Philanthropy Front and Center - Washington, DC

Next Week at the Foundation Center (May 4-8)

Course:
Foundation Fundraising:
An Introductory Course
Wednesday, May 6, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
cost: $125 per person;
Save $25 for each additional registration

Classes:
Before You Seek a Grant:
A Checklist for New Nonprofits
Tuesday, May 5, 10:30 am-12:00 pm

Grantseeking Basics for
International Organizations
Thursday, May 7, 11:00 am-12:30 pm

Proposal Writing Basics
Friday, May 8, 10:00-11:15 am

Proposal Budgeting Basics
Friday, May 8, 11:45 am-12:45 pm

These classes are free to attend, but registration is required. For programs offered over the next three months, please see our Events Calendar.

Library:
Use Foundation Directory Online Professional, borrow books, and get reference help free of charge with no appointment necessary. See our website for directions.

Hours:
Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday
10:00 am-5:00 pm
Tuesday
10:00 am-8:00 pm

Space still available for Workplace Giving Program - 4/30 @ 3:00pm

On Wednesday, April 29, 2009, The Washington Post ran an article about workplace giving and how area nonprofits are withdrawing from United Way.  We are hosting a program on the topic of workplace giving on Thursday, April 30, 2009 and one of our panelists will be Don Sodo, CEO of America's Charities who is quoted in the article.  Also speaking is Steven Sanderson of the United Way of the National Capital Region. There is still time to register for what no doubt will be a lively discussion.  The program is free. Register here.

 

Social Media for Nonprofits

Stan Schroeder on the Mashable blog has dubbed 2009 the year of social media. And if his statistics don't convince you Twitter is worth the fuss, maybe Hugh Jackman can. The Australian actor made news last week after he asked his followers on the popular microblogging site to help him choose a chaity to donate $100,000 to. The catch? You had to make your case in 140 characters or less. (Jackman ended up splitting the $100,000 between two organizations, Charity:Water and Operation of Hope.

On her own blog, Beth Kanter urges nonprofit organizations that are struggling to develop a social media policy to first have a discussion about their social media strategy. Writes Kanter:

There needs to be discussion. Not only about the potential concerns and how to respond, but how the organization or its internal culture can embrace social media....

A policy in of itself does not guarantee effective social media use, and if the policies magnify dysfunctional internal communications issues or silo culture, a policy may even get in the way of the organization owning social media.

As part of effective social media strategy development, the internal conversation must take place. But the policy can only be effective if the organization's culture can become agile enough to allow the rapid response to stakeholders and accommodate experimentation. The conversation is the first step. And it probably won't happen unless the organization's leadership facilitates the conversation and using social media to have that internal conversation is also a great way to improve understanding.

Excellent advice, as always.

On the NetSquared site, Amy Sample Ward has posted the twenty-four finalists in the Change the Web challenge, a competition designed to encourage the building of innovative online tools that help people find and share opportunities to take action for social change. The top three winners will be announced at the NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference in San Francisco on April 28.

The response on Twitter and in the nonprofit blogosphere to an article in the Washington Post on Wednesday ("To Nonprofits Seeking Cash, Facebook App Isn’t So Green") that painted a rather grim picture of the popular Facebook Causes application was immediate and almost universally negative. According to Allison Fine, the Post article repeated many of the same criticisms of the Causes app featured in an earlier WaPo article and included a number of inaccuracies. For a different take on the controversy, read this post by We Media blogger Brian Reich.

In addition to our blog, the Foundation Center-Washington, DC has moved into the Twitterverse, so be sure to check us out there!

This post was originally featured in PhilanTopic, the Foundation Center's blog of opinion and commentary on the nonprofit sector.

From The Answer Desk: What Do Nonprofits Need to Know about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Bill)?

A: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, will provide more than $787 billion in spending and tax cuts intended to help stimulate the national economy.

The Foundation Center has collected the best resources on how nonprofits may be able to access stimulus package funding and our new MapShot: Best ARRA Funding Resources by State connects you to information about funding and other current opportunities in each state.

The Act includes new or expanded government grant programs to provide funding for assistance to communities or individuals affected by the economic crisis. Nonprofit organizations interested in applying for grants provided by this Act should visit the Grants.gov website for a listing of Recovery Act funding opportunities. For-profit organizations can find recovery procurement and contracting opportunities at FedBizOpps.gov.

In order to provide full accountability and transparency for the distribution of stimulus funds, the Federal government has created the Recovery.gov website. Visitors to the site can read the full text of the Act, view a timeline of administrative deadlines, and find news and updates on funding opportunities from Federal agencies.

Most state governments and Federal agencies have also created their own economic recovery sites. Directories of these official sites can be found at Recovery.gov:

• State Recovery Sites 
• Agency Recovery Sites

The National Council of Nonprofits has issued a series of special reports on the economic stimulus and recovery, including:

• Nonprofit Grant Opportunities - Summarizes the major spending and tax cut provisions of the Act and identifies potential grant opportunities for nonprofits.
• Stimulus Grant Tips and Thoughts - Offers grant information, tips, and considerations for nonprofits interested in applying for stimulus funds.
• Whether and How States are Accepting & Distributing Federal Stimulus Funds - Reviews how state governments have indicated they will handle the Federal funds.
• Sources of Information Regarding Stimulus Funds - Identifies sources of information about the Act and stimulus funds.

The National Council of Nonprofits also encourages organizations to contact their state nonprofit associations or their state and Congressional representatives for more information on local stimulus funding.

Selected resources below may also be helpful.

Independent Sector - Economic Recovery Act and Nonprofits - Provides this analysis and commentary on the Act at its site, along with tips for nonprofit organizations on establishing strong ties with policymakers.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: State-By-State Estimates of Key Provisions Affecting Low- and Moderate-Income Individuals - This report, issued by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, outlines key provisions of the Act affecting low- and moderate-income individuals and includes a state-by-state analysis of these funding provisions.

StateRecovery.org - A service of the Council on State Governments, StateRecovery.org is targeted towards officials in state government, but contains useful information on federal assistance, listings of grant opportunities, and a series of reports analyzing the prospective impact of stimulus funding at the state level.

National Conference of State Legislatures - Economic Stimulus 2009 - Provides summaries and analysis of major provisions of the Act for state legislators, but also includes information that can useful to the general public.

National Governors Association - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Created to provide information on state implementation of ARRA, analysis of the Act’s provisions for a range of topics, and links to additional resources.

Have a question? Ask Us!

(This post is from Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta)

Gen Y as Nonprofit Leaders

Just featured on the Center's web site in its national podcast series is Rosetta Thurman, an up-and-coming young nonprofit leader with a well-visited blog and a growing flock on Twitter. In Philanthropy Chat: Social Media and the Role of Young Nonprofit Leaders, Rosetta shares her thoughts on what her generation (Gen Y) could bring to the nonprofit sector. With cutting-edge technological skills and current training in management and other fields, Thurman is a vocal advocate for her generation having a larger role in leading nonprofits -- now. She urges nonprofit managers in the Baby Boom group to be more open to letting her generation enter leadership roles.  

Given the extent of the economic crisis and its expected length, the experience of the Boomers and the skills of Gen Y are both going to be needed for the nonprofit sector to thrive in this brave new nonprofit world. Can we all get along? And then -- what about Gen Xers? 

Next Week at the Foundation Center (April 27-May 1)

Special Program for Health & Human Services Month:
Workplace Giving: A Strategy for Diversification
Thursday, April 30, 3:00-4:30 pm

Course:
Developing a Fundraising Plan
Wednesday, April 29, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
cost: $195 per person;
Save $25 for each additional registration

Classes:
Introduction to Corporate Giving
Tuesday, April 28, 9:30-10:45 am

Prospect Research Basics:
Researching Individual Donors
Tuesday, April 28, 11:15-12:30 pm
Registration Closed

Grantseeking Basics
Thursday, April 30, 10:00-11:30 am

Introduction to Foundation Directory Online
Thursday, April 30, 11:45 am-12:45 pm

These classes are free to attend, but registration is required. For programs offered over the next three months, please see our Events Calendar.

Library:
Use Foundation Directory Online Professional, borrow books, and get reference help free of charge with no appointment necessary. See our website for directions.

Hours:
Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday
10:00 am-5:00 pm
Tuesday
10:00 am-8:00 pm

Read the New Research Advisory on Foundations and the Economy

Findings from the Foundation Center's recent survey of the largest foundations in the country show that nearly two-thirds of the more than 1,200 respondents expect to give fewer or smaller grants in 2009. According to Foundations Address the Impact of the Economic Crisis, foundations are also looking to provide more technical assistance, emergency or bridge funding, and advocacy for the nonprofit organizations they support. Among the foundations responding to the survey, close to 40 percent also plan to draw at least in part on their endowments to fund grants and another 14 percent will reallocate grant budgets to fund economic crisis grants.

"Foundations are not rolling over in the face of adversity," said Steven Lawrence, the Center's senior director of research and author of the advisory. "The new survey shows foundations being creative, strategic, and willing to dig deep to ensure that their agendas move forward while this crisis persists."

This Foundation Center research advisory is the fifth in a series that explores the impact of the economic crisis on foundations and the nonprofit organizations they support. Read a summary of the new report in our press release or download it in full at no charge from the Gain Knowledge area of the Center's web site.

Findings from the Foundation Center's recent survey of the largest foundations in the country show that nearly two-thirds of the more than 1,200 respondents expect to give fewer or smaller grants in 2009. According to Foundations Address the Impact of the Economic Crisis, foundations are also looking to provide more technical assistance, emergency or bridge funding, and advocacy for the nonprofit organizations they support. Among the foundations responding to the survey, close to 40 percent also plan to draw at least in part on their endowments to fund grants and another 14 percent will reallocate grant budgets to fund economic crisis grants.

"Foundations are not rolling over in the face of adversity," said Steven Lawrence, the Center's senior director of research and author of the advisory. "The new survey shows foundations being creative, strategic, and willing to dig deep to ensure that their agendas move forward while this crisis persists."

This Foundation Center research advisory is the fifth in a series that explores the impact of the economic crisis on foundations and the nonprofit organizations they support. Read a summary of the new report in our press release or download it in full at no charge from the Gain Knowledge area of the Center's web site.

Workplace Giving: A Strategy for Diversification

Are you looking for ways to diversify your funding stream? One strategy is to become involved with a workplace giving program. It has documented benefits for both the charity and the employer and it offers access to potential new donors and volunteers.

Join us on Thursday, April 30 from 3:00-4:30 pm as Don Sodo, President and Chief Executive Officer of America's Charities and Steven Sanderson, Chief Development Officer of the United Way of the National Capital Region introduce the workplace giving concept and what their organizations provide.

Register

National Volunteer Week, April 19-25

Established in 1974 by former President Richard Nixon, National Volunteer Week has grown in scope each year drawing the support and endorsement of all subsequent U.S. presidents, governors, mayors and other elected officials. This year's theme is "Celebrating People in Action."

Two significant national celebrations fall during National Volunteer Week: Earth Day and Global Youth Service Day. Earth Day, commemorated April 22, is an opportunity to celebrate the positive impact volunteers can make on the environment. Global Youth Service Day, commemorated the weekend of April 24-26, is an annual international event that highlights and celebrates the ongoing contributions of youth to their communities through volunteer service and service learning.

The Points of Light Institute has posted a resource guide with project ideas, suggestions of ways to recognize volunteers, press release templates and more.

For general information about volunteers and volunteer management, search the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature, the Center's bibliographic database, for the subjects "Voluntarism” or Voluntarism-administration."

Some recommended books in our collection:

• Herman, Melanie L., Peggy M. Jackson, and Barbara B. Oliver.  No Surprises: Harmonizing Risk and Reward in Volunteer Management. Washington, DC: Nonprofit Risk Management Center, 2006. 
• McBee, Shar. To Lead Is to Serve: How to Attract Volunteers and Keep Them. South Fallsburg, NY: Shar McBee, 2002

Share your plans to honor your volunteers this week—or at any time. And don't miss our special program on working with volunteers this Thursday, April 23, at 12:00 noon. We will have representatives from Greater DC Cares and the Taproot Foundation as speakers. Bring your lunch, we'll provide the drinks!

(Thanks to Kayron Bearden, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta, for sharing this post.)

From the Answer Desk: What is Social Entrepreneurship?

A:The term “social entrepreneurship” broadly encompasses ventures of nonprofits, individuals, and for-profit businesses that can yield both financial and social returns. While social entrepreneurship may be a newer addition to our vocabulary, it is not a new concept or endeavor. The Skoll Foundation provides more background on the concept of social entrepreneurship.

Social entrepreneurship may be translated into an earned income venture, such as selling goods or services, that allows a traditional 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to diversify its funding base while providing positive impact in the community. The Free Management Librarystates that “nonprofits have to recognize that they're businesses, not just causes”. For more information on starting a business venture within your nonprofit organization, visit Fieldstone Alliance's Tools You Can Use newsletter to assess whether you have the capacity and readiness to launch such a venture.

The concept of social enterprise also applies to civic-minded individuals, businesses and other hybrid organizations that engage in for-profit ventures with a strong social bottom line. Social Edge, a program of the Skoll Foundation, is a "global online community where social entrepreneurs and other practitioners of the social benefit sector connect to network, learn, inspire and share resources."

Other web resources that address the concept of social entrepreneurship:

Idealist: What Is Social Entrepreneurship? - Summarizes the concept of social entrepreneurship from a number of different perspectives.

Institute For Social Entrepreneurs - Provides seminars and training for social enterprises around the world.

Fieldstone Alliance: Short- and Long-Term Approaches to Finding New Revenue Sources - Tips and techniques for conducting a feasibility study and market research on your target audience before launching your venture idea.

The Stanford Social Innovation Review - The Stanford Social Innovation Review offers strategies, tools and ideas for nonprofits, foundations and socially responsible businesses.

National Center on Nonprofit Enterprise - Learn here about training, planning, financing and managing nonprofit risk.

Social Venture Network provides information and convenes conferences for charities and businesses interested in operation in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable way.

Books on the topic of social enterprise include:

• Venture Forth! The Essential Guide to Starting a Moneymaking Business in Your Nonprofit Organization by Rolfe Larson
  
• Social Entrepreneurship: A Modern Approach to Social Value Creation by Arthur C. Brooks
  
• Mission, Inc.: The Practitioners Guide to Social Enterprise by Kevin Lynch and Julius Walls, Jr.
  
• Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets that Change the Worldby John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan
  
• The World We Want: New Dimensions in Philanthropy and Social Changeby Peter H. Karoff and Janet Maddox

To locate more resources on this topic, search the Foundation Center's Catalog of Nonprofit Literature; you could start by searching on "Social entrepreneurship" in the subject field.

Have a question? Ask Us!

(This post is from Katie Artzner and Sarah Jo Neubauer, online librarians at the Foundation Center)

A:The term “social entrepreneurship” broadly encompasses ventures of nonprofits, individuals, and for-profit businesses that can yield both financial and social returns. While social entrepreneurship may be a newer addition to our vocabulary, it is not a new concept or endeavor. The Skoll Foundation provides more background on the concept of social entrepreneurship.

Social entrepreneurship may be translated into an earned income venture, such as selling goods or services, that allows a traditional 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to diversify its funding base while providing positive impact in the community. The Free Management Librarystates that “nonprofits have to recognize that they're businesses, not just causes”. For more information on starting a business venture within your nonprofit organization, visit Fieldstone Alliance's Tools You Can Use newsletter to assess whether you have the capacity and readiness to launch such a venture.

The concept of social enterprise also applies to civic-minded individuals, businesses and other hybrid organizations that engage in for-profit ventures with a strong social bottom line. Social Edge, a program of the Skoll Foundation, is a "global online community where social entrepreneurs and other practitioners of the social benefit sector connect to network, learn, inspire and share resources."

Other web resources that address the concept of social entrepreneurship:

Idealist: What Is Social Entrepreneurship? - Summarizes the concept of social entrepreneurship from a number of different perspectives.

Institute For Social Entrepreneurs - Provides seminars and training for social enterprises around the world.

Fieldstone Alliance: Short- and Long-Term Approaches to Finding New Revenue Sources - Tips and techniques for conducting a feasibility study and market research on your target audience before launching your venture idea.

The Stanford Social Innovation Review - The Stanford Social Innovation Review offers strategies, tools and ideas for nonprofits, foundations and socially responsible businesses.

National Center on Nonprofit Enterprise - Learn here about training, planning, financing and managing nonprofit risk.

Social Venture Network provides information and convenes conferences for charities and businesses interested in operation in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable way.

Books on the topic of social enterprise include:

• Venture Forth! The Essential Guide to Starting a Moneymaking Business in Your Nonprofit Organization by Rolfe Larson
  
• Social Entrepreneurship: A Modern Approach to Social Value Creation by Arthur C. Brooks
  
• Mission, Inc.: The Practitioners Guide to Social Enterprise by Kevin Lynch and Julius Walls, Jr.
  
• Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets that Change the Worldby John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan
  
• The World We Want: New Dimensions in Philanthropy and Social Changeby Peter H. Karoff and Janet Maddox

To locate more resources on this topic, search the Foundation Center's Catalog of Nonprofit Literature; you could start by searching on "Social entrepreneurship" in the subject field.

Have a question? Ask Us!

(This post is from Katie Artzner and Sarah Jo Neubauer, online librarians at the Foundation Center)

A:The term “social entrepreneurship” broadly encompasses ventures of nonprofits, individuals, and for-profit businesses that can yield both financial and social returns. While social entrepreneurship may be a newer addition to our vocabulary, it is not a new concept or endeavor. The Skoll Foundation provides more background on the concept of social entrepreneurship.

Social entrepreneurship may be translated into an earned income venture, such as selling goods or services, that allows a traditional 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to diversify its funding base while providing positive impact in the community. The Free Management Librarystates that “nonprofits have to recognize that they're businesses, not just causes”. For more information on starting a business venture within your nonprofit organization, visit Fieldstone Alliance's Tools You Can Use newsletter to assess whether you have the capacity and readiness to launch such a venture.

The concept of social enterprise also applies to civic-minded individuals, businesses and other hybrid organizations that engage in for-profit ventures with a strong social bottom line. Social Edge, a program of the Skoll Foundation, is a "global online community where social entrepreneurs and other practitioners of the social benefit sector connect to network, learn, inspire and share resources."

Other web resources that address the concept of social entrepreneurship:

Idealist: What Is Social Entrepreneurship? - Summarizes the concept of social entrepreneurship from a number of different perspectives.

Institute For Social Entrepreneurs - Provides seminars and training for social enterprises around the world.

Fieldstone Alliance: Short- and Long-Term Approaches to Finding New Revenue Sources - Tips and techniques for conducting a feasibility study and market research on your target audience before launching your venture idea.

The Stanford Social Innovation Review - The Stanford Social Innovation Review offers strategies, tools and ideas for nonprofits, foundations and socially responsible businesses.

National Center on Nonprofit Enterprise - Learn here about training, planning, financing and managing nonprofit risk.

Social Venture Network provides information and convenes conferences for charities and businesses interested in operation in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable way.

Books on the topic of social enterprise include:

• Venture Forth! The Essential Guide to Starting a Moneymaking Business in Your Nonprofit Organization by Rolfe Larson
  
• Social Entrepreneurship: A Modern Approach to Social Value Creation by Arthur C. Brooks
  
• Mission, Inc.: The Practitioners Guide to Social Enterprise by Kevin Lynch and Julius Walls, Jr.
  
• Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets that Change the Worldby John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan
  
• The World We Want: New Dimensions in Philanthropy and Social Changeby Peter H. Karoff and Janet Maddox

To locate more resources on this topic, search the Foundation Center's Catalog of Nonprofit Literature; you could start by searching on "Social entrepreneurship" in the subject field.

Have a question? Ask Us!

(This post is from Katie Artzner and Sarah Jo Neubauer, online librarians at the Foundation Center)