NonProfit Pro

Postal Regulatory Commission Rejects Rate Hikes That Angered Nonprofits
March 7, 2015

The Postal Regulatory Commission rejected a rate increase proposal that had angered many nonprofits that publish printed magazines like Consumer Reports and Guideposts. The nonprofits complained of big spikes in the cost of mailing those publications the new postage rates had taken effect next month as planned. The commission remanded the proposal back to the USPS and ordered changes, saying “the Postal Service has not provided sufficient information for the Commission to determine whether the planned Package Services price adjustment is accurate and complies with applicable law.”

Nonprofit Puts Your Selfies on Billboards Around Country
March 7, 2015

A nonprofit group has come up with a perfect campaign for the selfie-obsessed generation. It's called the "Ultimate Selfie Campaign." For $25, you can upload a picture and a message on a website. Once approved, your image and message will be displayed on digital billboards in 45 cities across the country. Nonprofit Creative Chatter Communities is behind the idea. It teamed up with an outdoor advertising company Lamar to offer the deal.

Report: U.S. Foundations Underinvest in Nonprofit Leadership Development
March 7, 2015

(Press release, March 3, 2015) — The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) released "Cultivating Nonprofit Leadership: A (Missed?) Philanthropic Opportunity," part two of the "Smashing Silos in Philanthropy" series. The report tackles the philanthropic sector's chronic underinvestment in leadership development, with less than 1 percent of total grant dollars going toward developing and supporting grassroots leaders, according to data from 2003-2012.

IU Philanthropy Alumnus Joins White House Staff
March 6, 2015

Dave Wilkinson, a former Jane Addams Fellow at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, has been named director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. Under Wilkinson's leadership the Office will be focused on strengthening communities and enabling upward economic mobility by finding and growing approaches that work best for communities in need, according to a White House announcement of the appointment.

Grant-Maker Pay Outpaces Inflation Since Recession, Report Says
March 6, 2015

Foundation program officers and chief executives received salary increases during the past five years that slightly outpaced inflation, according to a survey released Thursday. According to the Council on Foundations’ latest study of grant-maker pay and demographics, salaries climbed at 392 foundations that provided data for five consecutive years. During that time period, the median salary of chief executives at those foundations increased from $160,000 to $176,691, and the median salary for program officers increased from $83,000 to $90,000.

Ice Buckets, Viruses and Math
March 6, 2015

What other people think is really important to us. If we see a group of people doing something, however weird that something might be, we want to do it too.

How Do You Deal With Nonprofit Professional Potholes?
March 6, 2015

Fundraising employment transition becomes a pothole in a sense that it causes disruption, loss of revenue, loss of relationships and many other negative implications. Think about your job experiences. Do you mandate a complete debrief of information when your employees leave employment? Do you ask board members to help bridge significant relationships to keep engagement and donor momentum in place? Do you provide new fundraising professional hires with solid prospect and donor information gleaned from former employees? How can this issue be dealt with in a positive way, especially when some departures are negative in scope?