NonProfit Pro

Two legal scholars testified before a Pennsylvania State Senate committee Wednesday that a proposed constitutional amendment might not give the Legislature the clarity or authority it is seeking when it comes to determining tax exemptions for nonprofit institutions. The constitutional amendment is supported by many nonprofit groups. They say the amendment will provide uniform, statewide standards that will help define what is a “purely public charity,” and they say that uniformity is needed in the wake of a 2012 state Supreme Court ruling that turned back a 1997 state law on nonprofits.

Recent tweets from folks you should follow.

America’s 50 most generous donors increased their giving by 27.5 percent last year — powered in large part by a $1.5 billion gift from Bill and Melinda Gates and a stunning rise in the number of tech entrepreneurs under 40, three of whom gave more than $500 million each. The increase is striking compared with 2012, when giving by the Philanthropy 50 rose just 4 percent.

Recent changes to Facebook’s news feed algorithm have brought about a significant decline in “organic reach,” the number of people who see a post that hasn’t been boosted by paid advertising. Two years ago, organic reach for many posts was at about 16 percent, but over the last several months it’s been throttled to 2 percent or even less. Nonprofit organizations are getting caught in the algorithmic filter, and some say the change has crippled their ability to share critical information and maintain the online communities their memberships rely on.

My scope of work for clients kept broadening until one day I realized that desire for recognition was a much more powerful motivator than I had originally thought. And, I realized that the same human inclinations work in the other parts of my life in which I need to get people to do stuff — leading a company, raising teenagers, serving on boards, trying to buy big-ticket items for less ...

Doing the same thing over and over is relying on increased dollars, donors and gifts without expanding the number of prospects, number rated, number solicited, etc. Break out of Bill Murray's cycle in the movie "Groundhog Day" and the experience of déjà vu. Complete fundraising success depends upon your 360-degree view of the total fundraising process.

Tweets from the Direct Marketing Association's Email Evolution Conference 2015 (#eec15).

(Press release, Feb. 4, 2015) — The MacArthur Foundation named nine organizations as recipients of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. The award, which recognizes exceptional nonprofit organizations that are engaged in the foundation’s core fields of work and helps ensure their long-term sustainability, provides each organization with $350,000 to $1 million, depending on the size of its budget. 

(Press release, Feb. 5, 2015) — Innovairre Communications, a world leader in fundraising, introduced Innovairre MC, a fully integrated fundraising platform that leverages a social database framework and acts as the central nerve system for a nonprofit's operations.

After testifying to the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told reporters that revised regulations governing nonprofit political activity might not be issued in time for the next election cycle. “It’s not clear when we’re going to be able to get to it. My only focus on 2016 is to make sure that whatever we do, it doesn’t look like we’re trying to influence the 2016 election.”