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Start your donor relationships off right with prompt, polite thank-you notes, and start lighting the fire for your end-of-year appeals today.

July 21, 2009, About.com —  It is very tempting in a recession to change formerly staff-held jobs into volunteer ones. But is it right? Does it work? What are the pitfalls or the benefits?

The New York Times Company announced today the 10 semifinalists for the 2009 New York Times Company Nonprofit Excellence Awards. Now in its third year, the awards honor outstanding management practices and encourage innovation and communication among New York's large and diverse nonprofit community. In 2007, The Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York (NPCC) and the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG) joined the Times Company in the establishment of this program. All nonprofit organizations based in and serving New York City, Long Island and Westchester are eligible to apply. The application period ended for the 2009 submissions on Nov. 21, 2008. The organizations, which vary in size and in the types of services they offer the community, were chosen by the program's selection committee for their outstanding management.

As many of you know, Creative Direct Response Founder and CEO Ray Grace has been battling esophageal cancer for some time. If you would like to offer your support to Ray, you can leave a comment at a CaringBridge page set up in his name.Webinar Roundup: Grantseeking During a RecessionBy Abny SanticolaIn a Jan. 30…

In her article, “How to Make the Most of Your Special Events,” Joanne Fritz, guide for the Nonprofit Charitable Orgs. site on About.com, talks about the fact that special events aren’t, for the most part, barn-burner fundraisers for nonprofit organizations. So, she says, it’s important to have other goals and benefits in mind when planning events. According to the article, “special events create other fundraising possibilities through ‘ancillary’ methods of raising funds.” Among those methods: * In-kind contributions such as donations of food, the venue or entertainment. In-kind contributions are easier to get from a business without a prior relationship and might be a