Corporate Relations & Engagement

Morgan Stanley announced that 15 nonprofit organizations will participate in the fourth annual Strategy Challenge, a skills-based volunteering program providing nonprofits with pro bono strategic consulting.

Each nonprofit will work with a team of Morgan Stanley employees for eight weeks.  The teams will advise the nonprofits on issues relating to their business models and growth strategies, in order to help the nonprofits fulfill their missions in more effective and efficient ways. The employees will use their professional skills and expertise to develop recommendations for the nonprofits.

NCB, consisting of National Consumer Cooperative Bank, NCB, FSB and NCB Capital Impact, reported that $490 million was committed and deployed to low and moderate income communities during 2011. The capital infusion provided to these communities through direct lending, investments, the facilitation of creative transactions and new national initiatives in the following impact sectors: housing, health care, education, community and economic development, business cooperatives, small business, expansion and development, investments and grants, and renewable energy.

A Billion + Change, a national campaign to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based volunteer services, announced that 78 companies have pledged a total of $1.6 billion in skills-based volunteer service to nonprofit organizations across the nation.

Pledge companies' skills-based volunteer programs tackle everything from education, youth services and health care to economic growth, workforce development and programs addressing military families and veterans.

Harvard Business School just released its first study of U.S. competitiveness, reporting that almost two-thirds of U.S. businesses will locate their new plants outside the U.S. None of this is surprising. But for me, one finding was truly shocking: only 22 percent of U.S. managers believe that doing good for their communities will help their businesses.

Has the economic pressure really had that extreme an impact? I remember just a few years ago that managers believed that doing good for their communities was critical to their business and their reputations.

Cars.com, the online resource for buying and selling new and used vehicles, announced the launch of its "Cars Cares" campaign during Super Bowl XLVI. During the game, when the Cars.com commercial airs, viewers who use the Shazam App to tag the ad will earn $1 for one of seven charities in contention for a maximum $100,000 donation from the site.

The maximum $100,000 donation will be given to the charity that receives the most votes on the Cars.com Facebook page between Jan. 26 and Feb. 13.

IHOP is on a mission to raise $2.7 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities with its National Pancake Day celebration, set for Feb. 28, and it is making it easier than ever for guests to participate with an online giving option and a month-long bounce-back balloon sales offer.

National Pancake Day invites guests to enjoy a free short stack of pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with the hope that they consider making a voluntary contribution to support the Children's Miracle Network Hospital in their area.

Buyers and sellers on eBay donated $54.8 million to U.S. and U.K. nonprofit organizations in 2010. A donation was made every 24 seconds through eBay Giving Works in the U.S. and eBay for Charity in the U.K., raising more than $91 every minute for nonprofits.

Nonprofit brand strategy consultant Michele Levy provided 11 marketing communications best practices that fundraisers should utilize in their communications strategies in a recent webinar, Ten Marketing Communications Activities You Must Do.

2010 Nonprofit Consultant of the Year Lori Van Dusen passes along some of her advice to fundraisers.

Reach Out and Read CEO Earl Martin Phalen discusses his organization and its fundraising techniques.