Make-A-Wish Foundation

To usher in 2012, we asked a plethora of fundraising pros with expertise in a variety of areas to share some of their best tips for their fellow fundraisers. We also wanted to know what their favorite (and least favorite) things are that are going on in fundraising.

Meet the 2012 FundRaising Success Editorial Advisors.

For the second consecutive year, Lady Gaga tops the Celebs Gone Good Top 20 list, courtesy of DoSomething.org. Hot on her heels is another pop superstar, Justin Bieber, who jumps to the No. 2 spot from last year's position at No. 10, with George Clooney rounding out the top 3.

Known for supporting gay rights, AIDS and poverty, Gaga focused much of her effort in 2011 on putting an end to bullying, even bringing her fight to the White House. This year, she also set up the Born This Way Foundation, which aims to empower youth.

The nonprofit world is going viral. New media — Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, vivid photography and interactive content — is quickly becoming part of the effort to educate and win donors.

Organizations such as Make-A-Wish, the Florida Youth Orchestra and Jewish Community Services, to name a few, are taking full advantage, with assistance from tech-savvy companies like Content Creators and colleges like St. Thomas University.

Cold Stone Creamery and the Make-A-Wish Foundation invite the country to the 10th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social Sept. 27 for a free Sprinkled with Wishes Creation as the culmination of a month-long fundraising event. Proceeds from the event benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Throughout September, every Cold Stone store nationwide will sell paper wish stars for $1 each. The month-long fundraiser concludes with the 10th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social Sept. 27. During the social, Cold Stone will give away 3-ounce portions of the Sprinkled with Wishes Creation from 5-8 p.m., encouraging guests to donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Some people may see an economic downturn as a bad time to launch a business. But David Blyer saw a real need and opportunity.

That’s why he launched DonorCommunity, a company offering a Web-based platform that helps nonprofit organizations expand donor bases, increase fund-raising efficiency, generate awareness and reduce costs. Blyer’s plan won first place in the Business Plan Challenge Community Track.

The shortlisted nominations for the Institute of Fundraising’s National Awards 2011 are announced. Among the shortlist are Organisational members Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Scope and Jewish Care.

The Awards are sponsored by Dataforce Charities, with ThirdSectorJobs.co.uk as the media partners. The National Awards are the only awards created for fundraisers by fundraisers. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner held on Monday 4th July, the first night of the Institute's three-day National Convention.

As job hunts became tough after the crisis, evidence suggested that more young people considered public service. In 2009, 16 percent more young college graduates worked for the federal government than in the previous year and 11 percent more for nonprofit groups, according to an analysis by The New York Times of data from the American Community Survey of the United States Census Bureau. A smaller Labor Department survey showed that the share of educated young people in these jobs continued to rise last year.

The scenario had become all too common for Christian Children's Fund. Mike Pressendo's young son had chosen to sponsor a Cambodian child through the Christian Children's Fund Web site. But when the Cambodian affiliate — called ChildFund Cambodia — sent his sponsor package, it immediately caused confusion for the boy. Why, when he had sponsored a child through Christian Children's Fund, was he now receiving information on the sponsorship from another organization?

PHOENIX, October 30, 2009 — Bonnie W. Gwin, a leading CEO and board recruitment executive, has been named chair of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America (wish.org) Board of Directors.