On March 26, 2009, the Nonprofit Finance Fund released its survey of 986 nonprofit professionals designed to assess the real-time challenges faced by nonprofits. The findings exposed a startling degree of financial vulnerability by a large majority of respondents: Only 12% expect to operate above break-even this year. Just 16% anticipate...
CURRENT AFFAIRS & OPINION
NCRP Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best
In March 2009, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy ("NCRP"), an independent watchdog of foundations and institutional grantmakers, released the Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best: Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaker Impact. NCRP claims that the Criteria is "the first ever set of measurable guidelines that will help foundations...
Serve America Act & GIVE Act
The Serve America Act (S. 277) is a Senate bill that would triple the number of volunteers in national service programs like AmeriCorps to 250,000 by 2013, expand service opportunities for people of all ages, create several new service programs, and support innovation in the nonprofit sector by social...
President Obama’s Charitable Giving Plans
As part of his 2010 budget plans, President Obama proposes to cap the tax rate at which high income taxpayers can take itemized deductions at 28 percent. This cap is projected to raise $318 billion over 10 years, which would help to fund the $633.8 billion reserve for health care reform. For more details and the...
L3C – Developments & Resources
The L3C (low-profit limited liability company), which was first enacted by Vermont (April 30, 2008), has acquired much attention and momentum in the last year. In the first months of 2009 alone, Michigan (Jan. 15, 2009), Wyoming (Feb. 4, 2009), and the Crow Indian Nation in Montana (Jan. 13, 2009)...
AB 624 Compromise – California Foundation Coalition Pledges $30 Million to Help Minorities
On December 22, 2008, the Foundation Coalition, a group of nine California-based foundations, pledged to collectively grant (1) in excess of $20 million – over and above ongoing commitments - to support organizations serving minority-led and other grassroots community-based organizations serving diverse and/or low-income communities; and (2) in excess of $10 million...
Some Predictions for 2009
Here are some of my predictions for 2009: Many nonprofits will disappear. Paul C. Light, Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service, New York University, predicted that more than 100,000 nonprofit groups nationwide (10%) will fail within the next two years, including a few "big brand-name nonprofits." Professor Light made his...
Bridgespan Group Survey – Tough Times
The Bridgespan Group’s survey of 800 nonprofit leaders regarding the economic downturn explores the current challenge faced by nonprofit organizations: an increased demand for services coupled with declining revenues. Based on over 100 responses from various nonprofit CEOs, Presidents, and Executive Directors from across the country, the Bridgespan Group...
Bay Area Philanthropist Bill Somerville Featured in SF Chronicle
Bill Somerville, President and Founder of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, was featured in today’s San Francisco Chronicle (“Philanthropist Goes His Own Way to Find Causes“). I reviewed Somerville’s book Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker in a post earlier this year. The article identifies Somerville as “uite possibly the Bay Area’s fastest...
San Francisco Considering Cap on Executive Compensation at City Funded Nonprofits
The San Francisco Chronicle (November 13, 2008) reported that Supervisor Jake McGoldrick is seeking to limit salaries and benefits for executives of San Francisco-funded nonprofits to six times the total compensation of their lowest-paid full-time employee. The proposed law would only apply to how the nonprofit uses city dollars. There are about...