The organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty in Great Britain moves to the top spot in 2014 of a most unfortunate list.
The Most Complained About UK Charity—But Will That Dissuade Donors?
Pittsburgh Suburb Tries to Restrict Door-to-Door Solicitors
A lot of people don’t like people who solicit door-to-door, whether they are commercial solicitors or representatives of nonprofits. But to restrict nonprofit, charitable, or religious solicitors, as the Pittsburgh suburb of Baldwin is trying to do through a local ordinance, runs counter to a bigger law—the free speech guarantees of the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Are Harvard’s Facebook Likes Phony? What Does That Have to Do with You?
If you are ever tempted to take the “promote this page” shortcut in Facebook, you should probably think twice, lest you end up looking like a buffoon.
What Can We Learn from New York’s Nonprofit Revitalization Act of 2013?
As the Nonprofit Revitalization Act of 2013 takes effect in New York, is there anything we can learn from it, or are there any trends we should watch out for?
United Way’s Weird Toilet Paper Drive
Would you rather your local United Way ran a toilet paper drive or decided what the funding priorities are for your region? Just asking.
Lessons in Strategic Philanthropy: How To Do Things With Humans
Albert Ruesga, the CEO of the New Orleans Community Foundation, never holds back in his blog, White Courtesy Telephone, when he believes that something in philanthropy or among nonprofits is awkwardly awry. Here, he weighs in on the strategic philanthropy debate in his own inimitable way.
Big Donor Presses for Audit of Donations to Joplin’s Tornado Funds
Big corporate donors, individuals in the U.S. and around the world, and even Persian Gulf nations responded to the devastation wrought by tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri three years ago. Now, a politically connected donor wants an audit of how donations were used by the Joplin schools; he hints that something might have been amiss.
“Payroll Will Be Deferred until Further Notice”
This community health center needs a hero.
US Patent Office Cancels Trademark Protection for DC NFL Team’s Name
Ham-handed, tone-deaf, smug, hardhearted, callous—the potential terms one might use to describe Daniel Snyder hardly compare to the racist name he deploys and defends for the Washington, D.C. NFL franchise that he owns. The decision of the U.S. Patent Office to withdraw trademark protection from his use of the term “Redskins” doesn’t force him to change the team’s name, but it’s not hard to see that the clock is ticking before quarterback RGIII and other players take the field for a team without a clearly racist team name that doesn’t use a caricature of Native Americans as its mascot.
The Dangers of Marrying Your Corporate Sponsor and Taking Its Name
Naming rights are often a part of big gifts, but what do you do when your corporate sponsor disappears under another identity?
Facing the Limitations of Scale in Philanthropy—Some Thoughts for Bill and Melinda Gates
Despite the challenges of over-scaling, there is no need to despair so long as the Gates Foundation is willing to accede a modicum of control and share some responsibility for the ultimate distribution of its largesse. Buzz Schmidt shares grantmaking strategies Gates might attempt that would be at once highly effective and transformative for philanthropy.
Operating Above Its Financial Skill Level Not Good for This Nonprofit
NPQ has a lot of empathy for new organizations that misunderstand the level of skill they need to do decent financial management, but it is important to learn your lesson the first time you realize that you may not have the hands on deck necessary to manage to the requirements of a nonprofit.