Is it skill or passion that makes a successful fundraiser?

All politics is local, some famous politician once said, and a lot of philanthropy would be well served by understanding the importance of understanding and connecting to the culture and dynamics of the communities foundations serve.  That is one of the messages of Alicia Philipp, the longtime president of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, reminding national foundations—and all of us—“community foundations are as different as the local communities” they serve.  

How a $600M for-profit chain was rescued by a smaller group of nonprofits, given a new social purpose, and returned to surplus.

Under the new Affordable Care Act, nonprofit hospitals must file community health needs assessments, but there are several common misconceptions about this requirement.

In our nation’s capital, ONE DC is confronting several powerful private and public entities to protect local residents’ interests in affordable housing and community development.

In a farewell memo after 40 years of service on the board of the Public Welfare Foundation, including 12 years as board chair, Thomas Scanlon addresses concerns with “strategic philanthropy.”

As we consider the broader implications of tax reform and government spending in the wake of the “fiscal cliff” deal, nonprofit leaders need to emphasize what we buy with our tax dollars.

At a recent conference of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, the call of the day was for innovation, adaptation, collaboration and teaching across sectors.

VOICES FROM THE FIELD

Is the notion of so-called “strategic philanthropy,” in all of its beguiling forms, a very powerful accomplice in transforming the funding ecology and structure of the nonprofit sector?

VOICES FROM THE FIELD: Risk/Innovation/Failure

Fr. John R. Sheehan, S.J., chairman of the board at the Xavier Society for the Blind in New York City, discusses the decision to sell the organization’s building in order to fund its mission into the future.

VOICES FROM THE FIELD: Risk/Innovation/Failure

NPQ asked readers for their thoughts on innovation and risk among nonprofits. Here is one response (watch for the others!) “Nonprofit sector leadership should be celebrated for its risk-taking and anticipation of critical trends, not merely for…”

VOICES FROM THE FIELD

Steve Boland of the Nonprofits Assistance Fund finds that cutting expenses deep enough to realize a gain is a level of pain most nonprofit organizations will do anything to avoid.

The board and staff of a program serving adults with disabilities recently asked themselves if they really needed the building and grounds that had served the organization so well in the past. Sylvia Anderson provides a window into their thinking.

It’s time for a clear-headed, inter-sector look at the results and implications of government going into the fundraising business.

As a community organizer, Tom King’s conservative views disturbed his liberal colleagues, but he found a coalition can transcend partisanship to achieve social good.

Farah N. Mawani of Free the Hikers shares three key recommendations for success in online fundraising and awareness campaigns.

VOICES FROM THE FIELD

Brock Yetso, the president and CEO of a young adult cancer nonprofit organization, finds many graduating college students overlook the possibility of a nonprofit sector career.

Yijiao Zhuang was initially terrified to participate in a direct request for money—from strangers, no less—but she came away from the experience with lessons in kindness, humbleness and the true meaning of the “ask.”

Nonprofits working with people who are deeply affected by public policy often should have an advocacy agenda on core issues like state budget priorities, taxes, and other controversial items. But when your board is politically diverse—or when individual board members are worried about alienating their contacts—it can erect barriers to your board’s ability to take a stand. What to do?

Saras Chung worked hard to help get the social enterprise fashion project Nest on its feet, and found human capital and agility key to success.

NPQ noticed this column in The Houghton Star by Elisa Shearer, a student at Houghton College. We thought it was an interesting reflection on giving in the midst of a lot of noise about what constitutes good giving.

How do you feel about being asked for a Facebook "like" in return for the possibility of corporate charitable donations?  Tamara Lucas Copeland of Washington Grantmakers wonders if this is philanthropy or manipulation.

The “occupy” movement continues to expand as Egyptian protestors march from Tahrir Square to the U.S. Embassy in support of the protestors at Occupy Oakland.

Kim Klein sheds light on the shocking events that took place at Occupy Oakland, originally published on her blog Kim Klein and the Commons. This piece was in response to Ruth McCambridge's e-Newsletter asking people to make some noise about OWS. Why were 200 cops in full riot gear necessary to clear out some 105 protestors? What could have been done to avoid the chaos that ensued?

Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, says that a strong business sector is vitally important to this country. But so is a strong government. And a strong—and actually independent—independent sector. Now, as we learn that many corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes, Buchanan argues that it would be a good time to hear those independent-sector voices.

“Attention must be paid,” laments Willy Loman’s widow in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. That advice should be heeded by those who control the purse strings of foundations. In particular, it should apply to seemingly offbeat requests for grants.

It is unreasonable to expect any organization to function perfectly but there is an extra measure of unhappy cognitive dissonance involved when there is an essential contradiction between purpose and practice. Here reader, Jinna Halperin discusses the problem as part of NPQ’s Voices from the Field series.