Philanthropy Today - Philanthropy.com

These are items on other Web sites that are of interest to the nonprofit world. The Chronicle has no control over their content or availability. To reach the Philanthropy Today staff, send an e-mail message to daily.news@philanthropy.com

Compiled by Andy Markowitz.

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July 01, 2009

New Documents Show Tension in Federal Community-Service Office

Documents newly released to Congress shed additional light on the difficult working relationship between employees at the Corporation for National and Community Service and its ousted inspector general, Gerald Walpin, The Washington Post reports.

Evidence sent to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee includes e-mails, memos, and a parody newsletter printed for a retiring staff member that contains racial and sexual jokes about the federal procurement process.

The Obama administration said it lacked confidence in Mr. Walpin, but he has said the agency’s claims about his performance lack merit. Congressional critics have raised concerns that he was fired for whistle-blowing.

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Broadcasters Donated More Free Ad Time to Public-Service Causes Last Year

Broadcasters and other media companies donated commercial time, ad space, and other support for public-service campaigns worth more than $1.83-billion last year, The New York Times reports.

The total was slightly higher than in 2007 and includes spending on television and radio commercials, outdoor ads, print ads, ads online, public relations, and other types of advertising, the newspaper says.

Public-service ads are continuing to get more time and space in 2009 as the recession makes it harder for media companies to sell all their ad space, said Peggy Conlon, head of the Advertising Council, which calculated the figures. In the first quarter, the total number of placements rose 21 percent compared with the same period a year ago, she said.

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Microsoft Veterans Enter Micro-Charity Field

The Seattle Times profiles two Microsoft veterans who are starting nonprofit groups that aim to connect a new generation of philanthropists with people in need via mobile and online technology.

Scott Oki, a retired Microsoft executive, co-founded SeeYourImpact, a micro-charity site that uses mobile-phone photos and videos to show donors the impact of their funds in the field. Microsoft Research program manager Adnan Mahmud and his wife, Nadia Khawaja, have created Jolkona, a nonprofit group that allows donors to give small, targeted gifts and use online tools to monitor their impact.

“If [donors] can actually see the impact of a $17 gift on a human life somewhere around the world, I believe that will open up the floodgates of hundreds of millions of micro-donors impacting the hundreds of millions of needy people around the world,” Mr. Oki said.

Effort to Help Arts Groups Handle the Recession Expands

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced plans Tuesday to expand its crisis consulting for arts organizations that are struggling to survive the recession, the Associated Press reports.

Michael Kaiser, president of the center, will meet with arts leaders in all 50 states and Puerto Rico over the next year, he said, beginning with visits to New York, Kalamazoo, Mich., Indianapolis, and six other cities in the next two months.

Since February, the center’s “Arts in Crisis” effort has offered advice on fund raising, budgeting, marketing, and other areas in which arts organizations need help as their money woes increase.

Read an excerpt from Mr. Kaiser’s book on how arts groups can turn themselves around in a financial crisis.

Music Festival Offers Free Tickets to Volunteers for Homeless

After “selling out” the 35,000 available free tickets for the Virgin Mobile’s FreeFest music festival next month, promoters set aside an additional 3,000 passes for fans willing to volunteer to help the homeless, USA Today reports.

Volunteers who work 13 hours for selected homeless organizations will be rewarded with a VIP pass to the all-day Aug. 30 show at Merriweather Post Pavilion, in Columbia, Md., which will feature Franz Ferdinand, Weezer, Public Enemy, and Blink-182. Eight hours of service will earn a general admission ticket. Current ticket holders are being asked to donate $5 on-site.

“There are 2 million young people out there ages 12 to 24 who are homeless,” said Ron Faris of Virgin Mobile USA. “So we’re willing to eat the cost of a $100 ticket, if people can just donate $5 to help homeless youth organizations that have been decimated by this economy.”

Details on the “Free.I.P.” program are available at the festival Web site.

Global Philanthropy Forum and Like Events Gain Popularity

The Financial Times reports on the growth of events such as the Global Philanthropy Forum that are focused on providing education and networking options for givers.

The increasing popularity of philanthropic conferences featuring speakers, analysts, workshops, and networking sessions reflects the emergence “of a hands-on generation of philanthropists” who want to professionalize their giving and work to maximize its impact rather than just signing a check, the newspaper writes.

“It’s like doing exercise,” said Jane Wales, chief executive of the Global Philanthropy Forum. “You are much more likely to stay with something if you have a community of colleagues with which to pursue that work.”

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From The Chronicle: President Obama Seeks 'Promising Nonprofits'

President Obama announced today that White House officials will travel across the country to find “the most promising nonprofits in America” as the administration decides how to spend a new $50-million fund to help charities expand innovative social projects, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

From The Chronicle: Rockefeller's $100-Million Pledge

The Rockefeller Foundation has pledged $100-million over five years to help impoverished nations build better health-care systems, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

From The Chronicle: Gender Differences in Charity-Leader Pay

Male executives at charities in Central Florida earn nearly 30 percent more than their female counterparts, according to a new study, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

From The Chronicle: Colleges Tap 'Underwater' Endowments

Colleges are increasingly taking advantage of newly loosened rules on tapping so-called underwater endowments, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

In the past three years, 37 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws easing limits on how much colleges and foundations can spend from donor-restricted endowment funds that have fallen below their original market value. Since then the proportion of schools and affiliated foundations that have frozen spending from such “underwater” funds has dropped from 38 to 27 percent, according to a survey by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.

Thirty-one percent of institutions are spending from underwater endowments at the same rate as from healthier funds, the survey found. The association praised the legal change for giving colleges more financial flexibility in tight times.