Trends in Charitable Giving in North Carolina and the Research Triangle 1997-2006

Provides an overview of giving by average amount, as a percentage of adjusted gross income, and among the state's top earners, compared with national trends, with a focus on Chatham, Durham, Orange, and Wake counties. Includes county-by-county data

Measuring Racial-Ethnic Diversity in California's Nonprofit Sector

Presents survey findings on the racial/ethnic diversity of the state's nonprofit boards, executive directors, and staff and on the characteristics of racially/ethnically diverse organizations including size, field of activity, location, and budget

Understanding Trends in Poverty in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area

In 2010, about one in eight residents (12.1 percent, or 280,000 people) in the Pittsburgh region had incomes below the poverty level, an increase of 8.5 percent since the Great Recession started in 2007. Although demographic factors such as the arrival of new immigrants and more single-parent households contributed to the growing number of people living at or near poverty, the economy was the driving force in changing poverty rates. What does this mean for our region and for the future of our nonprofit sector

Who Helps Public Schools? Public Education Support Organizations in 2010

There were more than 19,000 nonprofit organizations devoted to supporting public education in the United States in 2007. These organizations include booster clubs, parent-teacher groups, public education funds, scholarship funds, high school alumni associations, and others. While most of these organizations are small, together they spent roughly $4.3 billion in support of public education in 2007.This report assesses the current status of education support organizations in the United States; provides details on the activities, capacities, and resources of public education funds; and compares Public Education Network (PEN) member organizations with other types of education funds. On the basis of a survey of public education funds and an analysis of the latest data available from the National Center for Charitable Statistics, the report identifies key similarities and differences among the groups.Public education funds are dedicated to assisting public schools and school districts by raising money to support programs for teacher training and support, after-school programs, and school supplies and by promoting community support for public schools. The project was commissioned by PEN in Washington, D.C

Community-Based Organizations and Immigrant Integration in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area

Examines the roles immigrant-serving nonprofits play in facilitating integration. Surveys programs and services, geographic and ethnic distribution, composition of personnel, sources of funding and support, impact of policy environments, and challenges

Building Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations

Offers a capacity building model that is based on a review of civil society, sustainable development, and organizational management literature. Reviews effective capacity building programs sponsored or operated by foundations. Includes recommendations

Effects of social media brand-related content on fashion products buying behaviour – a moderated mediation model

Purpose – This study examines in which circumstances consumer’s self-congruity moderates the indirect influence of consumer-based brand equity (mediating role) in the relationship between firm-created and user-generated social media content and intention to purchase fashion products. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, we carried out an online survey with social media users of fashion brands and collected data from 622 participants across two samples to investigate whether consumers’ perceptions of equity of fashion brands mediate the relationship between social media brand-related communication created by both firms and users and the intention to buy the fashion brands. The indirect relationship is further moderated by self-congruity. Findings – The results indicate that (i) brand equity mediates the relationship between social media communication and purchase intentions of fashion products, and (ii) self-congruity moderates the relationship between social media communication types and purchase intentions, such that higher/lower levels of self-congruity strengthen/weaken the impact of social media communication on purchase intentions. Originality/value – This study contributes to the business and marketing literature by exploring how social media communication, branding, and fashion align with the individual’s self-concept and buying behaviour

Repeatability of perfusion measurements in adult gliomas using pulsed and pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling MRI

Objectives: To investigate the repeatability of perfusion measures in gliomas using pulsed- and pseudo-continuous-arterial spin labelling (PASL, PCASL) techniques, and evaluate different regions-of-interest (ROIs) for relative tumour blood flow (rTBF) normalisation. / Materials and methods: Repeatability of cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured in the Contralateral Normal Appearing Hemisphere (CNAH) and in brain tumours (aTBF). rTBF was normalised using both large/small ROIs from the CNAH. Repeatability was evaluated with intra-class-correlation-coefficient (ICC), Within-Coefficient-of-Variation (WCoV) and Coefficient-of-Repeatability (CR). / Results: PASL and PCASL demonstrated high reliability (ICC > 0.9) for CNAH-CBF, aTBF and rTBF. PCASL demonstrated a more stable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with a lower WCoV of the SNR than that of PASL (10.9–42.5% vs. 12.3–29.2%). PASL and PCASL showed higher WCoV in aTBF and rTBF than in CNAH CBF in WM and GM but not in the caudate, and higher WCoV for rTBF than for aTBF when normalised using a small ROI (PASL 8.1% vs. 4.7%, PCASL 10.9% vs. 7.9%, respectively). The lowest CR was observed for rTBF normalised with a large ROI. / Discussion: PASL and PCASL showed similar repeatability for the assessment of perfusion parameters in patients with primary brain tumours as previous studies based on volunteers. Both methods displayed reasonable WCoV in the tumour area and CNAH. PCASL’s more stable SNR in small areas (caudate) is likely to be due to the longer post-labelling delays

Climate for Collaboration: Analysis of US and EU Lessons and Opportunities in Energy and Climate Policy

A deepening of cooperation between the United States and the European Union requires mutual trust, and understanding of current policies, challenges and successes. Through providing such understanding among policymakers, industry and other stakeholders in both economies, opportunities for transatlantic cooperation on climate change and energy policy emerge. This paper sets out by discussing the environmental, legislative, and economic contexts of the EU and US as related to climate. This context is essential to understanding how cap-and-trade, renewable energy and sustainable transportation policies have taken shape in the EU and the US, as described in Chapter 3.1. For each of these policies, a barrier analysis and discussion is provided. Chapter 4 builds off this improved understanding to listobservations and possible lessons learned. The paper concludes with recommendations on topics where EU and US interests align, and where further cooperation could prove beneficial