Philanthropy Front and Center-Atlanta

Next Week at the Foundation Center-Atlanta: November 23-27

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-20T14:00:00-05:00

The library will close at 1pm on Wednesday, November 25, and will remain closed on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

We invite you to our classes this upcoming week:

Tuesday, November 24, 9:30-11:00am
Grantseeking Basics

Tuesday, November 24, 11:15am-12:15pm
Introduction to Foundation Directory Online

The classes above are free to attend, but registration is required. For programs offered over the next three months, please see our Events Calendar.

Can't visit the Foundation Center this week? Check out our webinars.

Use our library:

Search Foundation Directory Online Professional and other research tools for free

Borrow books about nonprofit management and fundraising

Ask our staff of experts for information assistance

We're open to the public Tuesday through Friday, 10am-5pm (first Tuesday and last Thursday of each month, 10am-8pm). No appointment is necessary. See our web site for directions and parking information.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Celebrating Philanthropy

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-20T10:19:59-05:00

I was away on business last week and failed to blog about the National Philanthropy Day^® celebration hosted by the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. I want to correct that oversight by congratulating the recipients of the 2009 Philanthropist of the Year Award and the 2009 Volunteer of the Year Award.

Pete Correll, retired chairman and CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and Ada Lee Correll, his wife, were presented with the 2009 Philanthropist of the Year Award. Although the Corrells have contributed significantly to any number of organizations in Atlanta and beyond, including many colleges, the award was presented primarily for their contributions to Emory University’s School of Medicine and Grady Hospital.

Ed Heys, deputy managing partner for Deloitte in Atlanta and Birmingham, received the 2009 Volunteer Fundraiser Award. Heys has raised money for any number of causes, including the Boys and Girls Club, but his daunting task of chairing the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta campaign in 2008 resulted in this award.

Maria Saporta wrote about the awards and recipients in this week’s (Nov. 13-19, 2009) Atlanta Business Chronicle.

I can’t imagine anyone reading this blog not knowing about National Philanthropy Day^®, but, just in case, let me tell you a little about it. NPD is a special day set aside to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy have made to our lives, our communities, and our world. The actual day is November 15, but celebrations can take place any day of the month. The Atlanta Chapter of AFP celebrated on November 10, and the Augusta Chapter held their event on November 18. Learn more at the official website of National Philanthropy Day^®.

Keep an eye out for National Philanthropy Day^® next year and celebrate philanthropy’s contributions to our community.

Pattie Johnson, Director, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Back By Popular Demand: Webinars to Help Your Nonprofit Survive & Emerge Stronger

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-19T12:00:00-05:00

Now that we've lived through over a year of the economic downturn, you may be seeing the light at the end of tunnel in your nonprofit -- or maybe that light hasn't reached you yet and you're still in crisis mode. Regardless of your current position, you'll benefit from our new webinar training series, Turning Economic Crisis into Opportunity: How Nonprofits Can Survive and Emerge Stronger.

If this series sounds familiar, that's because we debuted it in October to a very positive response, so we've decided to repeat it. In the four sessions, you will learn to evaluate how well your organization uses resources to achieve its mission; apply the most effective short-term and medium-range strategies to ensure its survival; determine which revenue option is best; and implement the five essential characteristics of effective, sustainable nonprofits.

By understanding and strengthening your current financial health, you'll be prepared to make the most of economic recovery and secure your long-term sustainability. In addition, you'll develop skills that help you adapt to any economic climate.

Registration fee: $45 for each session.
Special offer: Register by November 30 for the complete four-part series for only $135...
YOU SAVE $45! Get four webinars for the price of three!

Click any title to get details and register.

Special Offer: Complete Four-Part Series for $135
Assessing Your Nonprofit's Financial Health, Tuesday, December 1
Survival Strategies for Your Nonprofit, Thursday, December 3
Strengthening Your Nonprofit's Income Portfolio, Tuesday, December 8
Beyond the Recession: Building Sustainability, Thursday, December 10

Resources for Developing Your Nonprofit Board

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-18T11:07:51-05:00

Recruiting board members is an important step in starting a new nonprofit organization. Building a strong nonprofit board, however, requires more than just this initial step. Board development should be an ongoing process that includes orientation, training, evaluation, and the cultivation of prospective board members. With that in mind, here are some resources to help your board development practices:

BoardSource's Knowledge Center includes answers to frequently asked questions about recruitment and other board development topics in the Recruitment and Orientation section of its Q&As.

CompassPoint Nonprofit Services houses the Board Café Archives at its web site. Archived articles on board recruitment and development can be found under the heading Board Members: recruiting, diversity. Current issues of Board Café can be found in the online magazine Blue Avocado.

The Free Management Library from Authenticity Consulting, LLC, contains links and resources on a variety of topics related to organizational management. Sections on Staffing the Board and Board Orientation/Training list resources related to board development, including sample worksheets, FAQs, and topical articles.

The Community Driven Institute's online NonProfit Library offers articles and links to resources on a variety of nonprofit management topics. The section on Board Mechanics includes articles related to board recruitment, diversity, professional development, and other topics.

The Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, a collection of resources for nonprofit organizations, lists books, articles, web sites, and other tools related to board development under the Board Management category.

You can also find books, articles, and other resources on nonprofit boards by searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL) for the subject "Board members". Relevant titles include:

Board Recruitment & Orientation: A Step-by-Step, Common Sense Guide, by Hildy Gottlieb (Tucson, AZ: Renaissance Press, 2001).
Presents the elements of the board recruitment process: establishing qualifications, writing job descriptions, identifying prospects, the application, and orienting the new board member.

The Board Building Cycle: Nine Steps to Finding, Recruiting, and Engaging Nonprofit Board Members (2nd ed.), by Berit M. Lakey (Washington, DC: BoardSource, 2007).
In this second edition, Lakey breaks the nine steps down into two major purposes: replenishing the board by bringing in new members, and strengthening the board's performance.

Building an Effective Board of Directors: Demographics, Performance, Recruiting, Fundraising, Vision, by Linda Lysakowski (Alexandria, VA: AFP, 2004).
This guide provides an overview of the board development process for fundraisers and nonprofit managers. The appendices contain evaluation forms, fundraising assessment guides, and checklists.

To learn even more about nonprofit boards, you can attend one of our free training courses:

Your Board and Fundraising: An Introductory Class for Small Nonprofits, which includes information on getting your board involved in the fundraising process, or

Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits, which discusses how to develop a governing board for a new organization.

For more comprehensive training, Building a Fundraising Board is a full-day, fee-based course developed in partnership with BoardSource that shows you how to work most effectively with your board to raise funds for your nonprofit.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

New Videos in our Events Archive

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-17T12:58:25-05:00

We've recently added several new recordings of classes and events from this past Summer to our local Events Archive:

Revise, Revamp, Rejuvenate: Ways to Survive the Recession
Atlanta, GA
August 27, 2009
Terri Theisen of Theisen Consulting LLC explores options facing nonprofit organizations in these tough economic times.
Watch the video »

Best Practices in Financial Management for Nonprofits
Atlanta, GA
August 5, 2009
Wendy Stewart, Senior Vice President and Senior Client Manager at Bank of America and Rachel Epps Spears, Executive Director, Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta discuss financial recordkeeping and reporting, investment policies, and internal controls to help nonprofits remain financially fit.
Watch the video »

What You Need to Know About Fiscal Sponsorship
Atlanta, GA
July 22, 2009
Rachel Epps Spears, Executive Director, Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, shares the pros and cons of having a fiscal sponsor and what organizations can do to avoid potential problems when entering into a fiscal sponsorship agreement.
Watch the video »

Following the Money Trail: The Impact of the Economic Stimulus on Education in Georgia
Atlanta, GA
June 30, 2009
Lauren Veasey, Program Officer, Southern Education Foundation discusses the impact of the economic stimulus on education in Georgia.
Watch the video »

Our national Events Archive provides free access to recorded Foundation Center programs, classes, and other events held at locations across the U.S. View videos and webcasts, listen to or download audio recordings, and read transcripts of selected events by visiting this section of our web site.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Celebrities Get Positive Press

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-16T15:21:17-05:00

Professional athletes and entertainers often make headlines for behaving badly, while their good works in the community hardly get noticed. Kimberly Haynes, founder and chief consultant of the OMBI Group, LLC is setting out to change that.

On November 9, 2009 the OMBI Group celebrated its 5th year anniversary by presenting its Giving Gracefully Awards to Reggie Howard of the AAG Foundation, Inc., the Brian Jordan Foundation, Inc., the Hannibal Navies Foundation, Inc., and the DeShawn Snow Foundation.

OMBI recognized these organizations for their outstanding commitment to the community and for their contributions to helping youth live safe, positive, and productive lives. Montblanc hosted the event, which was also sponsored by Red Bull, Jim Ellis Audi, Imperial Concierge and Lifestyle Management, Atlas Sports and Entertainment, Brumfield Limousines, SVB Group, and Prime Restaurant.

Many celebrity foundations provide direct services or operate programs rather than awarding grants. If you want to find grantmaking organizations and public charities founded by celebrities, then the following resource is for you. The Celebrity Foundation Directory, newly-published by the Foundation Center, lists celebrity foundations with combined assets of nearly $255 billion and with charitable contributions of nearly $14 billion.

You can access this directory for free at our library/learning center or use it at home or in your office by purchasing a copy of the digital publication in the Marketplace section of our web site.

A huge thank you goes to Kimberly and the OMBI Group for giving us something positive to talk about.

Asia Hadley, Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Next Week at the Foundation Center-Atlanta: November 16-20

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-13T14:00:00-05:00

Reminder - new hours! The library will now be closed on Mondays. We will be open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm, and 10:00am-8:00pm the first Tuesday and last Thursday of each month.

Evening hours next week! We will be open until 8:00pm on Thursday, November 19.

We invite you to our classes this upcoming week:

Tuesday, November 17, 9:30-10:45am
Introduction to Fundraising Planning

Thursday, November 19, 9:30-10:45am
Your Board and Fundraising: An Introductory Class for Small Nonprofits

Thursday, November 19, 5:15-6:45pm
Proposal Writing Basics

Thursday, November 19, 7:00-8:00pm
Proposal Budgeting Basics

The classes above are free to attend, but registration is required. For programs offered over the next three months, please see our Events Calendar.

Can't visit the Foundation Center this week? Check out our webinars.

Use our library:

Search Foundation Directory Online Professional and other research tools for free

Borrow books about nonprofit management and fundraising

Ask our staff of experts for information assistance

Free Shipping in November on The 21st Century Nonprofit

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-12T12:00:00-05:00

This November, the Foundation Center is offering free shipping on our new edition of The 21st Century Nonprofit when you order online.

The second edition of this popular title explores the increasing emphasis on nonprofit governance, including accountability, transparency, and responsibility.

Revised chapters contain updated information on strategic and operational issues, such as long-term planning, marketing, and earned income. The new edition also provides a special discussion of the strategic issues facing nonprofits during times of recession and severe economic downturn.

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this essential title or to view the table of contents for the publication. The 21st Century Nonprofit is available for just $39.95 with free shipping online this month. Order your copy today! >>

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Women on Board

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-11T13:00:00-05:00

The Atlanta Women’s Foundation’s Women on Board program promotes women's leadership in Atlanta by training women to be effective nonprofit board members and connecting them with local organizations. To date, the Women on Board program has trained over 1,500 women in nonprofit management and connected hundreds of these participants with nonprofit boards throughout Atlanta. Visit the Women on Board web site to learn more about the program or to find opportunities for board service in Atlanta.

Upcoming Workshops:

Level I: Introduction to Nonprofit Boards
An introduction to the basics of nonprofit board management. Participants learn the roles and responsibilities of nonprofit board members including the board's role in fundraising.
Friday, December 4, 2009, 9am-3pm.

Level II: The Financial Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards
This workshop explores the financial responsibilities of nonprofit boards and the challenges of building a board that will support organizational growth. Discussions focus on nonprofit financials, board member recruitment and strategic planning.
Friday, February 19, 2010, 9am-3pm.

All workshops take place at the offices of Kilpatrick Stockton in Midtown Atlanta. Visit the Women on Board web site to register.

To learn more about getting your board members involved in fundraising, you can register for the Foundation Center’s Your Board and Fundraising: An Introductory Class for Small Nonprofits. Can’t make the class in person? Consider taking it as a webinar.

Joanne Kepics, Regional Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Atlanta

New Foundation Center Map of Cross-border Giving

Pattie Johnson — 2009-11-10T15:18:40-05:00

Our new Map of Cross-border Giving allows grantseekers to access a wealth of information on grants awarded by U.S. foundations to non-U.S. recipients. This interactive database includes detailed descriptions of grants awarded to over 12,000 international organizations totaling more than $8.5 billion. With this new resource, users can:

Browse grants from U.S. grantmakers to non-U.S. recipient organizations using the interactive world map.
Filter grants by fiscal year, grantmaker type, primary subject, recipient type, or type of support.
View descriptions of over 30,000 grants to international organizations with information on the recipient, amount awarded, duration, type of support, description, and subject.
Access detailed profiles of more than 1,400 funders, including contact information, giving interests and limitations, key financial data, and full copies of IRS returns for past years.
Copy, print, or save maps for future reference. Data can also be exported as a spreadsheet file for further manipulation.

The Foundation Center's Map of Cross-border Giving is available by monthly or annual subscription. For more details, go to crossborder.foundationcenter.org or visit the Marketplace section of our web site.

Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta