Time Inc.

Hard to believe, but the deadline for FundRaising Success' fifth annual Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence already is fast approaching! All entries must be in our offices by July 10.

For the past few years, Carl Anglesea gave about $400 each year to charity. But he lost his job as a software developer in August, and since then Anglesea, 54, of Chuluota, Fla., hasn't given a dime. What he has done, though, is triple his hours as a volunteer AARP tax counselor helping people fill out tax forms. "I'd like to give cash, but I can't," he says. "So I'm committing to more hours as a substitute."

The Salesforce.com Foundation, the global leader in integrating philanthropy and business, today announced the results of its biannual customer satisfaction survey of nearly 300 nonprofit customers conducted by independent research firm MarketTools, Inc. in December 2008. The survey reports that nonprofits are averaging a 25 percent increase in fundraising, sponsorship, and other constituent acquisition efforts using donated and discounted licenses of Salesforce CRM. The survey also reports that nonprofits are experiencing on average a 24 percent increase in donor lead volumes; a 23 percent increase in donor lead conversations; and a 19 percent increase in donor retention.

Soup Kitchen International, the creators of the Zagat-rated soups of Al Yeganeh, the legendary soup man who inspired the "Soup Episode" on Seinfeld, today announced a partnership with World Hunger Year (WHY) and the New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) to continue Yeganeh's long-standing tradition of helping New Yorkers in need. "Al's Feed the Hungry Foundation," The Original SoupMan's non-profit charity headed up by Major League Baseball Hall of Fame legend, Reggie Jackson, will donate 800 gallons of soup to three soup kitchens: New York City Rescue Mission, Union United Methodist Church, and Bowery Mission. To commemorate the donation to the three soup kitchens, WHY, NYCCAH and The Original SoupMan will be holding a media event on Wednesday, February 25 at 12 pm at the New York City Rescue Mission located at 90 Lafayette St in New York, NY. As a special guest, Lisa Bouchelle, one of WHY's "Artists Against Hunger and Poverty", will be on hand to perform the single, "Time", featured on WHY's "Serve3" benefit album.

A Porter Novelli Styles survey reveals a significant service gap between Americans who say they are concerned about causes and those who are willing to volunteer their own time and energy to support them.

If fundraising is the communication of a need in order to elicit a philanthropic response, then it’s obvious that in order to raise funds, you need to get the communication part right. The digital age was supposed to make things easier, but are we taking full advantage of electronic communications?

The fact that you can process a donation electronically makes it more convenient, but it doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in donation revenue. This was the first mistake by the sector — we thought that opening up donation pages on our Web sites would attract large numbers of new donors. But apart from isolated cases, that didn’t happen. And while e-mail also has become part of our communication strategy to existing supporters, we’re still struggling to see the digital age improve donor acquisition.

Many nonprofits are feeling the impact of the financial crisis — in particular those reliant on corporate gifts. Others are bracing themselves for challenging conditions. In difficult economic times, it can be a natural reaction to stop all new investments. Yet, building strong constituent relationships and acquiring new donors to replenish losses is more important than ever.

Nonprofits must adopt a strategic approach to their fundraising investments, cutting less efficient areas and investing where gains can be realized. The traditional fundraising model has been in decline for some time. The financial crisis and competition for donor dollars has heightened the imperative to change models today, re-allocating investment from waning traditional fundraising approaches to new approaches that incorporate the online channel.

A Walk Down The Aisle: Target 136,214 couples of all ages and backgrounds who recently have gotten married. Price: $80/M. Call: ListSolutions, 866.516.8794; e-mail info@listsolutions.com; or visit www.listsolutions.com American Mail Responders — Children’s Books Reading: Target more than 12.5 million consumers who enjoy reading children’s books. Price: $95/M. Call: Paramount Lists, 800.723.5478; or visit www.paramountlists.com America’s Voice — Children’s Advocate Donors: Target 536,792 child-welfare donors who place great importance on issues that affect our nation’s children. Price: $85/M. Call: Political Fundraising Lists, 866.314.5478; or visit www.pfl-llc.net Avenue W — Degrees Online For Women: Target more than 1 million women who want to receive an

Organizations that play the branding game — and play it well — are part of a growing trend of thriving nonprofits whose mottos help to build awareness of their value and put them in donors’ “hearts, minds, schedules and wallets,” says Nancy Schwartz, president of Nancy Schwartz & Co. and blogger at GettingAttention.org. The 2008 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Award Competition, which originated when so many nonprofits submitted taglines to the recent Getting Attention survey on nonprofit taglines, showed that to be true. The entire list of submitted taglines, details on finalists, and award winners and survey findings will be featured in

The deadline for FundRaising Success’ fourth annual Gold Awards for Fundraising Excellence is fast approaching! Cut-off for entries is July 11. You can find the entry form here. The categories will be pretty much the same as last year, with some minor changes. Categories are: * Direct Mail: Acquisition (50,000 or more mailed) * Direct Mail: Acquisition (Fewer than 50,000 mailed) * Direct Mail: Renewal (50,000 or more mailed) * Direct Mail: Renewal (Fewer than 50,000 mailed) * Special Appeal * Package of the Year: The highest overall points-getter from among the other direct-mail winners * Grand Control of the Year: Chosen from