Philanthropy Front and Center - Washington, DC

Free Shipping in November on The 21st Century Nonprofit

This November, the Foundation Center is offering free shipping on our new edition of The 21st Century Nonprofit when you order online.

The second edition of this popular title explores the increasing emphasis on nonprofit governance, including accountability, transparency, and responsibility.

Revised chapters contain updated information on strategic and operational issues, such as long-term planning, marketing, and earned income. The new edition also provides a special discussion of the strategic issues facing nonprofits during times of recession and severe economic downturn.

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this essential title or to view the table of contents for the publication. The 21st Century Nonprofit is available for just $39.95 with free shipping online this month. Order your copy today! >>

The second edition of this popular title explores the increasing emphasis on nonprofit governance, including accountability, transparency, and responsibility.

Revised chapters contain updated information on strategic and operational issues, such as long-term planning, marketing, and earned income. The new edition also provides a special discussion of the strategic issues facing nonprofits during times of recession and severe economic downturn.

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this essential title or to view the table of contents for the publication. The 21st Century Nonprofit is available for just $39.95 with free shipping online this month. Order your copy today! >>

New Digital Publication - Celebrity Foundation Directory

The Foundation Center has just published the first edition of the Celebrity Foundation Directory.

This new title includes detailed descriptions of thousands of foundations started by VIPs in the fields of business, entertainment, politics, and sports. Through their private foundations, many notable individuals have made significant contributions to help underserved populations and provide support for medical research, green technology, and countless other causes they care about. Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, and Michael J. Fox are just a few examples of individuals who have made headlines for their support to philanthropic causes.

This new directory links celebrities with their grantmaking organizations and will help you identify which individuals or organizations may have an interest in funding your programs and activities. The interactive digital format allows for faster access to foundation profiles and includes links to additional grantmaker data online. The directory is also fully indexed for quick reference to information on individuals and foundations.

The Celebrity Foundation Directory is available for purchase at our web site. Buy now >>

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this and other Foundation Center publications.

Decline in 2009 Foundation Giving Steeper Than Anticipated, According to New Foundation Center Survey

In September 2009, the Foundation Center conducted a follow-up to its January 2009 giving forecast survey to determine foundation expectations for giving beyond 2009. The survey responses from over 600 grantmakers have been analyzed and indicate that giving from foundations is expected to decline by more than 10 percent in 2009, and continued reductions are expected in 2010. "Foundations will be giving less than they expected at the beginning of the year," said Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center. "But many are rethinking their grantmaking so that fewer dollars will not necessarily mean less impact."

Foundations' Year-end Outlook for Giving and the Sector is the latest in the Center's research advisory series that explores the impact of the economic downturn on the nonprofit sector. The advisories and the online chart "In Their Own Words: 2009 Foundation Giving Forecast" are available at the Center's Focus on the Economic Crisis web page.

The report can be downloaded at no charge from the Gain Knowledge area of the Center's web site.

Pulse Check 3: How Are Nonprofits Doing?

As a follow-up to our earlier Pulse Check posts in March and July, here is another round-up of the latest surveys and studies indicating how the nonprofit sector is handling the effects of the recent economic downturn.

Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Results of GuideStar's Latest Nonprofit Economic Survey (August 2009)
GuideStar’s most recent nonprofit economic survey takes a look at the financial health of charitable organizations from March-May 2009. They found that since the last update, covering October 2008-February 2009, the percentage of nonprofits reporting decreased contributions has remained steady at 52%. Other findings showed that:

• 18% of responding nonprofits saw their contributions increase, while 29% reported that their contributions had stayed about the same from the previous survey period.
• Nonprofits reported that the decrease in giving was the result of the following:
  • Fewer individuals gave (69%)
  • Gifts from individuals were smaller (68%)
  • Corporate gifts were smaller (38%)
  • Private foundation grants were smaller (37%)
  • Read more>>

Volunteering in America: Research Highlights (August 2009) [PDF]
The Corporation for National and Community Service collects information on the American volunteer landscape in an effort to track changes and developments that may be useful for civic leaders and nonprofit organizations. Some of the key findings showed that:

• In 2008, 61.8 million Americans or 26.4 percent of the adult population contributed 8 billion hours of volunteer service worth $162 billion, using Independent Sector’s 2008 estimate of the dollar value of a volunteer hour ($20.25).
• As the economy slows and nonprofit organizations struggle to provide services on smaller budgets, volunteers become even more vital to the health of our nation’s communities. Between September 2008 and March 2009, more than a third (37%) of nonprofit organizations report increasing the number of volunteers they use, and almost half (48%) foresee increasing their usage of volunteers in the coming year. Almost no nonprofit organizations are showing a decrease in their volunteer usage.
• Volunteers were much more likely than non-volunteers to donate to a charitable cause in 2008, with 78.2 percent contributing $25 or more compared to 38.5 percent of non-volunteers.
• Read More [PDF]>>

Nearly 30% of Nonprofit Leaders Took a Pay Cut This Year; Pay in 2008 Grew Quickly (Sept. 2009)
The Chronicle of Philanthropy conducted a survey of 325 organizations that raised the highest amounts of donations from private sources in 2008, as well as grantmakers holding the highest assets that year. The results of the survey revealed that:

• 57 charities and foundations—29 percent of the 195 groups that responded—reported that their top executive had taken a pay cut this year due to the recession, declined raises or bonuses, or had his or her pay frozen. The median pay cut was 10 percent.
• The median compensation for chief executives at the organizations surveyed was $361,538, based on information from 253 groups that provided data for both 2007 and 2008. In 2007 the median compensation was $330,395.
• Read more>>

Nonprofit Finance Fund's and Business Volunteers Unlimited's Nonprofit Survey - Northeast Ohio (August 2009)
Locally, the Nonprofit Finance Fund and Business Volunteers Unlimited recently conducted a survey of Northeast Ohio nonprofits and found that nonprofits are struggling to balance falling revenues and an increase in demand as they plan for 2010. Read a summary of the survey for more information about the findings.

Have you read other enlightening reports and survey findings? Tell us about them.

Thanks to Cindy Bailie, Director, Foundation Center-Cleveland, for sharing this post.

Foundation Yearbook 2009 Just Released

The third volume in our Foundations Today Series, Foundation Yearbook: Facts and Figures on Private and Community Foundations (2009), provides data on the number of private and community foundations in the country and on their giving and assets through 2007. Using a survey of 1,225 large and mid-size foundations, as well as year-end fiscal indicators for all grantmaking foundations, the Yearbook also provides estimates of giving by private and community foundations for 2008. Further projections for foundation giving and assets for 2009 are also analyzed in this report.

In 2007, there were more than 75,000 grantmaking foundations, and foundation giving rose 13.8% over the previous year to $44.4 billion. In 2008, giving rose 2.8% to an estimated $45.6 billion, while foundation assets declined an estimated 21.9%. Based on this and other indicators, the Foundation Center projects that giving by foundations will fall by up to 13% in 2009. “The outlook beyond 2009 remains unclear, and much depends on when the economy and stock market begin a consistent recovery. At present, it appears likely that foundation giving will decline further next year” (Foundation Yearbook, highlight, p. 1).

For more on these trends, download the free highlights and order the full report and the complete series from our web site.

The third volume in our Foundations Today Series, Foundation Yearbook: Facts and Figures on Private and Community Foundations (2009), provides data on the number of private and community foundations in the country and on their giving and assets through 2007. Using a survey of 1,225 large and mid-size foundations, as well as year-end fiscal indicators for all grantmaking foundations, the Yearbook also provides estimates of giving by private and community foundations for 2008. Further projections for foundation giving and assets for 2009 are also analyzed in this report.

In 2007, there were more than 75,000 grantmaking foundations, and foundation giving rose 13.8% over the previous year to $44.4 billion. In 2008, giving rose 2.8% to an estimated $45.6 billion, while foundation assets declined an estimated 21.9%. Based on this and other indicators, the Foundation Center projects that giving by foundations will fall by up to 13% in 2009. “The outlook beyond 2009 remains unclear, and much depends on when the economy and stock market begin a consistent recovery. At present, it appears likely that foundation giving will decline further next year” (Foundation Yearbook, highlight, p. 1).

For more on these trends, download the free highlights and order the full report and the complete series from our web site.

Free Shipping in August on New Research Report: Social Justice Grantmaking II

This August, the Foundation Center is offering free shipping on our new report, Social Justice Grantmaking II: An Update on U.S. Foundation Trends, when you order online. 

An update to the Foundation Center's 2005 study, Social Justice Grantmaking II provides valuable insight into ongoing trends in funding for social justice causes, which now accounts for 12% of total giving by U.S. foundations. This new report presents a current overview of social justice-related funding, including support for such subjects as economic and community development, human rights and civil liberties, and health care access. The report also discusses the impact of the economic crisis on social justice grantmaking and other events affecting the field.

Read highlights of the study's findings at our web site and visit our Marketplace to purchase the full report ($40.00). Buy now >>

Introducing Philanthropy In/Sight

The Foundation Center recently released Philanthropy In/Sight, our new interactive mapping tool for grantmakers, policymakers, researchers, and others interested in seeing the impact of philanthropy in the U.S. and worldwide.

Philanthropy In/Sight provides two unique mapping platforms powered by the Foundation Center's comprehensive databases of the more than 97,000 U.S. grantmakers and records of 1.6 million grants. Users can choose from over 1,100 subject areas and dozens of thematic indicators to assess past funding and current needs in areas such as education, housing, and health care at the global, national, state, or local levels. With these features, Philanthropy In/Sight enables foundations and policymakers to take a more strategic approach to grantmaking.

Philanthropy In/Sight users can:

• Plot the locations of grantmakers and grant recipients by country, state, county, city, metro area, congressional district, or ZIP code
• Find quick information about grantmakers and grant recipients, as well as details about past and recently-awarded grants
• Use layered demographic and thematic data to assess local funding needs and impact
• Explore emerging trends in both domestic and international grantmaking

To learn more, take the guided tour of Philanthropy In/Sight or see these frequently asked questions.

Interested in subscribing to Philanthropy In/Sight? Click here.

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.)