American Red Cross

Blackbaud announced the release of “Connecting Online Advocacy and Fundraising”, a white paper focused on optimizing advocacy appeals that lead to increased response rates and fundraising.

“The integration of advocacy and fundraising has proven successful with many organizations,” said Daigneault co-author Steve Daigneault of M+R Strategic Services. “In fact, advocates are seven-times more likely to give as compared to non-advocates.”

Even in a tough economy, online philanthropy at eBay clicked. Making it easier for people to donate to their favorite nonprofits and high-profile celebrity auctions pushed charitable donations in 2010 from eBay sellers and buyers to a record $54.8-million, a 7-percent increase over 2009.

To donate, people could give a percentage of anything they sold or add a contribution to anything they bought, and nonprofits could sell items to raise money.

Stepping up its response to a cholera outbreak that continues to claim lives in Haiti, the American Red Cross announced an additional $7.4 million in cholera-related programs and partnerships.

With these new cholera prevention and treatment programs, which will be implemented across the country, the American Red Cross has now spent and signed agreements to spend over $11.4 million – part of its commitment to spend a total of $14.4 million to support cholera programs in Haiti.

A set of philanthropies created by Margaret A. Cargill, an heir to the Cargill Corporation who died in 2006, could soon become, collectively, the third-wealthiest grant maker in the United States.

The infusion of money—which could total roughly $9-billion—would come as part of a deal that is expected to enable the philanthropies to convert illiquid shares in the private Cargill Corporation, left to them by Ms. Cargill, into shares in Mosaic, a public company owned largely by Cargill, an international agricultural, food, and financial company.

Nonprofit organizations are turning to technology to aid them in the reinvention and evaluation of fundraising programs; a growing trend according to a report of Top Technology Trends released today by Blackbaud.

Blackbaud announced the release of a report focused on fundraising trends based on monthly findings from The Blackbaud Index and featuring commentary from Dave Strauss, president and chief executive officer of SCA Direct. Additionally, Blackbaud announced the release of a new specialty index focused on environmental and animal welfare organizations.

First Hawaiian Bank, which began its Kokua Mai employee-giving program in 2007 to give back to the community, is pledging to donate $2.5 million to Hawaii nonprofits in 2011, raising its total contribution to charities to more than $5 million over a two-year period.

The state's largest bank and its 2,200 employees gave more than $2.5 million to more than 400 local charities in 2010, with employees and retirees raising more than $560,000 of that amount for 38 designated charities during its Kokua Mai fund drive in October.

In a statement issued on Sunday, U.S. Navy Capt. Mark Kelly thanked the public for its support and mourned the loss of the six people who had died. He asked that people who wanted to help to consider making donations to two Tucscon charities: Tucson’s Community Food Bank and the American Red Cross.

The effect of his request was immediate. The food bank received more than $5,000 in Internet contributions in 15 minutes.

In the year after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, Americans gave more than $1.4-billion to aid survivors and help the impoverished country rebuild, according to a Chronicle survey of 60 major relief organizations. Roughly 38 percent of that sum has been spent to provide recovery and rebuilding aid.

The outpouring, while generous, fell short of the $1.6-billion Americans contributed in the year after the South Asian tsunamis and the staggering $3.3-billion they donated in the 12 months following Hurricane Katrina.

As charities are faced with an increased demand in services with just a slight recovery in giving in 2010, Blackbaud Inc. has a renewed focus on its corporate value "service to others makes the world a better place.” Just this year, the company participated in countless philanthropic initiatives; from donating over 4,469 toys during the holidays, and launching the Nonprofit Leadership Circle, to receiving the Green Business Pioneer Award.