News/Stats/Studies
February 24, 2012
Grassroots environmental nonprofits are often ignored by foundations, says a new report by the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
Foundations give half of the dollars they spend on the environment to national organizations with budgets of $5 million or more, but those charities make up only 2 percent of the environmental groups in the United States, according to the watchdog.
February 23, 2012
Two relative newcomers to private philanthropy — the Arcus and Gill foundations, which were started in 2000 and 1994, respectively — have given more money to gay causes than any other grant maker, according to a new report by Funders for LGBTQ Issues.
Overall, 799 grant makers have contributed more than $771 million to lesbian and gay issues since 1970, the report says. The money has gone to 6,000 charities working in 117 countries.
February 21, 2012
CDR Fundraising Group welcomes the Washington Animal Rescue League. Since 1914, The League, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., has taken in homeless and abused animals from across the country, providing them with medical attention and tender care, and finding them loving homes. CDR Fundraising Group will work with the Washington Animal Rescue League to create a robust national direct-marketing program, beginning with direct mail and eventually integrating other fundraising channels into the overall strategy. The League has already established a successful local fundraising program, which CDR Fundraising Group will be helping to continue by expanding the program for increased revenue.
February 21, 2012
According to the report released by Atlas of Giving, total giving to U.S. nonprofits rose 6.4 percent for January 2012, totaling $28.55 billion. This was a 1.5 percent increase over the best month in 2011, which was December. Giving to environmental and nature organizations experienced the largest increase with a growth of 12.3 percent over January 2011, while the religious sector grew at a modest 3.9 percent over January 2011.
February 21, 2012
A dispute between the heirs of Elizabeth Beall Banks and Johns Hopkins University over the use of the farm she sold to the school is the latest in a series of high-profile disputes that have focused attention on the question of an institution’s obligation to its donors.
No one tracks the number of such cases, but experts say disagreements between donors and institutions are not unusual. It is rare, however, that they spill into public view.
February 20, 2012
eBay, the world’s largest online marketplace and leader in cause-related commerce, said that the company’s users generated a record $63 million, or $120 a minute, for charitable causes — a 15 percent increase over the prior year. In addition, the company’s PayPal division processed $3 billion in transactions for more than 200,000 nonprofit organizations — a 31 percent year-over-year increase.
February 17, 2012
According to a new 30 Hour Famine study, conducted online in January by Harris Interactive, more than half of teens (55 percent) say social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have made them more aware of the needs of others. This is a huge increase from 2011 when a little more four in 10 (44 percent) said their use of social media made them more aware. The study also says two in three teens (68 percent) agree that the benefits of social media outweigh the risks.
February 16, 2012
Leon Cooperman and his wife, Toby, have made what is believed to be the largest single contribution the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest NJ has ever received. The JCF has been named owner of the Coopermans’ $20 million life insurance policy. The gift comes from the Cooperman Family Foundation.
The Coopermans, longtime major donors to the MetroWest federation, are signers of the Giving Pledge — a program begun by financier Warren Buffet inviting the very rich to pledge a majority of their wealth to charity.
February 16, 2012
GuideStar, a source of nonprofit information, announced GuideStar Search Provider, a new keyword search tool that people can use from a majority of Internet browsers for easier access to GuideStar's expansive database of nonprofit information. With a simple installation, GuideStar Search Provider allows people to search the GuideStar database using keywords, such as the name of an organization, without specifically browsing to www.guidestar.org first.
February 15, 2012
The latest annual college fundraising figures from the Voluntary Support of Education survey by Council for Aid to Education show donations to colleges and universities rose 8.2 percent in fiscal 2011, crossing back over the $30 billion mark for just the second time ever.
But the very richest universities accounted for nearly half the growth: Of the $30.3 billion collected by colleges and universities nationwide, $8.2 billion — or 27 percent — was raised by just the top 20 institutions. At those universities, fundraising was 15.3 percent higher than the year before.
