Executive Issues
July 27, 2015 at 1:39 pm
A claim by the American Red Cross that it was contractually prohibited from releasing information about some of its activities in Haiti drew fire from some nonprofit leaders, who say such contracts are a handy way to block disclosure without good cause. And the practice, which involves including nondisclosure language in contracts for services between…
July 24, 2015 at 2:27 pm
Did you know that a Tsetse fly inhabits much of mid-continental Africa between the Sahara and Kalahari deserts? It is a large biting fly, and the first Tsetse fly is known to be at least 34 million years old. There are 23 species of this fly. Why in the world should this information matter if you are not a Ph.D. in the field of insects? It matters because my first assignment in my first nonprofit position at the University of Louisville was to help a faculty member obtain funds to eradicate the Tsetse fly...
July 24, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Paula Kent Meehan made a fortune after launching the Redken hair-care products company in the 1960s. She spent the last years of her life giving that money to charity. One of the biggest beneficiaries was supposed to be St. John's Health Center, a storied Santa Monica, Calif. hospital founded by Roman Catholic nuns that has…
July 24, 2015 at 1:39 pm
George Roberts, who co-founded the enormously successful KKR private equity firm in 1976, is worth billions. But in a July 16 interview for the Business Times' special section this week on corporate philanthropy, Roberts talked primarily about his work helping the homeless in San Francisco (and why it wasn't easy), his views on philanthropy and why…
July 23, 2015 at 2:41 pm
In recent weeks, a number of people have approached me with questions, all variations on a theme: effective solicitation. The minister who shies from asking his parishioners to support an important project because he wants to preserve his role as a counselor, the board members who don’t always want to be the ones out asking, the executive director who just plain feels awkward approaching others for money.
July 23, 2015 at 2:24 pm
Since ancient times, we have been reminded that a true friend is loyal to us. Aristotle wrote, “A friend to all is a friend to none,” and Euripides said, “One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.” Or, in the terms of today’s fundraisers, “One loyal donor is worth 10,000 fans, likes or followers whose engagement never goes further than that."
July 23, 2015 at 2:05 pm
The New York-based National Children's Leukemia Foundation appealed to donors across the country, promising lifesaving services, such as locating bone marrow donors, conducting cancer research and even claiming to run a program called "Make a Dream Come True" to fulfill the last wishes of dying cancer-stricken children. The New York attorney general's office said the…
July 23, 2015 at 1:19 pm
Trick-or-treating with a UNICEF box was like being a Thalidomide baby at the local pinball arcade … on “Kids Play Free” night. That thing was Halloween kryptonite, a cardboard candy-repellent that practically screamed, “Stop! Do not give this boy any candy. Stick a penny in me instead.” Worse, we had no idea what UNICEF was…
July 23, 2015 at 1:09 pm
These days, partnerships between charities and for-profit companies go beyond writing a check (although that’s still a useful part of the relationship). Nonprofits are tapping into the resources available from successful companies in all sorts of ways. It turns out, many of these companies are eager to help. Here are some different ways that nonprofits…
July 22, 2015 at 1:18 pm
Twenty-five years ago, Teach For America was just Wendy Kopp’s undergraduate project. Today, it is a pillar of the effort to radically change American education with a huge national footprint. From 384 corps members touching the lives of 20,000 public school students in 1990, it has grown to 10,471 corps members teaching 600,000 students in…
