Creating a Culture of Philanthropy: Three Things to Keep in Mind

A culture of philanthropy is necessary for a nonprofit to be successful in 2016. Resources and funds are not so bountiful as they were in the past. Every nonprofit is different and has a different audience, but in general, there are three items to keep in mind while developing a philanthropic culture: 1) nonprofits should strategically plan their culture; 2) nonprofits should engage their own employees and volunteers in the culture; and 3) nonprofits must actively appreciate their donors, old and new

Transforming Philanthropic Transactions

Evaluates the approach and effectiveness of SVP's first five years working to inspire philanthropy and volunteerism and build organizational capacity among nonprofits. Describes SVP's model that fuses donor education and capacity building activities

The Future of Philanthropy in Los Angeles: A Wealth of Opportunity

Examines economic factors shaping the projected transfer of wealth in Los Angeles County and, in turn, the future of philanthropy and the nonprofit community. Outlines how to prepare donors and nonprofits to maximize philanthropic opportunities

Forward Annual Report 2013

The CFMC is your local center for philanthropy, working with donors and nonprofits to create healthy, safe, vibrant communities. We work with hundreds of individuals, families and businesses to provide a road map to fulfill their philanthropic vision. We act as a catalyst, providing a bridge between our fund holders and the needs of the community. Our staff has in-depth knowledge about the range of nonprofits working to make our communities stronger

2016 Annual Report: State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy - In San Diego

The 2016 State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy report analyzes the health of San Diego's nonprofit sector, identifies important trends, and reports on leadership perspectives. In addition to an annual summary of the Caster Center's State of Nonprofits Quarterly Index (SONP Index) this report draws on the most recently available data about nonprofits from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the California Employment Development Department (EDD). These data are synthesized with feedback from Trend Reporters along with the 2016 Nonprofit Leader Survey sent to executive level management in San Diego County to provide the most comprehensive picture of San Diego's nonprofit and philanthropic sector available

Forest for the Trees: Collective Accountability and Trust as Groundwork for Systems Change

Since 2020, trust-based philanthropy has gained momentum as a strategy to alleviate inherent power imbalances between funders, nonprofits, and the communities they serve. The cornerstone of the approach is a set of grantmaking practices, such as multiyear unrestricted funding and streamlined paperwork, that support nonprofit self-determination toward achieving impact goals. At a deeper level, trust-based philanthropy is driven by core values that position funders as collaborators and supporters working alongside nonprofits to advance a more just and equitable society. This requires a radically different stance on accountability from conventional philanthropic norms. Rather than reinforcing a sense of one-way transactional accountability, which is common in conventional and “strategic” philanthropy, trust-based philanthropy prioritizes mutuality between funders and nonprofits — relational accountability — toward a shared sense of commitment to the communities being served — collective accountability. This fosters a strong ecosystem of relationships and accountability that allows for social impact in ways that otherwise would not be possible. Through insights, analysis, and stories from social-sector leaders, this article argues that philanthropy is inherently more strategic and effective when funders embrace trust-based practices and collaborate with nonprofits with a spirit of collective accountability. It also provides concrete examples of systems change that has been possible as a result of trust-based philanthropic partnerships rooted in relational and collective accountability

Necessary and Not Sufficient: the State of Evaluation Use in Foundations

Over the last decade "strategic philanthropy" has dominated the thinking of many big and ambitious foundations. Theoretically, foundations of this kind not only provide grant support to nonprofits, but importantly, assess social problems, develop strategies to solve them, and track the results of their efforts over time

The evolution of philanthropy: takeaways for community groups

As philanthropy evolves, nonprofits are responding to trends that include donors’ increased emphasis on results, a movement to pool small contributions for targeted impact, and a preference for contributing professional skills instead of baked goods.Nonprofit organizations

Assessing to Achieve High Performance: What Nonprofits are Doing and How Foundations Can Help

For foundation leaders to most effectively support grantees, more needs to be understood about the extent to which nonprofits are assessing performance, how they are approaching this work, and what they are looking for from their funders to support it.To better understand the state of practice of performance assessment at nonprofits, The Center For Effective Philanthropy (CEP) turned to its national panel of nonprofit leaders with questions about their assessment strategies and how they are supported. For nonprofits, measuring and improving performance is a challenging endeavor. Yet, the data from these surveys reveal that nonprofits are assessing performance -- but lack the resources they need to do all they seek to do.The report shows that most nonprofits receiving funding from large foundations collect and use information about their performance, yet many want to gather additional -- or better -- data. The typical nonprofit in the study allocates just two percent or less of its budget to assessing its performance, and few employ staff who are dedicated to this work full time. In approaching this work, only a minority of nonprofits in the study report receiving support from foundations for their performance assessment efforts

Philanthropy under the Microscope: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Small Nonprofits Conducting Financial Statement Audits

External audits are conducted by Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and ensure the reliability of financial reporting and internal controls of a given organization. Publicly traded corporations are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to conduct a yearly external audit. In addition, some large or government funded not-for-profits must produce audited financial statements upon request. If an organization is not required to conduct an audit, it may still choose to undergo an independent audit. Among those that may voluntarily conduct an audit are small nonprofit organizations. Due to the unique characteristics of small nonprofits, some elements of an external audit may not be feasible; however, there are still advantages provided by this independent evaluation. The decision to conduct or not conduct a voluntary external audit requires the analysis of the engagement’s costs and benefits. The intent of this paper is to present a cost-benefit analysis related to the observable costs, expenses and advantages of conducting an audit within a nonprofit organization