Cosmopolitan Tokens

Quote of the Day

2012-02-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. - Edward Everett Hale

Effective Ways to Ask for Donations

2012-01-17T07:30:00.002-05:00

Requesting donations can be tough. You want to ask, but you don't want to come off as begging. Your cause is important, but you don't want others to think your organization is self-centered. How exactly do you ask for donations and what are the most effective methods?
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Responsibilities of Nonprofit Board Members

2012-01-16T19:07:00.000-05:00

Just like any other business, nonprofits need someone to oversee its daily operations and ensure that they reach their daily goals. That task belongs to none other than the board of directors.

Here is a list of the basic responsibilities of a nonprofit board:

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Nonprofit VS Corporate Pay: Who Wins

2011-08-20T14:07:00.000-04:00

So you're interested in working in the nonprofit sector, but you're not quite sure if you can live off of charitable paychecks. The question is do you really know what a nonprofit is willing to pay for your skills and experience. The answer may, or may not, surprise you.

Baby boomers are retiring (about 67% by 2016) and numerous charities will be in search of a great replacement for them. Your for-profit skills can be a tremendous asset to organizations who are constantly looking for ways to fund their causes and daily operation expenses. Creativity is the key, not just to a nonprofit job, but to their bank as well.

Organizations now have to offer a more competitive pay in order to entice better candidates. The increase in pay is often accompanied with a boost in rank. Be mindful that nonprofits are restricted by the IRS when it comes to how high of a salary they can pay an individual.

So, is pay just part of the picture, but not the complete frame? Well take into account the other benefits that come with working for a charitable organization. You may receive better medical benefits, flexible hours, and work-life balance amongst other things. The best gift of all is the personal satisfaction that comes from you doing your job...helping the community. What more can you ask for?

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Winehouse Family Plans Charity

2011-08-20T13:38:00.001-04:00

The family of Amy Winehouse has plans to set up a charity in her name to assist children, drug addicts and horses (her favorite animal). The charity may also aid in entering addicts into rehabilitation centers, which are said to have two year waiting lists.

Amy Winehouse's home

The headquarters will be located in Winehouse's old home. Her family thought it would be best not to put the house on the market, fearing the type of buyers it might attract.

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Non-Profit Treasurer Steals Money

2011-08-03T18:46:00.000-04:00

The former Treasurer of Mother of Multiples, a nonprofit based in Charlotte, recently confessed to stealing funds. She states that she wrote at least 11 checks to herself totaling up to over $50,000. As of right now, no charges are being pressed.

Source

Loans for Health Insurance

2011-08-03T18:34:00.001-04:00

Federal officials released loans in the amount of $3.8 billion dollars to aid nonprofits in providing more feasible health insurance, which would be sold through exchanges and to small businesses. The exchanges are set to launch in 2014, so the government hopes to motivate nonprofit cooperatives to expedite the operation of their business so that they will be functioning by that time. The goal is to be able to provide cheaper insurance than what private companies are able to offer.

Any profits that are made through this process are to be reinvested into the insurance plan. By reinvesting these funds, members' premiums will be lowered and the benefits or quality of the insurance would improve.

There are those who don't agree with having the co-ops set up as a nonprofit. Others feel as though no incentives exist to get the process started. The year 2014 will reveal who is correct in theory if anyone is correct at all.

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Quote of the Day

2011-07-29T00:13:00.000-04:00

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. - Dr. Seuss

Cause Marketing: It's the Way to Go

2011-07-26T11:40:00.000-04:00

Having a great cause marketing program in place can work wonders for nonprofits. It has the ability to increase donations, volunteers and support. One of the key tasks is to find the best partner for your organization so that both parties can benefit.

Ventureneer is hosting a free webinar on July 26th from 12 noon to 1PM entitled Cause Marketing: A Win-Win for Small Businesses and Nonprofits. It will inform businesses and nonprofits on how to increase visibility, build community and increase return on investments.

The webinar will also give details about:

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Charitable Giving on the Rise

2011-07-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

Good news for the nonprofit industry! Giving is on the up and up for organizations of all sizes, based on Blackbaud's findings. Blackbaud provides software and services for nonprofits. Interested in seeing the numbers? Well here they go...

overall charitable revenue increased 11.3% in the last three months (ending May 2011)
international affairs increased 13%
art and culture organizations grew 12%
small organizations grew 17.6 & in May
medium organizations grew 10.3%
large organizations grew 9.8%
online giving increased by 6.7% for the three months (ending May 2011)

Source

Innovation Key To Funding Nonprofits

2011-07-23T13:20:00.000-04:00

Nonprofit news sites are emerging everywhere. In order to receive funding, they have to become very creative. Examples of this creativity are:

produce content with syndication deals
invest in student training programs
invest in user membership programs
seek media partnerships

Eric Newton, special assistant to the president of the James L. Knight Foundation, states that sites may be able to rely on foundations for only three to ten years. Diversifying revenue streams is the best way to wean dependency on a single source of income.

To view the full article, click here.

Quote of the Day

2011-07-22T11:34:00.000-04:00

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. - William James

CafeGive - Giving to Worthy Causes

2011-07-20T14:30:00.000-04:00

Eager to do some online shopping and give to a great cause at the same time? Well if your answer is yes, visit CafeGive's website. They offer over 350 retailers such as Travelocity, Macy's, Home Depot, and Sephora. For each purchase that is made, the shopper is allowed to select a nonprofit to receive a percentage of the affiliation compensation.

Can't figure out which nonprofit you want to receive the proceeds? Well CafeGive can help with that too. They provide information and links to the websites of participating nonprofits for you to peruse and learn more. Need more convincing? The service is free. You don't have to register unless you want to keep up with the amount that's being donated on your behalf.

So what's stopping you? Head over to CafeGive.

DA Daniel Conley: And the drug money goes too...

2011-07-19T11:42:00.000-04:00

Confiscation is the name, reinvestment is the game. Get what Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley is saying? Okay, that's enough with all the rhymes. Let's get to business.

Up to 10% of money seized from drug dealers and funds raised from auctioning their property will now be redirected to nonprofits who work towards helping youth avoid drugs, gangs and other hazardous behavior. An independent panel of county residents, selected by Conley, decide on the winner of the award.

The deadline to apply for the reward for the 2011 is August 19. Review this link for more information.

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Quote of the Day

2011-07-19T11:41:00.000-04:00

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. - Anne Frank

Free Millennium Barrel Bottles for Charity

2011-07-17T08:17:00.000-04:00

Buffalo Trace Distillery is giving away 174 bottles of its 1999 Millennium Barrel bourbon whiskey to nonprofits for free (one bottle per organization). These bottles must be auctioned off by the agencies no later than December 31, 2011 and the funds used towards their cause.

Nonprofits can apply by visiting http://www.buffalotracemillennium.com/.

The deadline to apply for the limited edition bottle is July 26, 2011.

D. Wade, working for KFC,again?

2011-07-15T10:26:00.000-04:00

I'm sure most, if not all, of us have heard about the lockout occurring with the NBA right now. With that being said, KFC has reached out to Dwyane Wade to extend an offer of temporary employment. If Wade agrees to work the drive-thru, KFC will donate $250,000 to Colonel's Scholars, a charity that provides college scholarships to youth.

Interested in seeing proof of their invitation? Keep reading.

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The Trevor Project

2011-07-15T10:25:00.000-04:00

Providing prevention services to the young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community is what The Trevor Project does best. Formed after the creation of the movie Trevor, TTP has served as the only nationwide, around-the-clock suicide prevention and crisis hotline. They also provide online assistance to those in need.

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Nonprofit Sues Casey Anthony

2011-07-14T16:09:00.000-04:00

Texas Equusearch states they spent over $100,000 in the futile search for Caylee Anthony, the daughter of Casey Anthony, and now they want their money back. The agency was unaware that Anthony had knowledge of her daughter's death prior to the search commencing. Only after the criminal trial began did they learn the true story.

Over 4,200 volunteers gave of themselves to aid in locating Caylee. A lot of time was put into the search and the organization used 40% of their yearly resources to assist in the case. They feel they could have searched for other children during that time frame, which spanned from July to December of 2008.

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Tampa Bay Lightning Owner Nonprofit Pledge

2011-07-13T12:55:00.000-04:00

At each of the home games for the 2011-2012 season (41 total), Tampa Bay Lightning will give $50,000 to various nonprofits. That equates to $2,050,000 at the close of the season.

Nonprofits can be nominated to receive the donation by individuals submitting entries here. The main qualification is that the nonprofit be located in one of Tampa's seven counties. A committee of local leaders and season ticket holders will be selected to choose the finalist, then the board of directors will conclude the process.

For this team, it's all about giving to the community.

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Quote of the Day

2011-07-13T00:12:00.000-04:00

“True charity is the desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense” - Emanuel Swedenborg

Ferndale Restaurant Donates Earnings

2011-07-12T22:36:00.000-04:00

Seifu Lessanework, owner of the Blue Nile in Detroit, has stated that all proceeds made in his restaurant on Monday evenings throughout the month of July will be donated to a nonprofit called Gifting Warriors. Gifting Warriors, located in South Carolina, assists wounded service members and their families.

Following in his footsteps, others associated with the restaurant have decided to give of themselves as well. Blue Nile's staff is working for free every Monday during July. The vendors pitched in by giving checks or supplying goods at no charge.

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Fair Market Value of Charitable Donations

2011-07-08T00:31:00.000-04:00

Want to know how to write off non-cash donations? Watch the video below.

Quote of the Day

2011-07-07T00:32:00.001-04:00

“Every good act is charity. A man's true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows.” - Moliere

Six Ways to Fund a Non-Profit, Without an Investor*

2011-07-07T00:32:00.000-04:00

Individual and institutional donations. For a non-profit, bootstrapping is self-funding from donations and fund-raising. The advantage is no time and effort is spent searching and preparing for the other alternatives, and no repayment terms or collateral are required. There is no discussion of equity, or return on investment.

Loans from a bank or other financial institution. Non-profits can apply for a bank loan or line-of-credit, just like any other individual or company. However, like anyone else, they will first need some collateral, or someone to guarantee the loan, and some evidence of a viable business, like receivables and inventory.

Personal loans from individuals, employees and board members. Personal loans are certainly an option, but should be avoided if possible. As in any company, they can lead to employee problems, or messy legal issues. A non-profit can also issue bonds to board members and members as a way of borrowing funds from those same people.

Government grants. The grant source often gets overlooked, but it should be a major focus these days when relevant due to the Obama administration initiatives on alternative energy and healthcare. The down side here is that real work is required to put in a winning application, and the award may be a long time in coming.

Private endowments. This is a funding source for non-profits that is made up of gifts and bequests subject to a requirement that the principal be maintained intact and invested to create a source of income for an organization. Endowments are usually limited to a specific area of interest by a philanthropist, and have many qualifications, so be careful.

Bartering services. Bartering occurs when you exchange goods or services without exchanging money. An example would be getting free office space by agreeing to be the property manager for the owner. This could work to get you legal or accounting services, but won’t get you cash to pay employee salaries.

*Excerpt from Martin Zwilling's article "Six Ways to Fund a Non-Profit, Without an Investor"(the original article can be found here.