Idaho's First Giving Day Begins

The inaugural edition of Idaho Gives, a statewide online giving campaign run by the Idaho Nonprofit Center, began today, with more than 500 charities taking part in the event.

As reported by The Boise Weekly, there were already 1,000 donations by sunrise this morning, and donors have until 11:59 p.m. to continue giving. The five nonprofits with the most unique donors by the end of the day will receive onus grants of $3,000, $1,000, $500, $250, and $250 respectively.

All donations made on the Idaho Gives website are made to the Razoo Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization which permits donors to advise a regranting of their donations to other IRS recognized qualifying 501(c)(3). The Foundation will then regrant 97.1% of its contribution to the qualifying organization as advised by the donor, retaining 2.9% for Razoo Foundation’s expenses.

Participating nonprofits are divided into three categories based on their size: Large, medium, and small. Currently leading the "large" category is Idaho Humane Society Inc., which has 134 unique donors giving $5,952. Idaho Falls School District 91 Education Foundation Inc., rounds out the "medium" category with 59 unique donors giving $2,765. Finally, Girls on the Run-Idaho Inc., leads the "small" category with $1,325 in donations from 35 unique donors.

State online giving days have a long history of success for nonprofits. In a recent article on The NonProfit Times, it was reported that 800 nonprofits received over $1 million in donations from Arizona Gives Day, held on March 20.

You can read the full story in The Boise Weekly.

The May 1 2013 Edition Of The NonProfit Times

The May 1, 2013 edition of The NonProfit Times is jam-packed with big news in the sector. Current events such as the Boston Marathon bombings and the Boy Scouts' decision on allowing gay members are covered, in addition to our special report on professional development.

Here's a sneak peak at the featured articles of the new issue:

Special Report

• Making The Grade: Can Anyone Get Into Nonprofit Education Programs?: What’s it take to get into nonprofit education programs? Students heading into next year’s master’s program at Indiana had an average college grade point average of 3.45 and an average GRE score of 1,181 (549 verbal and 632 quantitative).

Articles

• NPT Survey: CFOs Get Comfortable With Thinner Margins: This exclusive survey conducted by The NonProfit Times asked a number of questions of nonprofit financial executives. They were asked questions regarding their organizations’ actual situation and then perceptions regarding the economy and general operations.
• Events Planning Gets Second Look After Boston Attack: Many organizations are rethinking the risk management elements of large, outdoor events after the bombings that killed three and injured hundreds more at the Boston Marathon.
• Scouts' Survey Shows Members Split About Stand On Gays: As the Boy Scouts of America prepare to vote on whether to allow gay members, a survey conducted by the organization shows that many of its existing members are split on the topic.

Columns

• No Surprises: Volunteers are at the heart of most nonprofits, but your nonprofit’s heart might beat a dangerous rhythm without volunteer risk management.
• What Time Are You?: In the professional world, there is no more powerful determinant of individual style, effectiveness, or influence than one’s orientation to time.

The articles above are just a sampling of the content included in the May 1 issue. If you are not already a subscriber, head to our online store to purchase a subscription so you can read the full issue, which includes an exclusive interview with former Scoutmaster James Dale.

10 Fundraising Rules For Managers

Nonprofit managers often have to wear multiple hats if their organization's mission is to succeed. One of those roles requires them to chip in on the fundraising side of the operation.

The word "fundraising" can make any executive start to sweat, but it doesn't have to be that way. Susan Black of Allene Professional Fundraising shares these 10 rules in her white paper, “Ten Rules to fundraise By.”

• People give to people. A gift officer needs to win a donor’s trust so he or she knows the donation is in good hands.
• Know your story, then articulate it. It’s the gift officer’s job to translate the organization’s impact into relatable, digestible bits of information.
• Have a plan. Your organization needs both a strategic and a fundraising plan.
• Get out of the office. Connect with donors face-to-face.
• Identify, cultivate, ask and than, then do it again. Your work doesn’t stop with the first gift; turn your donors into advocates for your organization and they’ll be more valuable, both monetarily and otherwise.
• Remember, you are brilliant. Recognize how important your work is, and have confidence that you can get the job done.
• Your only job with volunteers is to make them successful. Volunteers want to feel useful, be managed, feel appreciated, have an impact and share your success. Your volunteer management plan must take their needs into account.
• If it’s not in the database, it didn’t happen. Recordkeeping is of vital importance.
• It’s not about you. It’s about the donor. Practice donor-centered fundraising, and always be aware of the donor experience.
• Measure it. Start with the end in mind, consider all the costs, and create success metrics before you have to use them, not after.

Chicago Proposes Water Rates Compromise For Nonprofits

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is proposing a compromise for nonprofits that only recently found out they would be losing their exemption from water rates. The announcement came after meetings with leaders from nonprofits and select aldermen.

One of Mayor Emanuel's central promises of his election campaign was to end the practice of supplying free water to the many nonprofits in Chicago in order to help the city's budget. According to a report on DNAinfo.com Chicago, the Mayor had said the practice cost the city $20 million per year.

The water policy was changed as promised, but quickly met resistance from nonprofits, which claimed the rates were negatively affecting their ability to operate. While remaining firm on his pledge that he would not "give away" tax payer's money, Emanuel signaled last year that he would at least "study" a proposal by his aid Bob Fioretti, that would implement a sliding scale for rates based on an organization's assets.

Today's announcement indicates that he agreed with that plan, as the Mayor's compromise shares some of the features of Fioretti's plan. Under the compromise, nonprofits with overall assets under $1 million would not have to pay water fees. Those valued at between $1 million and $10 million, however, would still pay the feed but would get a 60 percent exemption. Those between $10 million and $250 million would get a 25 percent exemption.

Finally, those valued at more than $250 million would receive no additional exemption, although a public-museum exemption would remain at 20 percent regardless of asset level.

You can read the full story on DNAinfo's website.