Report: More Cities Seeking PILOTs

A new report from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy revealed that at least 218 local governments have received payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) worth $92 million per year from about 490 nonprofits.

The report, titled "Payments in Lieu of Taxes by Nonprofits: Which Nonprofits Make PILOTs and Which Localities Receive Them," surveyed local government officials in 599 jurisdictions with the largest nonprofit sectors in 2011. Authors Adam H. Langley, Daphne A. Kenyon, and Patricia C. Bailin acknowledged that while PILOTs can refer to many different types of payments, their definition "excludes any payments from for-profit companies or public entities (e.g., housing authorities) and any payments from nonprofits that are not voluntary, such as fees."

Findings of the study included:

• Although more than 90 percent of all PILOT revenue comes from "eds and meds," college payments are found to be more important than those from hospitals. PILOTs from colleges and universities accounted for about two-thirds of payments, while hospitals contributed only a quarter.
• The Northeast accounts for about 75 to 80 percent of PILOTs, with the greatest activity coming in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
• Most nonprofits make fairly small PILOTs while most revenue generated comes from a small number of multimillion-dollar PILOTs. As a result, the average PILOT for all nonprofits ($292,952) is nearly 10 times larger than the median ($30,000).
• PILOTs generate little revenue in most cities, accounting for less than 1 percent of total general revenue in 165 out of 181 localities that contributed to the survey.
• Most PILOTs go to cities and towns, but at least seven school districts and four counties also receive PILOTs.

The NonProfit Times has reported on PILOTs in recent years. Most recently, we reported that Brown University agreed to double its payments to Providence, R.I., increasing the university's payments to the city to $31.5 million over 11 years. According to the Lincoln Institute Report, Brown is one of 10 nonprofits that contribute the most money to cities. The other organizations on that list include Harvard University, Boston University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Dartmouth College, Brigham & Women's Center, Massachusetts Institute of Techology, and Yale University.

If you are interested in reading the rest of the Lincoln Institute Report, you can view the PDF here.

Are You Ready For Volunteers?

Every fledgling nonprofit eventually reaches a point where they are ready to start accepting volunteers into their organization. When that time comes, it's important that you are properly prepared for the work that comes from managing these individuals.

Gail Nyberg, executive director of the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, Canada, wrote in the book "Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies For Non-Profit Success" that there are five techniques organizations should use when they are dealing with their first volunteers.

• Communicate clearly, broadly and often. Letting regular volunteers know what’s happening and making sure they understand how their efforts are furthering your work fosters a sense of engagement and keeps them coming back.
• Understand and forecast your volunteer needs. A program should serve your organization and advance your mission, not accommodate every volunteer’s every wish.
• Have clear and concise position descriptions. This can ensure genuine buy-in, with people signing up for what you need.
• Train your staff in volunteer management. This is an opportunity for professional staff development by offering management training to employees who might not otherwise have the experience.
• Institute a formal volunteer recognition process. Even small tokens of appreciation can add up to a system of rewards that acknowledge the people who make invaluable contributions to your organization.

Accepting the first volunteers can be a nerve-wracking experience for any nonprofit, but following the tips above will ensure that you have done everything you can to prepare. Have any other suggestions? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section.

The Summer 2012 Issue Of Exempt Magazine

If you are someone who is more interested in nonprofit finance issues rather than management or fundraising, The NonProfit Times' sister publication, Exempt Magazine, should be of interest to you. The magazine's Summer 2012 issue has just been released, providing new content related to the financial side of nonprofits.

Articles

• Social Impact Bonds Set Up Unique Venture Capital Market: Todd Cohen, frequent NPT contributor and publisher of Philanthropy North Carolina, writes about how social impact bonds could potentially help take effective social programs to scale by tapping into private capital.
• Associations Can Run Afoul Of Anti-Trust Rules: A little background about anti-trust laws by Robert Davis, legal counsel at Venable LLP. This is a must read for those who still aren't quite sure how these laws work.

Column

• Create A High-Performing Board: The vast majority of nonprofits have great, dedicated and committed executives and wonderful individual board members. Yet, one of the most common questions asked is “how do we create a high performing board as a whole?” Dennis Miller has the answers in this column.

These are not all the articles in the Summer 2012 issue. If you want to see all the stories either online or in print, head to our subscription page and get your copy of Exempt Magazine.

PTA Sues For-Profit Rival

The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) filed a lawsuit against one of its for-profit rivals, accusing it of attempting to steal its members.

According to a report on CBS News, the Chicago-based PTA filed the suit Wednesday in a U.S. District Court in Chicago against PTO Today. The organization claims that PTO engaged in trademark infringement, false advertising, and deceptive trade practices in attempts to siphon its members. Once boasting 12 million members during its prime, the PTA has seen its membership reduce by half that.

In a statement posted on it's website, PTA president Betsy Landers said that School Family Media, PTO Today's parent company, attempted to confuse the public into thinking the company had a relationship with the PTA in order to get advertising for their website and magazine.

"PTA has no issue with any for-profit company that wants to provide products and services to PTA and its members," said Landers in the statement. "However, we do strenuously object to School Family Media inferring it has a relationship with PTA that does not exist and, at the same time, disparaging PTA to drive business their way."

The suit also accuses PTO Today and School Family Media of making false statements about the PTA.

PTO Today founder and CEO Tim Sullivan denied the accusations, telling The Associated Press that PTA's membership started to decline before his company was in existence. PTO Today was founded in 1999, and it offers insurance, resource kits, training, and other advice to independent parent-teacher organizations.

You can read the full story on CBS News' website.

19 Ideas To Prevent Cyber Attacks

Remember the good old days when the biggest security concern for businesses was someone stealing from the petty cash box? With most organizations relying heavily on the Internet, another concern has popped up: Cyber Attacks.

Online crime can have disastrous results for individuals and nonprofits. All it takes is one security flaw in your system, and valuable (and often confidential) data could go missing. There are no ways to completely immunize yourself from cyber attacks, but there are ways to make sure you are as safe as possible.

During a recent Risk Management and Finance Summit for Nonprofits sponsored by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, George E. Constantine III of Venable LLP in Washington, D.C., discussed the danger of cyber attacks, and he offered a look at protective measures:

• Dual Controls: Have at least two persons in charge of certain accounts, cash collection and cash payment systems.
• Internal Internet Use Policy: Make it good, follow it closely and include telecommuting.
• Have a privacy policy.
• Use Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards for data security.
• Software: Keep all software, especially security and financial, up to date.
• Hardware: What is allowed to connect to your system?
• Conduct employee training regularly.
• Know what to protect.
• Control access privileges, change passwords, use best available authentication.
• Free protections.
• Identify responsible manager in case of breach.
• Assess risks and vulnerabilities; establish a response plan.
• Train employees to identify and report.
• If problems occur, think of insurance, statutory obligations and public and client/member relations.
• Note that almost all states have data breach notification laws.
• Comply with laws of states of affected individuals, not just where the organization is located. Statutes will dictate content, method and deadlines.
• Generally, the burden is on the "owner or licensor" of data.
• Do background checks.
• Support whistleblowers.

Washington Lt. Gov. Grew Nonprofit On Taxpayer Money

Washington Lt. Gov. Brad Owen and his staff used taxpayer-funded time to help conduct the operations of the nonprofit that he funded, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Strategies for Youth (SFY), an anti-bullying nonprofit, was shut down last year in part because of costs and Owen's other work as Lt. Governor. Before that, however, the AP found that Owen had for years made the organization an extension of his office, using taxpayer-funded time to run its operations. He also worked with lobbyists to raise money for the nonprofit. In one case, an Owen aide made plans to honor a lobbyist who donated to the organization with awards at a charity dinner and auction.

Owen told the AP that he saw no conflict of interest in asking lobbyists to raise money for the organization, saying that SFY's goal of helping kids is the same goal of his office.

Although Owen received no pay for his role as president of SFY, his wife, Linda, was paid a salary of $25,000 during the span of a few years. She was the only person receiving a salary, and her pay accounted for 10 percent of SFY's expenditures. The nonprofit also provided Owen and his family with a number of benefits, including the use of a $33,000 truck. In addition, Owen's staff repeatedly organized fundraisers for the organization, including one in 2010 called "Everyday People Doing Extraordinary Things."

E-mails from within Owen's office indicate that his staff spent hours doing fundraising work for SFY. One staffer worked more than 100 hours for the nonprofit in recent years. Owen initially denied reports of his aides doing fundraising work from the office but, after being shown e-mails by the AP, he acknowledged one individual may have made mistakes by conducting SFY activity from the office.

When Owen was first elected as Lt. Gov., he and the charity signed an agreement to work together and share resources. That contract was drafted with the help of Senate lawyers, according to Owen, who is currently running for re-election against Republican Bill Finkbeiner.

You can read the full story in The Associated Press.

Moving From Annual Gifts To Planned Gifts

Planned giving campaigns can provide a big boost to a nonprofit's fundraising, but it's not exactly a walk in the park to start such a program. That's why Judi Smith of Funding Services Now and Dianne S. Johnson of Endowment Builders advised nonprofits to build their campaign off something that already exists as a proven fundraiser for most organizations: Annual giving funds.

Speaking during the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ 49th International Conference on Fundraising, Smith and Johnson explained that there are certain prospects that are more likely to support planned giving campaigns. These donors are:

• People who support the mission.
• Regular donors of small gifts.
• Donors of major gifts.
• Older donors.
• Volunteers.

Many of these individuals are probably already donating to your organization's annual fund, so it's worth trying to convert them to planned giving. Smith and Johnson said to consider the following ideas when trying to build your program from an annual fund:

• Start with an Endowment or Planned Giving committee (with each member to make their own planned gift).
• Target an event to include planned giving prospects.
• Review the database for a mailing program to a planned giving prospect group.
• Mail to existing members to reconfirm gifts and survey them.
• Look at offering charitable gift annuities.

Webinar: Is It Time To Change Your Accounting Software?

What are the top accounting issues facing your organization today? Answer our quick two-question survey on this subject, the results of which will be revealed during the webinar on Wednesday.

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Are you struggling with financial reporting and analysis? Are excel driven manual processes draining your accounting team’s productivity? It’s time to consider new accounting software for your nonprofit, but for what should you be looking?

In The NonProfit Times' latest webinar with Intacct Corporation, all the information you need to decide what type of accounting system your organization needs will be discussed. Speaking during the event will be Bob Blake, founder of Xanergy, and Lisa White, senior channel executive at Intaact. Both individuals have decades of combined experience in the accounting software industry for nonprofits, and their tips will be valuable to showing how to simplify the process of selecting new software for your organization.

Here are a few of the topics that Lisa and Bob will be touching on during the webinar:

• Determine what you need from a new accounting system.
• Make sure the system you select maximizes financial transparency and accountability to the board.
• Find the right vendor by following these 5 best practices.
• Take advantage of new options made possible by cloud computing.
• Calculate the ROI you can expect from a new cloud financial management and accounting system.

As always, it is completely free to register for this webinar, which will begin on September 26 at 2:00 PM EST. Sign up today and learn how you can get your organization on the right track when it comes to accounting.

Are You Ready For A Capital Campaign?

Pop quiz: What do you think is the most common error nonprofits make during capital campaigns? If you answered "not being prepared enough" then, congratulations, you are absolutely correct.

The fact of the matter is, as M. Jane Williams wrote in her book "Big Gifts," too many nonprofit managers view capital campaigns not as a compliment to their fundraising, but as the answer to all of their problems. As a result, they tend to rush into them before they have a clear idea of what they want to do. Capital campaigns can be a big boost to an organization, but only when they are done correctly.

Williams went on to explain that only nonprofits that already have well-run development programs and a successful track record of major gifts should attempt capital campaigns; but that's only one aspect that will test an organization's readiness. Williams listed these 10 other questions that you must answer “yes” to before beginning:

• Does your organization really know itself and its aims?
• Is there a history of philanthropic support for the organization?
• Is your organization seen as a positive and necessary asset to its community or constituency?
• Is there agreement among board members and staff that the cause is worthwhile? 
• Will they give time and funds to the effort?
• Is your case for support valid and salable?
• Do you have the leadership to make the campaign work?
• Do you have an active prospect cultivation program?
• Can you identify at least 50 to 100 prospects in a substantial gift range and a loyal giving constituency below that level?
• Can you obtain one gift that is at least one-tenth of the total campaign goal?
• Do you know who the campaign chairman should be? Will he or she accept this role?

Boosting The Effectiveness Of Your Nonprofit's Annual Funds

There is no question that annual giving from donors is the lifeblood of a nonprofit's fiscal health, so it would seem to make no sense to try and improve on it. But according to Aileen Meyer, there are plenty of ways you can boost the effectiveness of an organization's annual funds.

Speaking at the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International Conference in Chicago, Meyer, director of development at Lourdes College, recommended three tips that will take your annual funds to the next level:

• Using data and analytics, nonprofits can help you tangibly understand where to focus the efforts of your annual fund program. Some key areas to focus in are, your return on investment (ROI), donor segment trends, retention trends, gifting levels, gift source and stewardship.
• Increasing the size of your annual fund would not be possible without acquisition efforts. Costly as it might be, doing acquisition is a surefire way to take your annual fund to the next level. When locating acquisition donors, Meyer said that your organization should pinpoint who to ask, locate the correct solicitation method, estimate an appropriate entry-level ask amount and use giving likelihood scores to indentify the best prospects for donor acquisition. 
• Finally, to convert these donors to repeat donors nonprofits should steward creatively by reporting the use of their gift immediately and enrolling them in a First Time Donor Program. By building on these interests and connections, nonprofits can form a relationship with these donors and fold them into their annual funding file. 

Linking An Event To Your Mission

Special events are very popular among nonprofit leaders as they allow them to raise money without actually talking about raising money. That's exactly the wrong approach, according to Jeff Shuck, president and CEO of Event 360, Inc.

Shuck said at a recent DMA Nonprofit Federation New York Nonprofit Conference that organizations need to use events not as a way to avoid fundraising conversations, but as a way to spark them. Following are the areas emphasized by Shuck, and then the key metrics for each:

• Event: Number of events, participant satisfaction, repeat attendance.
• Participants: number of participants, registration time, team participation.
• Donors: Number of donors, donors per participant, percentage of participants with zero donors, percentage of self-donations and goal, number of emails sent per participant.
• Gifts: Number of gifts, amount per gift.
• Revenue: Return on investment (ROI), compound annual growth rate, growth against the national benchmark.

Shuck also suggested the following action steps: Drive team participation (possibly through team captains), consider registration fee incentives, be careful not to undermine the fundraising culture, segment and focus on getting participants with goals off the dime.

5 Ideas For Financial Growth

Finding ways to achieve financial growth in this tough economy sometimes seems futile. While there has been significant progress since the height of the Great Recession, some nonprofits are still struggling to find their way. The temptation to curl up in a corner until things get better can be very strong, but organizations must resist if this urge if they are to succeed.

During a recent DMA Nonprofit Federation conference, Neoma Harris of St. Joseph's Indian School spoke about steps her organization has taken to strive for growth in the aftermath of the Great Recession. She offered the following advice:

• Bond with your new donor. Use thank you packages and second-gift mailings. Go back with a premium or theme similar to what grabbed them first.
• Add an outsider's voice. The school tested a “mock” newspaper article insert in its Matching Gift house special and got a 40 percent lift and $9.64 higher average gift.
• Coordinate mail and online. The school's May "Graduation" house appeal received a 3.65 percent response and $20.12 per gift with mail only and 5.7 percent and $29.25 per gift through mail and email. Email brought in $4,000.
• Remember new markets and programs. The school has found fundraising success in Europe, and it launched a stand-alone mail program for Cheyenne River Indian Outreach.
• Test, test, test. The school had success with coupons and “super sized” coupons.

Charity Distances Itself From Anti-Muslim Film

The head of a California-based charity tried to distance his organization from an anti-Muslim film that has sparked protests around the globe, saying he was duped into participating in the movie.

The Los Angeles Times reported today that Joseph Nassralla, president of Media for Christ, wrote in a statement on the blog of anti-Muslim advocate Pamela Geller that he first became involved with the film known as "Innocence of Muslims" when its filmmaker, a fellow Egyptian immigrant named Nakoula B. Nakoula, approached him for help. He allegedly told Nassralla that he was working on a film about Christian persecution, and wanted to use Media for Christ's broadcast studio for filming.

Nassralla insisted in his statement that was all he had to do with the film, and that the final product of the movie was completely different than the movie that was described to him. He accused Nakoula of altering the film "without anyone's knowledge, changing its entire focus and dubbing in new dialogue." He also said he was unaware that Nakoula listed Media for Christ on the government documents for the movie.

Despite distancing himself from the movie, Nassralla placed the blame on the violent reaction against "Innocence of Muslims" not on the filmmakers, but on "those who are murdering and rioting." The film has angered many Muslims by depicting the prophet Muhammad as clumsy and a sexual deviant. Those images and other rhetoric in the movie are being blamed for violent protests across the Middle East, including last week's breach of the American embassy in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, which resulted in the death of U.S. ambassador Chris Stephens and three others.

Media for Christ, which was established in 2005, runs a satellite television network called The Way TV, which airs sermons and hymns as well as anti-Islamic sentiments. The host of one of its shows, Steve Klein, worked as a script consultant for "Innocence of Muslims."

You can read the full story in The Los Angeles Times.

The September 15 Issue Of The NonProfit Times

Want to know all about donor management software? What about the status of workplace giving in the top 10 towns in the United States? The Septmeber 15 issue of The NonProfit Times has that and a lot more within its pages.

Here are the details of the top stories in this newest issue of NPT:

Special Focus

• Donor Management Software: A look at how major gifts officers are increasingly using mobile devices to keep in touch with prospects.

Articles

• Top 10 Towns: Workplace giving, typically a staple of American philanthropy, is in flux. This is especially true in some of the top cities in the U.S., including Austin, TX.
• The YWCA USA Reorganizes Starting With A New CEO, Plan: The YWCA USA will usher in a new era by the end of the year, not only with its first permanent CEO in more than two years, but also a new governance structure for the 250-affiliate organization for women.
• Blackbaud Folding Convio's Common Ground Product: Blackbaud's merger with Convio has bought many changes to the company, including the departure of CEO Gene Austin. Now comes word that Blackbaud will be discontinuing CRM system Common Ground. In addition, the nonprofit software company announced a restructuring plan that would eliminate 51 positions.

Columns

• The Social Media Myth: Here’s a question for you and anyone who slaves away in the dungeons of fundraising: Are social media, as they convert to commercial purposes, competitive with email and direct mail?
• Time Vs. Money: Members of corporate volunteer councils (CVCs), groups of businesses that come together to discuss and share best practices on employee volunteer programs, need to have a shared vision and open lines of communication between the various entities or risk ineffectuality, according to members of HandsOn Network’s Corporate Volunteer Council Advisory Council (CVCAC).

Head over to our website to read these article in their entirety. If you want to view the full version of the issue online, subscribe to our digital edition.

4 Ways For Your Nonprofit To Go Viral

Every nonprofit wants their online content to go viral. It’s practically the Holy Grail of the online world. Of course, something so coveted doesn’t come easy. If you want your content to be the next Internet phenomenon, you are doing to have to do some work.

Whether it's a YouTube video of a recent special event or a blog post about the organization's mission, nonprofits are always looking for ways to enhance the exposure of their content. In "Nonprofit Management 101," Zoetica CEO Beth Kanter wrote that nonprofits need to encourage others to share their work if they want it to go viral. She suggested the following techniques to make this a reality:

• Give permission to share. Tell your audience that you want them to take your content and repurpose, remix, or recreate it. This can be done by using a Creative Commons “Share, Share Alike” license.
• Be explicit. Sometimes people are inspired on their own, but it also helps to reward them for sharing or creating your content. Kanter suggested creating a contest that gives a prize to the user who makes the best use of your content. You’d be amazed at what people will do free stuff.
• Stock the pond. No one likes to be first, so you may need to get staff and other insiders to jumpstart your effort.
• Lift up examples. Encourage and publically recognize people who create content for you. This can be done by highlighting their contribution in a blog post, on your website, or at an event.

North Texas Giving Day Brings In $14.4 Million

The fourth annual North Texas Giving Day raised $14.4 million for more than 900 nonprofits yesterday, easily surpassing the $10.7 million raised last year.

This blog covered last year's Giving Day which, at the time, set a record for the event. The 2012 incarnation made sure that record didn't last long, as donors from across the nation and the world submitted 37,858 gifts totaling approximately $14,439,441.

According to a report in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, nonprofits that received donations between 7 a.m. and midnight Thursday on the North Texas Giving Day site also got a partial match from a pool of $1 million in matching and prize funds.

Donations from this year's event came from every U.S. state and 14 countries, including Canada, Austria, Brazil, China, and Finland, according to the Communities Foundation of Texas, which first launched the event in 2009. During last year's Giving Day, participation picked up in Tarrant County, Texas, after the Dallas area dominated donations during the first two years. Dallas was once again in the lead this year, receiving $9,710,961. Meanwhile, Tarrant County received $2,014,992, an increase from the $1.6 million it got last year.

“We are absolutely blown away by the record-breaking generosity and goodwill of North Texans,” said Communities Foundation of Texas president and CEO Brent Christoper in a statement. “This is a testament to the strength of our community and our shared desire to make North Texas the most viable, best place to live. We are humbled to say the least.”

The Salvation Army of Dallas-Fort Worth led all organizations this year with $554,483 raised. It did not, however, win the $10,000 prize for most donors. That honor went to KERA TV Channel 13 which, although it only raised $78,965, had 948 eligible gifts. The PBS affiliate also received another $10,000 for having the largest increase of donors over last year. The two $10,000 prizes were sponsored by the Dallas Foundation and Hoblitzelle Foundation, respectively.

You can see the rest of the statistics on the North Texas Giving Day leaderboard.

Nonprofit Arts In Washington A Boon To Economy

Nonprofit arts organizations and their patrons across Washington spent $1.51 billion in local economic activity during fiscal year 2010 according to a new report released by Americans for the Arts.

According to a report in The Washington Business Journal, the total expenditure generated $120 million in local tax revenue and $21 million in state revenue during the period of July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Of those totals, 63 percent was organizational spending and 37 percent was from the audience.

The nonprofit arts industry is worth $135 billion on a nationwide level and, according to the study, supports 4.1 million jobs and generates $87 billion in household income.

Volunteers also played a big role in the strength of arts and culture in the Washington area. More than 33,000 volunteers donated 1.5 million hours to organizations in the region, with that time representing an estimated worth of more than $33 million.

The data for the Americans for the Arts study was collected from 299 arts and culture organizations and 4,351 in Washington. The study did not include the Smithsonian Institution which, according to the organization's Form 990, accounted for $2.1 billion in total culture spending in 2010, in addition to representing 58 percent of the local industry.

You can read the full story in The Washington Business Journal.

Marketing: 3 Promotional Mistakes

The word "promotion" has a negative connotation these days. Product placements in movies makes audiences' eyes roll, and people don't hesitate to press that "skip ad" button on YouTube when an advertisement plays before a video. Yes, marketing can be quite a challenge today.

While it's true that most people would rather not have to see promotions, marketing your brand or a specific product does not have to be a negative. By avoiding some common promotional mistakes, your campaigns will be more successful and, as an added bonus, people will be less annoyed with your organization.

In his book "Managing a Nonprofit Organization," Thomas Wolf listed three mistakes that some nonprofits make during promotions. Avoiding these are key to ensuring a successful campaign:

• Don’t assume that saying more in a promotional device is better. Short, carefully selected messaging is always more effective.
• Don’t miss easy opportunities to acquire names, addresses, and other pertinent information. Incentivizing people to provide email addresses and other information will be valuable in later sales and fundraising solicitation.
• Don’t oversell your product or service. If customers or constituents have specific expectations about what you are selling and these expectations are not met, they will be disappointed. Promotion based on exaggerated claims will generally lead to unfulfilled expectations.

Northeastern Receives Record Donation

Two Northeastern University graduates who initially dropped out of the school teamed up to give their alma mater a record donation of $60 million.

Richard D’Amore and Alan McKim both dropped out of Northeastern as undergraduates but were encouraged to return by Professor Daniel McCarthy. The two former students’ $60-million donation is now the largest gift to the Boston school since a $20-million donation in 2006. As a result of the gift, Northeastern’s College of Business and Administration will become the D’Amore-McKim School of Business.

Northeastern plans to use the $60 million to launch new programs, attract top faculty, increase financial aid to students, subsidize cooperative education programs, and offer more opportunities for students to study and work abroad. The D’Amore-McKim School of Business is the first college or school to be named at Northeastern, and the $60-million gift is the fourth largest to name a business school in the United States.

A 1976 graduate, D’Amore had previously donated $5 million to the school in 2009 to support innovation and entrepreneurship. McKim, a 1988 graduate and founder and CEO of Clean Harbors, met D’Amore when the two teamed up to endow a professorship currently held by McCarthy. D’Amore is co-founder and general partner at Waltham, Mass.-based North Bridge Venture Partners.

“Once in a generation, history is made in the life of a university. This is one of those moments,” said Northeastern President Joseph Aoun in a statement.

“Northeastern has had a huge impact on me — both personally and professionally,” D’Amore said in a press release. “I hope that what Alan and I are doing will inspire others to do the same.”

5 Steps To The Perfect Special Event

To some nonprofit leaders, planning for a special event is akin to having a root canal. Yet despite the difficulties they can present, events have the potential to seriously boost both fundraising and an organization's reputation.

During the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) 49th International Conference on Fundraising, Jennifer C. Stewart of the Providence Healthcare Foundation offered suggestions to attendees on how they can minimize the pain of planning for a special event. She said that the key to success rests on the following five considerations:

• Setting goals and objectives. Set them one year in advance. Planning is everything.
• Budgeting and cost per dollar raised. Stewart suggested setting the budget before planning even begins. It’s necessary to be specific in creating a budget. Also, lowering expenses and promoting that cost-cutting shows sensitivity to the times.
• Committee involvement. It is good to create a member expectations protocol, and to be clear about fundraising roles. Don’t undervalue or under-appreciate volunteers.
• Being sensitive to the times. It is good to chart all event details on a month-by-month basis. Set reasonable timelines and stick to them.
• Event follow-up. Thank-you notes should be sent to all donors no more than two weeks after the event (preferably sooner). Report event fundraising results and add testimonials in those notes. Announce the following year’s event date.

Following these steps is a good way to make planning your organization's next special event a lot less painful, and a lot more successful. Let us know what you think of Stewart's suggestions in the comments section.