Philanthropy Front and Center-Cleveland

Foundation Center Cooperating Collections: Free Local Funding Information Centers

The Foundation Center is looking for host organizations that are ready to join with us to meet the information and training needs of organizations and individuals whose grantseeking needs are not currently being met.

The Foundation Center needs your help in identifying appropriate host organizations for our Cooperating Collection network.  Cooperating Collections are free funding information centers in libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers that provide a core collection of Foundation Center print and electronic publications and a variety of supplementary materials, training, and services in areas useful to grantseekers. 

We are particularly interested in reaching under-resourced and underserved populations throughout the U.S. and in other locations around the globe that are in need of this useful information and training to become successful grantseekers.

Share our video (above) with your contacts and colleagues and watch it now to find out more about the Foundation Center's Cooperating Collection program. If you are aware of a potential host organization, we invite you to nominate them.

With your help we can ensure free public access to these needed resources throughout the country and around the world.

(This post is from Kief Schladweiler, Coordinator of Cooperating Collections, The Foundation Center)

This Week at the Foundation Center (March 29 - April 2)

Tuesday, March 30:
How to Approach a Foundation, 9:30 - 11:30am
at Stark County District Library, Canton, OH
Visit our Cooperating Collection in Canton, learn how to make contacts and build partnerships with donors, and meet Cynthia Lazor, Vice President for Programs from Stark Community Foundation, who will discuss the foundation and best practices for grantseekers in the current economy.

Library Hours:
Monday: 12:00-4:30pm
Tuesday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday: 12:00-4:30pm
Thursday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Friday: 12:00-4:30pm

Listen! Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey Solomon Discuss The Art of Giving

In this interview, Charles Bronfman, former co-chairman of the Seagram Company and the founder of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, and Jeffrey Solomon, president of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies talk about their book The Art of Giving: Where the Soul Meets a Business Plan.

They discuss a number of topics including donors' motivational values, donor-grantee relationships, philanthropic mistakes, and the decision to spend down the foundation's assets. Listen>>

Find other Foundation Center podcasts here. You can also subscribe to Foundation Center podcasts on iTunes or get the RSS feed.

(Thanks to Jimmy Tom and Nonprofit Literature Blog for this post.)

Live Q&A! Getting Student Aid

Funding your education requires careful planning, persistence, and knowing how and where to look for funding. On Wednesday, May 5, 2010, from 2:00-3:00pm Eastern, Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher of Finaid.org, joined us to answer questions about financial aid for students. Read the transcript below!

About the Presenter

Mark Kantrowitz is President of MK Consulting Inc. and Publisher of the FinAid and FastWebweb sites owned by Monster Worldwide. As a nationally-recognized financial aid expert, Mark has been called to testify before Congress about student aid on several occasions. He is interviewed regularly by national news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, MSN, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, among others.

Mark is on the editorial board of the Council on Law in Higher Education, the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education, and the board of directors of the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA).He is also the Student Loan Guru for FiLife.com (a Dow Jones property) and curator of the Student Loans topics page for the New York Times.

He is the author of four books, including two about student financial aid. His most recent book, FastWeb College Gold (Harper Collins, September 2006) is a step-by-step guide to paying for college. Read his full bio>>

This Week at the Foundation Center (March 22-26)

Tuesday, March 23:
Grantseeking Basics, 10:00 - 11:30am
This introduction to the Foundation Center and its services provides instruction in foundation research
and the identification of potential funders.

Introduction to Corporate Giving, 11:30am - 12:30pm
A one-hour introduction to the world of corporate support for nonprofits, the motivations
of all types of corporate giving, and the methods for identifying potential corporate partners.


Wednesday, March 24:
Proposal Writing Seminar, 9:00am - 4:00pm
This full-day course will teach you to craft a comprehensive, compelling proposal package step by step. You'll hear what grantmakers have to say about proposals, and gain valuable insight into the review process.


Library Hours:
Monday: 12:00-4:30pm
Tuesday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday: 12:00-8:00pm
Thursday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Friday: 12:00-4:30pm

This Week at the Foundation Center (March 15-19)

Tuesday, March 16:
Electronic Resources for Finding Funders, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Find out how to use The Foundation Directory Online Professional to identify funders for your programs, and find out the answers to the most frequently-asked questions about researching individual donors.

Thursday, March 18:
Resource Market: Tackling Tough Times, 4:00 - 7:00pm
at Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, Ohio
Come to this networking and information session and meet top-tier professionals from a select group of Northeast Ohio nonprofits in a fun, trade fair atmosphere.

Friday, March 19:
Coffee and Conversation with a Grantmaker:  Celeste E. Terry, 9:30 - 10:30am
at the Idea Center, Playhouse Square
Come meet, learn from, and talk with Celeste Terry, Assistant Executive Director of United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland.  (Rescheduled from February 26)

Library Hours:
Monday: 12:00-4:30pm
Tuesday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday: 12:00-8:00pm Evening hours!
Thursday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Friday: 12:00-4:30pm

This Week at the Foundation Center (March 8-12)

Wednesday, March 10:
Before You Seek a Grant, 6:00 - 7:30pm
This session will provide you with a step-by-step checklist approach to help you determine your own readiness for foundation fundraising.

Thursday, March 11:
Foundation Fundraising, 9:00am - 4:00pm
This full-day course will help you understand the grantmaking objectives of independent, corporate, and community foundations, show you how to identify grantseeker resources, and teach you the components of a grant proposal.

Library Hours:
Monday: 12:00-4:30pm
Tuesday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday: 12:00-8:00pm Evening hours!
Thursday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Friday: 12:00-4:30pm

Are You Ready for Mobile Giving?

The recent earthquake in Haiti seems to have marked a turning point in the development of mobile giving. According to mGive, the company that worked with the American Red Cross to set up a text donation campaign in the wake of the disaster, more than 2.5 million people texted $10 pledges to Haiti relief in the week immediately following the earthquake. And that was just one of many mobile giving campaigns that were created to help fund relief efforts.

A December 2009 survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 83% of adults own a cell phone or smartphone and 35% of those owning a mobile device had used it to access the Internet at some point. The use of texting or SMS (short message service) has been popular with teens and young adults for some time, but is now spreading to other demographics as well, as seen in the growth of services such as Twitter.

In light of these changing demographics and the highly-publicized success of the Haiti relief texting campaign, many nonprofits are taking note of the potential of mobile giving. But while creating a text donation program enables donors to give quickly and easily, there are some major considerations for any organization examining the possibility of a campaign. Listed below are a few resources that will be helpful for nonprofits exploring this issue.

• Texting for Charitable Dollars: The Definitive Guide to Mobile Fundraising
  Explains how a mobile giving program works, including fees, contracts, and service providers, and outlines the steps a nonprofit should take to start a mobile campaign.
  
• Nonprofits: Time to Get Mobile
  Provides considerations for nonprofit organizations exploring mobile giving and discusses steps for starting and marketing a mobile fundraising campaign.
  
• 5 Real Challenges For Non-Profit Texting Campaigns
  Presents five primary considerations for nonprofits considering a mobile giving campaign.
  
• A Balanced Look at Text-Message Giving
  This podcast features Wendy Harman, social media manager at the American Red Cross, and Geoff Livingston, chief marketing officer at Zoetica Media, discussing the potential advantages and disadvantages of text donation campaigns.
  
• 2010 Nonprofit Text Messaging Benchmarks
  This report, the first of its kind, provides benchmarks by which nonprofit organizations can measure their success with texting, and illustrates the various ways in which organizations are using text messaging.
  
• Mobile Giving Foundation
  The Mobile Giving Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that works with nonprofits and wireless service providers to facilitate mobile giving and ensure that text donations are convenient, immediate, private and secure.
  
• mGive Foundation
  The mGive Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity created to certify nonprofits wishing to participate in mobile giving, and to facilitate the flow of funds from carriers directly to participating nonprofits.

(Thanks to Stephen Sherman, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta, for this post)

Chile: Earthquake Relief and Information

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake, one of the most powerful on record, hit central Chile on Saturday, February 27, 2010. Below is a list of organizations that are mobilizing to provide relief and assistance to people in the affected areas.

• The American Red Cross has already pledged $50,000 from its International Relief Fund. You can contribute to this fundonline.
• AmeriCares is mobilizing its emergency response teams, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid.
• Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) already has an assistance team on the ground in Chile.
• GlobalGiving has created a special relief fund for the Chilean earthquake.
• Habitat for Humanity is gathering resources to provide shelter for low-income families affected by the quake.
• The International Medical Corps is preparing to respond with emergency medicines and supplies.
• Oxfam is sending staff from its Latin American offices to provide assistance.
• Save the Children is sending its emergency assessment team to Chile. You can help by giving to its Children's Emergency Fund.
• World Vision is rushing emergency supplies — including clean water, blankets and tents — to children and families impacted by the earthquake.

Many organizations are also taking donations by text to help with relief efforts.

• Text "4CHILE" to 50555 to donate $10 on behalf of Convoy of Hope.
• Text "CHILE" to 50555 to donate $10 on behalf of Friends of the World Food Program.
• Text "CHILE" to 25383 to donate $10 on behalf of Habitat for Humanity.
• Text "CHILE" to 85944 to donate $10 on behalf of the International Medical Corps.
• Text "REBUILD" to 50555 to donate $10 on behalf of Operation USA.
• Text "CHILE" to 52000 to donate $10 on behalf of the Salvation Army.
• Text "SAVE" to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of Save the Children.
• Text "YOUTH" to 20222 to donate $10 to UNICEF.
• Text "CHILE" to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of World Vision.

If you know of other organizations sending assistance to Chile, please share that information by submitting a comment below.

If you want information on US foundations that have provided funding in Chile, you can use our interactive map on international grants. First, you will see a list of organizations in Chile that received funding, then you can link to information on the funders.

(This post is from Katrina Brown and originally appeared in Philanthropy Front and Center Washington, DC.)

This Week at the Foundation Center (March 1-5)

Tuesday, March 2:
Introduction to Fundraising Planning, 10:00 - 11:30am
This class will show you how to analyze your organization’s situation and develop a fundraising plan that will include a variety of revenue sources.  

Fundraising in a Challenging Economy, 11:30am - 12:45pm
This class provides an overview of what you can do to survive, thrive, and succeed in sustaining your nonprofit during the current economic situation.  Following the class, local nonprofit expert David Saunders will present information on the best uses of social media.

Wednesday, March 3:
Grantseeking Basics, 6:00 - 7:30pm
For beginners, this introduction to grantseeking provides instruction in foundation research and the identification of potential funders, along with a tour of the library.

Thursday, March 4:
Proposal Writing Basics,6:00 - 7:30pm
at Twinsburg Public Library, Twinsburg, OH
Visit our Cooperating Collection in Twinsburg to learn the key components of a grant request, and the process for submitting proposals to foundations.

Library Hours:
Monday: 12:00-4:30pm
Tuesday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Wednesday: 12:00-8:00pm Evening hours!
Thursday: 9:30am-4:30pm
Friday: 12:00-4:30pm