Philanthropy Front and Center - Washington, DC

All That Twitters Is Gold

In a recent post, the Philanthropy 411 Blog listed 90 foundations (and 16 foundation staff members) that are communicating on Twitter, the social media site that has been getting lots of attention recently. Twitter is a great way to keep your audience up to date on what you are doing or on information you think they will find interesting.

Here are the foundations from the DC region that were included on the list:

• Annie E. Casey Foundation (Baltimore, MD) @AnnieECaseyFndn
• Baltimore Community Foundation (Baltimore, Maryland) @baltcommfdn
• Case Foundation (Washington, DC) @CaseFoundation
• Sunlight Foundation (Washington, DC) @SunFoundation
• United Nations Foundation (Washington, DC) @unfoundation
• Venture Philanthropy Partners (Washington, DC) @vppartners

A couple that were left off:

• Washington Area Women's Foundation @TheWomensFndtn
• Taproot Foundation @taprootfound

Since it's always a good idea to learn more about foundations you hope will fund your nonprofit, you might want to join the Twitterverse (if you haven't already) and "follow" these foundations. And let us know if you discover any other DC area foundations that are tweeting.

Heck, you might even want to start tweeting yourself! We did -- so you can follow us too. The Foundation Center has several Twitter accounts:

• @FCWashington - News & updates from the Foundation Center-Washington, DC
• @fdncenter - Main Foundation Center feed
• @FC_econcrisis - Updates from our Focus on the Economic Crisis
• @pndblog - Current news items from Philanthropy News Digest

Next Week at the Foundation Center (August 3-7)

Course:
Foundation Fundraising: An Introductory Course
Monday, August 3, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
cost: $125 per person;
Save $25 for each additional registration

Classes:

FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS:

Introduction to Corporate Giving
Tuesday, August 4, 10:30-11:45 am

Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits
Wednesday, August 5, 11:30 am-1:00 pm

FOR INDIVIDUALS:

Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts
Thursday, August 6, 11:30 am-12:45 pm

Finding Foundation Support for Your Education
Friday, August 7, 11:00 am-12:00 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.

August Hours:
Monday-Friday 10:00 am-5:00 pm

Note: We will resume our regular Tuesday hours of 10:00 am-8:00 pm on September 1.

Listen! Turning Crisis Into Opportunity

Foundation Center president Bradford K. Smith and GuideStar president and CEO Robert G. Ottenhoff discuss how nonprofits and foundations are weathering the economic storm, and the challenges and opportunities for both going forward. Listen!

Pulse Check 2: How Are Nonprofits Doing?

As a follow-up to our original Pulse Check post (March 2009), here is another round-up of the latest surveys and studies indicating how the nonprofit sector in being affected by the ongoing recession.

Listening Post Project Communique No. 14: Impact of the 2007-09 Economic Recession on Nonprofit Organizations (June 2009) [PDF]. Based on a survey conducted in April 2009 by the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, the Communique reports that:

• 83 percent of responding organizations reported some level of fiscal stress during the target period of September 2008 to March 2009.
• Close to 40 percent of the organizations considered the stress to be “severe” or “very severe.
• Theaters and orchestras were particularly hard hit, with 73 percent of the former and half of the latter reporting“severe” or “very severe” stress.
• A third or more of child-serving and elderly-serving organizations also reported “severe” or “very severe” fiscal stress.
• The share of organizations reporting “severe” or “very severe” fiscal stress is actually lower now than during the recession that followed 9/11 (37% vs. 51% of organizations).
• Well over half of all organizations have launched new or expanded fund-raising efforts, targeting individuals, state and local government, the federal government, and foundations.
• Read more>>

Managing in Tough Times: May 2009 Nonprofit Leaders Survey Update (June 2009). To update their November study, Managing in Tough Times: 7 Steps, the Bridgespan Group surveyed nearly 100 nonprofit leaders in May 2009 to find out how the ongoing recession is currently affecting their organizations. Here's a sampling of what they found:

• Since November 2008, the percentage of nonprofits reporting funding cuts has increased from 52 percent to 69 percent.
• The percentage reporting cuts of more than 20 percent has increased from 13 percent to 24 percent.
• 70 percent of small organizations (those with revenues less than $1 million) reported that their financial picture had worsened in the past six months, compared with 38 percent for medium and 41 percent for large organizations ($1 million to 10 million, and greater than $10 million, respectively).
• Read more>>

Nonprofit Finance Fund Survey: America's Nonprofits in Danger (April 2009). The results from a survey of more than 1,100 nonprofits conducted by Nonprofit Finance Fund in February and March, 2009, includes these findings:

• 65 percent are developing "worst-case scenario" contingency budgets.
• 59 percent are engaging more closely with boards through more frequent reports and meetings.
• 48 percent are freezing all hires and current staff salaries.
• Only 12 percent expect to operate above break-even this year.
• Read more [PDF] >>

(Thanks to Cindy Bailie, director of the Foundation Center - Cleveland, for sharing this post.)

Listening Post Project Communique No. 14: Impact of the 2007-09 Economic Recession on Nonprofit Organizations (June 2009) [PDF]. Based on a survey conducted in April 2009 by the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, the Communique reports that:

• 83 percent of responding organizations reported some level of fiscal stress during the target period of September 2008 to March 2009.
• Close to 40 percent of the organizations considered the stress to be “severe” or “very severe.
• Theaters and orchestras were particularly hard hit, with 73 percent of the former and half of the latter reporting“severe” or “very severe” stress.
• A third or more of child-serving and elderly-serving organizations also reported “severe” or “very severe” fiscal stress.
• The share of organizations reporting “severe” or “very severe” fiscal stress is actually lower now than during the recession that followed 9/11 (37% vs. 51% of organizations).
• Well over half of all organizations have launched new or expanded fund-raising efforts, targeting individuals, state and local government, the federal government, and foundations.
• Read more>>

Managing in Tough Times: May 2009 Nonprofit Leaders Survey Update (June 2009). To update their November study, Managing in Tough Times: 7 Steps, the Bridgespan Group surveyed nearly 100 nonprofit leaders in May 2009 to find out how the ongoing recession is currently affecting their organizations. Here's a sampling of what they found:

• Since November 2008, the percentage of nonprofits reporting funding cuts has increased from 52 percent to 69 percent.
• The percentage reporting cuts of more than 20 percent has increased from 13 percent to 24 percent.
• 70 percent of small organizations (those with revenues less than $1 million) reported that their financial picture had worsened in the past six months, compared with 38 percent for medium and 41 percent for large organizations ($1 million to 10 million, and greater than $10 million, respectively).
• Read more>>

Nonprofit Finance Fund Survey: America's Nonprofits in Danger (April 2009). The results from a survey of more than 1,100 nonprofits conducted by Nonprofit Finance Fund in February and March, 2009, includes these findings:

• 65 percent are developing "worst-case scenario" contingency budgets.
• 59 percent are engaging more closely with boards through more frequent reports and meetings.
• 48 percent are freezing all hires and current staff salaries.
• Only 12 percent expect to operate above break-even this year.
• Read more [PDF] >>

(Thanks to Cindy Bailie, director of the Foundation Center - Cleveland, for sharing this post.)

Next Week at the Foundation Center (July 27-31)

Classes:
Grantseeking Basics
Tuesday, July 28, 10:00-11:30 am

Introduction to Foundation Directory Online
Tuesday, July 28, 12:00-1:00 pm

Proposal Writing Basics
Wednesday, July 29, 9:30-10:45 am
Registration Closed

Proposal Budgeting Basics
Wednesday, July 29, 11:15 am-12:15 pm

How to Approach a Foundation: From Initial Contact to Getting Funded
Wednesday, July 29, 2:00-3:15 pm

Prospect Research Basics: Researching Individual Donors
Thursday, July 30, 11:00 am-12:15 pm
Registration Closed

NEW CLASS!
Fundraising in a Challenging Economy
Friday, July 31, 12:30-1:45 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

Special Discount on Grantseeker Training Courses

Register now for our three most popular grantseeker training courses and save $86 with any combination of cities and dates! Register for all three courses at the same time for only $499 (a $585 value).

Proposal Writing Seminar
Learn what today's grantmakers look for, and gain insight into their review process. Expert instructors show how to craft a breakthrough proposal package, step by step.
See upcoming dates and register >>

Proposal Budgeting Workshop
Learn the best way to present your financial needs to secure funding. Using case studies, you develop strategies to convince grantmakers that your project is a smart financial investment.
See upcoming dates and register >>

Cultivating Grantmaker Relationships
Learn how to make contact with new prospects, ensure the funder feels connected to your mission, and secure long-term commitment.
See upcoming dates and register >>

Each course is applicable for six CFRE^TM points for initial or re-certification.

Study Shows Renewed Interest in Social Justice Philanthropy

Social Justice Grantmaking II: An Update on U.S. Foundation Trends provides a current analysis of foundation giving to social justice work and reports on the detailed recommendations given by funders and advocates interested in advancing social justice philanthropy. This follow-up to the Foundation Center’s 2005 study, our first exploration of the topic, reports a nearly 31% increase in foundation giving to U.S.-based and international social justice activities between 2002 and 2006. Foundation giving to social justice totaled $2.3 billion in 2006, representing roughly 12% of all giving by foundations. Economic and community development, health care access, and human rights and civil liberties received the largest share of social justice funding.

The report discusses factors that have influenced the resurgence of interest in social justice grantmaking, including the success of community organizing during the 2008 presidential election. "In 2005 many of us wondered about the prospects for social justice philanthropy because the field itself was so pessimistic about its future. Today, social justice is experiencing a resurgence, fueled by philanthropists whose passion won't let them stand by when there is injustice and whose pragmatism demands results," said Bradford Smith, president of the Foundation Center.

You can download the report highlights free of charge. The full report (available in August) can be purchased on our web site.

Listen! Aaron Hurst, Taproot Foundation Founder, Gives Advice for Making the Most of a Volunteer Workforce

For the latest installment of our Philanthropy Chat series, Janet Camarena, director of Foundation Center-San Francisco, interviewed Aaron Hurst, founder and CEO of the Taproot Foundation. The mission of the Taproot Foundation is to strengthen nonprofits by engaging business professionals in service. Aaron discusses lessons the Taproot Foundation has learned over the last decade of managing volunteer teams, the current climate for corporate philanthropy and workplace volunteering, and how nonprofits can most effectively harness the volunteer talent that’s currently on the market.

In addition to finding the Foundation Center's Philanthropy Chat podcasts here, you can also subscribe to them at iTunes, or via our feed.

In addition to finding the Foundation Center's Philanthropy Chat podcasts here, you can also subscribe to them at iTunes, or via our feed.

Social Enterprise -- Is It for Your Nonprofit?

You've heard terms like "social enterprise" and "social entrepreneurship" used a lot lately by folks in the nonprofit sector, but what is it exactly? And is it something that would be good for your nonprofit?

On Thursday, July 23 at 9:30 am, the Foundation Center-Washington, DC is holding a special program, Introduction to Social Enterprise, to help you find out more. Our guest speaker will be Sara Brenner, Director of Community Wealth Ventures. She will talk about what social enterprise is and how nonprofit organizations can look for new ways to earn income and diversify their funding base while providing positive impact in their community. New revenue ideas are particularly important now that we all are facing fundraising challenges.

For a quick introduction to this subject, you can listen to our podcast with Nicole Hanrahan of Community Wealth Ventures, or read our April post, What is Social Entrepreneurship?

Don't miss this opportunity to learn about an idea that is getting lots of attention from nonprofits in the current economic climate. Register now!

Next Week at the Foundation Center (July 20-24)

Course:
Securing Corporate Partnerships
Monday, July 20, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
cost: $195 per person;
Save $25 for each additional registration

Special Program:
Introduction to Social Enterprise
Thursday, July 23, 9:30-11:00 am

Classes:
Introduction to Fundraising Planning
Thursday, June 18, 10:00-11:30 am

Your Board and Fundraising: An Introductory Class
Wednesday, July 22, 11:30 am-1:00 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