Accountability
October 21, 2015 at 6:00 am
Citing unnamed "multiple sources," the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the top fiscal official at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco has filed a whistle-blower complaint alleging financial misconduct by the organization's board president, noted Bay Area philanthropist Diane B. "Dede" Wilsey. Michele Gutierrez, the museums' longtime chief financial officer, claims Wilsey got her…
October 21, 2015 at 6:00 am
The New York Times, in an in-depth story published Monday, provided a look into a conservative nonprofit group "putting money behind" presidential candidate and Sen. Marco Rubio. Some of the details surprised Republican media buyers. For one, all of the money that has gone into television advertisements supporting Rubio has come from the nonprofit group—and not…
October 21, 2015 at 6:00 am
The Pioneer Bar in Sitka, Alaska, has held its last "slave auction." For nearly three decades, the bar has commemorated the state's transfer from Russian control by hosting an event where locals can auction off two hours of their time for yard work or chores. The winning bids are donated to local charities. But on…
October 16, 2015 at 9:21 am
Nonprofit pros have complex jobs that require complex skills. Yet, at the end of the day, human communications need to be direct and simple. In honor of this time of year, I wanted to share some of my own fundraising horror stories that highlight the importance of proper communication...
October 15, 2015 at 10:13 am
The “Wheels for Wishes” advertisements seemed clear about who would get the money raised from donated vehicles, stating “Donate Your Car. Benefiting Make-A-Wish Minnesota.’’ But the wishes of kids with cancer weren’t driving the arrangement, says Minnesota’s attorney general. Instead, Make-A-Wish charities in Minnesota and nationally received about 20 percent of the revenue from donated cars,…
October 15, 2015 at 9:53 am
Every National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, countless companies put a coat of pink on their products and donate a portion of their proceeds to breast-cancer charities. But when companies fundraise with goods that are potentially linked to cancer itself, organizations like Breast Cancer Action take notice and dub the practice “pinkwashing”—a term that has been…
October 14, 2015 at 10:13 am
According to the The Arizona Republic, the Arizona Foundation for Charitable Support failed to distribute funds to the families of 19 firefighters killed in 2013's Yarnell Hill Wildfire. The funds were raised from a pair of charity golf tournaments that used the firefighting team's name and logo, at least once without permission...
October 14, 2015 at 9:07 am
As philanthropy enters a second golden age, real social change is getting lost in the hype of market-based giving. In one of his short stories, “Counterfeit Money,” Charles Baudelaire describes a fictional encounter between two friends who come across a beggar in the street. In this short piece, the narrator and friend offer the beggar…
October 13, 2015 at 10:11 am
Leaders are familiar with the initial steps necessary to turn around a faltering organization. Develop a vision, communicate the vision to promote buy-in and execute the vision. In the world of nonprofits, where much of the work is provided by volunteers, donors and staff seeking aspirational satisfaction as opposed to financial, there are additional tactics…
October 13, 2015 at 9:28 am
Nonprofits face a dilemma in working with celebrity endorsers. As high-profile public figures, celebrities are under constant scrutiny. Small mishaps end up on TMZ, amplified and endlessly analyzed by the media. Other celebrities self-destruct without warning, and if the celebrity has ties to a charity or cause, it can lead to a negative, if not always fair, association, even if the organization acts quickly to control the damage. But there are major benefits, too...
