Group items tagged

The Chronicle's current issue includes an examination of how some nonprofit groups are using the social-networking site Twitter to raise awareness and money: http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v21/i09/09001401.htmAs an extension of that story, I'd like to use this forum as a place to collect a list of charities, foundations, and others in the nonprofit world that are using Twitter. Please feel free to share the name of your group and your Twitter handle -- and share some info on how you are using the tool for your group.And we won't even limit you to 140 characters.

Giving In Bear Times Michael Maiello, 02.16.09, 06:00 AM EST Forbes gathered three experts in philanthropy to discuss strategies for giving when the markets are down. For this market holiday, Forbes gathered a team of philanthropy experts to discuss the future of charitable contributions and investments as well as strategies for pursuing philanthropic goals in a bear market.

The study arose out of efforts by the European Commission, the European Foundation Centre, and others to cut through the maze of foundation tax laws that impede foundations in Europe from engaging in cross-border activities. These barriers exact a cost of somewhere in the neighborhood of EUR 100 million per year that could be avoided by allowing foundations to constitute themselves as European foundations as opposed to being registered in a single country.

Using Video to Spread Your Nonprofit Group's Message and Mission

Keep Dire Talk Out of Fund-Raising Letters

Elgan: Why global is the new 'local' The real reason newspapers and radio stations are hurting -- and how they can thrive

Social Change and the Connected Age

Connectedness does not come from technology but is facilitated and strengthened by it. The greatest challenge for nonprofit organizations and their leaders in the connected age is recognizing that using social-media tools is easy compared with adopting a new mindset for social change. Today, nonprofit groups are part of a larger network or ecosystem of people, organizations, resources, and information. Relying on old-fashioned, top-down management approaches for setting activist agendas and designing fund-raising and volunteering efforts will lead inevitably to disappointing results. Power is shifting from institutions to individuals throughout society. We have seen what happens when people can barter and sell goods without a middleperson on eBay, and when we can watch what we want, when we want, through YouTube. The same sorts of shifts are happening quietly in the nonprofit world. Anyone can create and post a video of what they think their Congressional representatives do all day as part of the "Congress in :30 Secs" campaign organized by the Sunlight Foundation. Volunteers can document the connections between campaign contributions and legislation as part of the Genocide Intervention Network. Donors can pick a school and a specific project to support as part of the DonorsChoose Web site. Successful connected-age organizations are those that facilitate broadly representative networks of social activists — not necessarily organizations with the biggest membership lists or the most money in their coffers. These days, young people, in particular, are not likely to join behemoth membership organizations. Instead, they go online to express their views and instantly connect with individuals and communities interested in their issues and concerns. They also self-organize for social action as so many did in joining the immigration marches last spring.

9. What do you think can be done to better unify the relationship between art and business? We need to foster artists by letting them understand that art should be business - art flourishes not only through non-monetary activities, such as corporate philanthropy, but also by business activities such as art auctions, Mangas and such. If there is value to an artwork, it can be transformed into money. Thus, it's not difficult to make business from art, like we have.

The winning project -- Noon Meal Improves Girls' Learning in Burkina Faso -- is a shining example of a project that marketed its work successfully to the GlobalGiving community. In December, the project attracted many donations from returned Peace Corps Volunteers. To date, the Noon Meals has generated $31,982 from 342 donors. With the eBay Bounty Prize, the project will receive an additional $5,000, putting the project less than $5,000 away from its goal.