potential supporters.

FAQ: Evaluating Fundraising Costs
What are some guidelines for evaluating fundraising costs? See also: Fundraising costs: A Game of One-downmanship by James M. Greenfield, ACFRE

From the NCCS study
http://nccsdataweb.urban.org/FAQ/index.php?category=40
Other sources
http://missionbased.blogspot.com/2006/05/addicted-to-admin-costs.html

http://philanthropy.com/blogs/measuring-up/how-to-predict-the-success-of-a-nonprofit-program-before-it-starts/253?cid=pt&utm_source=pt&utm_medium=en

What is the average cost per dollar raised?
http://www.supportingadvancement.com/faq/cost_per_dollar_raised.htm
An article from Board Source
http://www.boardsource.org/Knowledge.asp?ID=3.123
An article from Mal Warwick
http://www.malwarwick.com/learning-resources/articles/fundraising-ratios.html

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

The Elusive 990 Form- How to find the form

The Elusive 990 Form

by Jennifer Watkins

The form 990 is an integral form for a nonprofit to have but it sometimes proves less than easy to locate. With the IRS website being as vast as it is, locating it quickly can prove frustrating. If you go to this page: http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/ , on the left side of the page they list the Most Requested Forms and Publications. After number five, click on “More Forms and Publications” and then, in the middle section of the next page, click on “Form and Instruction Number”.

Scroll down until you find a box that that you can scroll in and the form 990 will be in there. Simply click on Review Selected Files, make sure you can view PDF’s, and the search for the 990 form will be over.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Special Events Assessment

Here is some material we found related to special events assessment and feasibilty studies.

Just a reminder that standard disclaimers apply.

Michelle Hamilton, CFRE, has graciously agreed to let AFP post this handout. The two-page form can be found in PDF format at the following address:

http://www.afpnet.org/ResourceCenter/ArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=3651

Other related material
EPMS Feasibility Study
TCA Tool-Kit: Fundraising and Development:

Organising Fundraising Events

Your Organization's Next Special Event:
"Fund-Raiser" Or "Friend-Raiser?"
Organize a Special Event for Your Neighborhood

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Here for the first time?

Here for the first time? You may also be interested in viewing our other topical blogs. A good way to access them is by using the AFP Blog of Blogs and trying the topical links there.

Monday, June 05, 2006

A question about Executive Director succession

These articles address the issue of Executive Director Search and Succession Planning.
Standard disclaimers apply.

Succession Planning: What you didn't know you need to do

Guidelines for Hiring / Transitioning to a New Chief Executive
in Nonprofit or For-Profit Corporations

Planning Successful Successions

Non-profits will survive if they plan succession

Executive Director Transitions: Departure, Searching, Hiring

Succession Planning

Monday, May 08, 2006

A question about Advisory Boards

Here are some weblinks which discuss the various aspects of Advisory Boards. Standard disclaimers apply.

Guidelines to Form an Advisory Group Written by Carter McNamara, PhD | Applies to nonprofits and for-profits unless noted

Where can I find information about establishing an advisory board for a nonprofit? From the Foundation Center FAQ's

What is an Advisory Board and Should We Have One? From Compass Point

Thursday, April 13, 2006

How to Register if You're a Consultant

How to Register if You're a Consultant
prepared by Jennifer Watkins

With all the changing laws and regulations many nonprofits and consultants are looking at themselves to make sure that they're in line with state and federal regulations.  This includes registering.

Most states require registration from nonprofits, outside fundraising firms and the consultants that are employed by either type.  Considering how many states there are, it can be a daunting task to register.

Especially if you're a consultant that finds themselves consulting and working with people in other states; and even if you're based in one state, you may find you have donors from all over the place.

The first place to go to check out would be the Unified Registration Statement (The Multi-State Filer Project) located at http://www.multistatefiling.com/ .  A next step would be to call your State's Attorney's General to find out what the exact state requirements are.  You can find a list of all them at the National Association of Attorney's General, http://www.naag.org/ , under http://www.naag.org/ag/full_ag_table.php .

For those in Canada, consultants need to check with their provincial governments, with the provincial regulators as the best way to proceed.  If anyone works in Alberta, they currently have the most extensive registration requirements, just something to keep in mind.

In all cases, the recommended first step is speaking with someone in your local government and working your way up if need be.  Countries, and even state to state in the U.S., differ at times and it's best to seek out and find how the regulations are set in your area.

For more information, please take a look at a this FAQ, located here http://www.afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?folder_id=913&content_item_id=1126.  And never hesitate to get in contact with the Resource Center, either by phone (1-800-688-FIND) or email (resctr@afpnet.org).  The usual disclaimers for dispensing legal or ethical information apply.