NonProfit Pro

Without a doubt, the free staffing of corporate volunteers can be invaluable. But the unfortunate reality of corporate “days of service,” well-meaning as they are, is that they can be burdensome, time-consuming headaches for nonprofits, and of dubious value. The “help” may not be all that helpful.

A company may want to organize a team-building project to paint a community center, when what that center actually needs is a volunteer social media strategist to teach its staff to use Twitter, for example.

Here are four fundraising questions I can't answer that have been haunting me lately.

A former Pennsylvania sportscaster was sentenced on Wednesday to serve up to four years in state prison for defrauding some 200 people in a charity scheme. Don Tollefson, 62, of Philadelphia was found guilty in January of using unregistered charities and non-existent tickets to sporting events to scam people out of about $342,000.

In addition to his prison sentence, Tollefson on Wednesday was ordered to serve 15 years of probation and pay $164,528 in restitution.

Kudos to those dedicated nonprofit development professionals who celebrate their volunteers. Those who know — and believe — that it's about people, not money.

(Press release, March 26, 2016) — Peter M. Small, MD, Deputy Director of the Tuberculosis Delivery Program for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been appointed as Founding Director of the Stony Brook University Global Health Institute (GHI) effective August 1, 2015, announced President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD. Established in 2013 with a $10 million philanthropic commitment to endow the Institute based on Stony Brook’s main campus, the Global Health Institute was conceived as a university-wide interdisciplinary research center to drive cutting-edge, health-improvement-oriented research in Madagascar, an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeast Africa with which Stony Brook University has a near 30-year history and deep ties. Madagascar is a vital research site for initiatives that will benefit the world because of its rich biodiversity.

The IRS approved 94,365 applications from organizations seeking 501(c)(3) designations in fiscal year 2014, more than double the number approved in the previous two years. The one-year jump was due to the introduction of an alternative, three-page electronic version of the 26-page form 1023, the IRS said in its 2014 Data Book, an annual report released Tuesday. The electronic option, 1023-EZ, first became available in July 2014 and provides a streamlined way for organizations with annual gross receipts of less than $50,000 to apply for tax-exempt status.

The Livestrong Foundation, the onetime juggernaut created by cyclist Lance Armstrong, has named as its new CEO a former top official from Susan G. Komen, another cancer charity whose powerful brand has been battered in recent years. Chandini Portteus, who spent nearly a decade at Komen, "is perfectly suited to lead the next stage of Livestrong’s evolution," said Jeff Garvey, chairman of the foundation’s board of directors, in a statement.

Never forget the ground game. At the end of the day, our biggest success lies in the personal connection — targeting people specifically, reaching out to them individually (by email, phone, in person and, yes, even social media).

(Press release, March 25, 2015) — The operating philosophy of Billhighway's Client Care Team is based on the deep-rooted premise that no customer interaction is ever over until the problem is fully solved. This is paramount to Billhighway being awarded the Silver Stevie® Award for Innovation in Customer Service — Financial Services Industries category in the ninth annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, which marks the second win for Billhighway since 2013.

Recent tweets on fundraising (#fundraising).