The secret in asking someone for a contribution, even a friend, is remembering that it’s a conversation, not a presentation.
Asking for a Gift Personally
Mental Difficulties, Funders and the Roots of Enterprise
I have been so horrified by what looks like a recent, further dismantling of mental health service availability that I made a commitment not to let Brown’s idea die along with the one attempt. Just putting it out there!
Houston Symphony Crowdsources a Concert Program for Cash
As the Houston Symphony wraps up its hundredth season, it has offered its supporters the opportunity to attend—and help determine the program for—a Donor Appreciation Concert in August.
Is the 1023-EZ a Step Backward for Regulators and Nonprofits?
The IRS’s proposed short form for tax-exemption as a charity shrinks a 22-page Form 1023 to a three-page Form 1023-EZ. Easier to fill out and approve, but is requiring no documentation from new charities a wise move? Some advocates think not.
Resource for Activists: Free Database on Class Action Lawsuits
Legitimate class-action lawsuits are an important check on private corporations that would otherwise run roughshod over consumers’ interests. A nonprofit called Consumer Action has an online free database for consumers to search for class action lawsuits that are open for claims and others that are still pending.
Many Red States Are Largest Recipients of Federal Assistance
A new study shows how significantly the incomes of residents in many states, particularly “red states,” depend on federal government transfers.
Sadvertising or Social Conscience? American Express’s Documentary on the “Unbanked”
Today, American Express is launching Spent: Looking for Change, a 40-minute commercial about the extra expense and vulnerability experienced by people who do not do business with traditional financial institutions, commonly referred to as the “unbanked” and underbanked.” Is it simple “sadvertising” or a deeper motivation behind it?
AARP Argues for a Utility Consumer Advocate in New York
New York is one of only 10 states without a utility consumer advocate to speak for consumers when utilities pitch rate hikes. Representing senior citizens on fixed incomes, for whom utility costs mean a great deal, the AARP thinks that New York should catch up with other states and create a utility consumer advocate.
Charity Gambling Rules Still in Play in Michigan
A coalition of Michigan charities and businesses received a preliminary injunction to stop a set of regulations on charitable poker events the day before they were set to go into effect. Was it the right hand to be played at this time?
The Endgame on the Hope and Hype of Hybrids—A System of Balanced Benefit
The presence or absence of cash—what all this comes down to—is a flawed, inadequate, and outmoded method of valuing the contributions of Enterprise.
Daniel Ellsberg Stands Up for Edward Snowden—Will You?
Secretary of State John Kerry thinks Daniel Ellsberg was a patriot, but Edward Snowden a “coward” and “traitor.” While nonprofits are debating free speech and First Amendment issues such as 501(c)(4) regulations and campaign finance court decisions, just as important is the issue of the extent of government invasion of the First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights of all Americans, including nonprofits themselves.
Social Enterprise: “What Kind of Monster Eats a Mental Health Magazine?”
This ode to a failed social enterprise in the UK is well worth reading on many levels.