Keep your sponsors happy by keeping the lines of communication open.

Considered the look of your nonprofit communications lately? Do they scream shoestring budget?

On Friday night, September 5, 2008, at 8:00 PM (EST), stars from film, television, sports, journalism and music will come together in an unprecedented evening of philanthropy. The major networks are each donating one hour of commercial-free prime-time for the fundraising event.
Karen, at Pink Ribbon Review, will live blog the event at her site. Stop by for more information.

Tell Uncle Sam not to bail out credit unions, please. | The Wall Street Journal
The link between communication and funding. | NetSquared
Delegates to this week’s Democratic National Convention will lend Denver nonprofits a helping hand. | The Rocky Mountain News
It’s wicked easy to subscribe to 501(c) Files feeds: Just click here and follow the simple instructions. As always, thanks for reading! | 501(c)

If you don’t think that donors pay attention to how your nonprofit spends the money they give, think again. Check out this piece in the Daily Times of Salisbury, Maryland, on the success Lower Eastern Shore charities have had in funneling an atypically large percentage of their donations to their mission-oriented activities:
With the growing impact of nonprofits on the communities they serve, the issue of how those charity dollars are spent is often a deciding factor for donors.
The Lower Eastern Shore’s top nonprofits spend about 20 percent of their charity receipts on management and fundraising, an analysis of figures reported …read more

How to use the world’s greatest food to raise money. | FundraisingIP.com
A call for greater nonprofit investment in policy work. | Stanford Social Innovation Review
It’s wicked easy to subscribe to 501(c) Files feeds: Just click here and follow the simple instructions. As always, thanks for reading! | 501(c)

It should have been about impact all along. But now, especially, in light of governmental belt-tightening and an economy that is causing donors to think twice about how they allocate their resources, nonprofits are finally realizing that they need to emphasize outcomes to increase their funding chances.
Heart of Florida United Way needed 18 months and $50,000 in research to come to that conclusion, but at least it got there. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the chapter has refocused its funding in hopes of “going after ‘root causes’ of hunger, homelessness, crime and family violence instead of ‘putting a Band-Aid’ on …read more

Yesterday’s Washington Post had a nifty piece on a group of 25 D.C.-area women who have banded together to form a kind of informal foundation, the African American Women’s Giving Circle.
… [T]hey pool their charitable dollars, debate their passions and award grants. Like a book club, they meet monthly — at their homes, in offices and even during yoga classes held in parks. …
Some members are lawyers, consultants and business owners. One recently lost her job as a real estate loan counselor, yet she still gives. Most contribute $2,500 a year; some give as much as $10,000, and others as …read more

Barack Obama’s decision several weeks ago to forgo public funding of his presidential campaign was made for one reason: He had so much money already in hand or pledged that it would have been detrimental to his campaign to limit himself to the lower public amount. Expect a pricey battle between Senator Obama and John McCain between now and Election Day.
To those who fear that the deluge of political fundraising will leave nonprofit fundraising high and dry — money is not infinite, after all — Jeff Brooks of the Donor Power Blog has good news. Brooks is the creative director …read more

Operating under the theory that a strong regional economy helps everyone, nonprofits are springing up around the country to fund start-ups that would have trouble attracting capital from more traditional investors. The starring role in today’s New York Times trend story is played by the Cleveland-area nonprofit Jumpstart Inc.
Like a venture capital firm, Jumpstart identifies companies to invest in and advises them on their next steps.
But unlike a venture firm, Jumpstart relies on charitable donations, many of them from the private sector, for its financing and does not return a share of profits to those who provide the investment dollars. …read more