News/Stats/Studies

Despite an ailing economy, the third annual Day of Giving in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties set a fundraising record. Hours before Tuesday's midnight deadline to make a contribution, more than $4.05 million was donated.

Last year, the 24-hour total for Allegheny County was $2.8 million, plus a $500,000 match from foundations. In Westmoreland County, a total of $300,000 was raised.

Earlier in the day, Grant Oliphant, the president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation, which sponsors the Day of Giving, was confident that donors would be generous.

Social media is becoming an essential part of charity fundraising, according to a paper from the Institute for Philanthropy.

Philanthropy and Social Media gives advice to charities and funders on how to use social media for activities including fundraising, connecting with supporters and delivering their services.

It says social media is beoming increasingly important in driving donations. "There are organisations, groups and individuals who are using these tools to great effect," the report says. "Some have completely revolutionised their work by using social media.

Known to some as Pakistan's Mother Teresa, Abdul Sattar Edhi is a humanitarian light in a violent and troubled land. The vast majority here struggle daily in a moribund economy. Natural disasters are common. Poverty, political instability, corruption, and attacks by Islamic militants, criminals and political enforcers are facts of life.

Donations to the Edhi Foundation fund hundreds of centers nationwide for orphans, senior citizens, drug abusers, the mentally disabled, abused women, even injured animals. It operates hospitals, mobile dispensaries, free kitchens, helicopters, airplanes and hundreds of "little white" ambulances resembling oversize bread boxes.

As philanthropic giving among Asia’s wealthy grows across the region, a shift to a structured and focused approach to charity is also starting to take place. This is one of the key findings of Something’s gotta give: The state of philanthropy in Asia, a new report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, commissioned by HSBC Private Bank.

The report shows that a number of leading Asian philanthropists are starting to emphasise innovation, scale and measurable results in the execution of their philanthropy, aiming to make a long-term impact on the region’s social issues.

Convio released the results of its annual Peer-to-Peer Event Fundraising Benchmark™ Study. The benchmarks offered in the study reflect in-depth research of 48 nonprofit organizations and more than 1,800 fundraising events in the U.S. and Canada that utilize Convio TeamRaiser™. The report provides information that nonprofits can use to measure their success as well as learn about trends and best practices in event fundraising that they can leverage, adapt and use to increase the number of participants and funds raised through peer-to-peer fundraising events.

Fannie Mae and the Freddie Mac Foundation, the Washington, D.C. area’s two biggest contributors to local charities, will probably end their philanthropy in the next few years, with troubling consequences for nonprofit groups that focus on education and human services for the poor, children and families, predicts a study by George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis.

The two federal housing financing corporations gave nearly $100 million to 500 local organizations in the past four years, but they significantly cut their donations after the housing bust and financial crisis hit in 2008.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) released The Power of Direct Marketing, a biennial forecast of direct marketing’s economic impact on the US economy. Direct marketing continues to grow at a quicker pace than the overall U.S. economy, according to the report. DM-driven sales will grow 7.1 percent this year to nearly $2 trillion, compared with sales overall in the U.S., which will grow 5.1 percent.

As the fourth quarter of 2011 begins, fewer than half of surveyed nonprofits reported fundraising increases during the first half of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010.

According to a report released by the Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC), of 813 responding nonprofits surveyed in July:

• 44 percent reported increases in charitable contributions received through June, compared with the same period in 2010;
• 25 percent reported giving remained level; and
• 30 percent reported charitable contributions have declined so far this year.
• 1 percent did not know.

Artists play an integral role in the economic and cultural revitalization of cities and neighborhoods across the country, according to new research commissioned by Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC), a national service organization based in New York City that builds infrastructure for artists by investing in the organizations that support them.

Facing growing pressure to improve their impact and effectiveness, nonprofit networks that consist of multiple affiliates are pursuing a range of strategies to identify, connect and support their affiliates, a new study says.

"Networks, with multiple sites often operating similar programs, are increasingly expected to provide donors and supporters with a higher level of evidence that their work is effective and delivered consistently across the board," says Growing Network Impact: How Nonprofit Networks are Raising the Bar on Results, a report by the Bridgespan Group.