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Celebrate National Volunteer Appreciation Week
April 19-25

Nationwide Survey on Nonprofits Wants You
Abbott, Langer & Associates, Inc. invites you to participate in a special survey on:

    * Changes in nonprofit revenue;
    * Actions taken to deal with loss of revenue; and
    * Working conditions for board members and paid staff

The results of this survey will permit nonprofits to compare their economic
conditions, policies, and working conditions nationally, regionally, by state, by major metro area, and by type and size of nonprofit.

To participate (deadline - Fri, May 15, Midnight), go to http://www.langerhr.com/survey/np09/ or copy the link and paste it into your browser address bar.

The survey will take 10 to 15 minutes. All information received in connection with this survey will be kept completely confidential. If you complete the survey by the deadline, you will be entered in a drawing for one of 10 complimentary copies of the survey report. Plus, you may purchase the report for 50% off the standard price.

Foundation Giving Grew Modestly in 2008 But Declines Expected in 2009, According to New Foundation Center Report
In the midst of a deepening economic crisis, the more than 75,000 U.S. grantmaking foundations nevertheless increased their giving 2.8 percent in 2008 to an estimated $45.6 billion, according to Foundation Growth and Giving Estimates: Current Outlook (2009 Edition), released today by the Foundation Center. Although foundation giving grew modestly in 2008, it did not grow as much as had been expected due to the extreme nature of the current economic downturn. more

Jobless find benefits in volunteering
When Doug Nickols lost his job as a plant manager last summer, he decided to turn his attention to others worse off. He began volunteering for his favorite charities. ... The Volunteer Center of North Texas says the recession is largely responsible for the 25 percent increase in inquiries it has fielded this year from people interested in volunteering. ... The surge of volunteers comes at an opportune time for nonprofit groups hit hard themselves by the recession, said Cynthia Nunn, president of the Center for Nonprofit Management in Dallas. more

[video] Turning Board Members into Fundraisers
Have you ever had a board members say, "I'll do anything but don't make me fundraise"? Today's movie should cure any board member of that fear. The first part of the movie gives some examples of how you can talk with board members in regards to fundraising. Then the second half is a great story about how one real hesitant board member actually became a fundraising superstar!

Improving Nonprofit Decision Making amid Economic Crisis
When the finance committee chair of Youth Horizons Inc. announced that in just weeks the organization wouldn’t have enough cash to meet payroll and didn’t know when the cash situation would improve, members of the board of directors were speechless. After two years of deficits, the cash reserve had been spent and the finance committee had run out of options. Soon board members jumped in with questions: What happened to all the grant applications that had been submitted? Wasn’t there a fundraising event planned? How could this have happened, and what should the board do now? more

Development Director or Not: When Should We Hire a DoD?
If we hire a director of development, how long before that position pays for itself? This question reveals a common mistake: making the assumption that funding is the biggest consideration when adding a DoD. That mistake often is compounded by a second mistake: creating the position with short-term funding. Either mistake (and, certainly, both together) can doom a development director before he or she even takes the job.

Certainly, funding is a legitimate concern, but other matters must be considered when hiring a director of development. Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether your organization is truly prepared to make the move. more