Accountability
Ben Carson said, “nine out of 10 nonprofits fail.” Yet data on nonprofits show that half of the organizations that received their tax-exempt status 20 years ago were still considered active by the IRS in 2015. Carson, who currently ranks second in an average of national polls for the GOP presidential nomination, made the claim…
A good friend, Carol Weisman, recently shared a few key thoughts about how she learned to be a top-notch fundraiser and fundraising consultant. Her learning curve has spanned 43 years and counting, because you literally never stop. Here were eight pieces of advice: Be a good listener. Be a good storyteller. When telling a story,…
Citing unnamed "multiple sources," the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the top fiscal official at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco has filed a whistle-blower complaint alleging financial misconduct by the organization's board president, noted Bay Area philanthropist Diane B. "Dede" Wilsey. Michele Gutierrez, the museums' longtime chief financial officer, claims Wilsey got her…
The New York Times, in an in-depth story published Monday, provided a look into a conservative nonprofit group "putting money behind" presidential candidate and Sen. Marco Rubio. Some of the details surprised Republican media buyers. For one, all of the money that has gone into television advertisements supporting Rubio has come from the nonprofit group—and not…
The Pioneer Bar in Sitka, Alaska, has held its last "slave auction." For nearly three decades, the bar has commemorated the state's transfer from Russian control by hosting an event where locals can auction off two hours of their time for yard work or chores. The winning bids are donated to local charities. But on…
Nonprofit pros have complex jobs that require complex skills. Yet, at the end of the day, human communications need to be direct and simple. In honor of this time of year, I wanted to share some of my own fundraising horror stories that highlight the importance of proper communication...
The “Wheels for Wishes” advertisements seemed clear about who would get the money raised from donated vehicles, stating “Donate Your Car. Benefiting Make-A-Wish Minnesota.’’ But the wishes of kids with cancer weren’t driving the arrangement, says Minnesota’s attorney general. Instead, Make-A-Wish charities in Minnesota and nationally received about 20 percent of the revenue from donated cars,…
Every National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, countless companies put a coat of pink on their products and donate a portion of their proceeds to breast-cancer charities. But when companies fundraise with goods that are potentially linked to cancer itself, organizations like Breast Cancer Action take notice and dub the practice “pinkwashing”—a term that has been…
According to the The Arizona Republic, the Arizona Foundation for Charitable Support failed to distribute funds to the families of 19 firefighters killed in 2013's Yarnell Hill Wildfire. The funds were raised from a pair of charity golf tournaments that used the firefighting team's name and logo, at least once without permission...
As philanthropy enters a second golden age, real social change is getting lost in the hype of market-based giving. In one of his short stories, “Counterfeit Money,” Charles Baudelaire describes a fictional encounter between two friends who come across a beggar in the street. In this short piece, the narrator and friend offer the beggar…