The Zoo

The presentation today in class about the Sunset Zoo made me think a lot about city-funded agencies and their limitations. I learned that because the zoo is owned by the city they cannot accept certain donations, but rather must have the Friends of the Zoo accept on their behald. What’s going on? Why is this?

Honestly, before this presentation I had not considered the differences among agencies, who runs them, who technically owns them, and how this might affect their fund raising abilities. Similarly, I learned that the Boys and Girls Club must adhere to blackout dates determined by the United Way during which they cannot both fund raise. This makes sense so that the United Way will be more sucessful in their campaign, but September through December seemed like a very long blackout period and a very key time when fund raising is easier (i.e., the holiday season).

In the end I do not see these issues as problems, but rather wanted to say that I am a victim of “the more you know, the more you don’t know.” Today is my last day of undergraduate school and suddenly a world of fund raising issues has opened up to me that I’m curious to know more about. Yet, I move away this afternoon.

Public Confidence

We recently had a management dilemma for class that dealt with decreasing public confidence in the nonprofit sector. I needed a topic for this post and thought that was as good as any. I feel that this trend is of great concern to the nonprofit sector. The things that i thought were important in turning this trend around were having low administrative costs, preventing fraud, and showing that your goals are being achieved or have substantial progress towards achieving your goals. Of course the problem is all of these practices are already vastly in use by several organizations in the nonprofit sector. So what else? What can revive public confidence in the nonprofit sector?

AFP Conference

Two weeks ago I had the great honor of representing the Kansas State University American Humanics Program at the Association of Fundraising Professionals Conference – and it was amazing.

Through the conference I attended educational workshops about various fundraising techniques, practices, and opportunities.  From how to ask for a raise to how to create a case study, the conference covered everything.  The plenary speakers were great, too.  I saw Kevin Carrol, Jane Goodall, and Sir Bob Geldof – the creator of Live Aid.

But back to the education series: case studies.  Coincidentally, I was gone during my group presentation of our classroom case studies because I was at the conference, but while at the conference I attended a workshop of an hour-and-a-half all about case studies and how to make them. My final analysis?  Mine was terrible.  Our group did a great job for a first-try at creating the document, but after the workshop I now see where my fault lies.  The best advice the presenter gave was to use journalism skills when creating a case study and give it a magazine feel.  Why didn’t I think of this?  My final advice: in the future, fellow philanthropy students and readers, don’t forget all of our public relations skills!  I have a tendency to separate my classes and start fresh each semester, but this approach failed me on this assignment and I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that through many classes we have honed our design skills and should not take them for granted or leave them behind.

Product (Red)

I think the idea of product red sounds great, however I think it is difficult to know with each product how much the company is actually gaining.  For example, with the apple products, if the price is raised, and then the percentage that is higher ends up going to donations, it is hard to see how ipod is actually losing anything.  With a raised price, they really aren’t giving away any money, the customers are just paying a higher price for a red product.  Some of the companies participating in Product (red) might be giving sufficient amounts, it is just difficult to tell which business are giving legitimate amounts and which ones are using Product (red) as a marketing strategy.  I think this gray area makes it difficult to tell what is right and what is pushing the limit a little bit too much.

Text Solicitations

Prior to class the other day, I was completely unaware that not for profits were asking for donations though text messaging.  My first thought was that this was great.  A new tool to get donations, one way to better compete with other not for profit organizations with similar interests.  After all the world keeps on becoming more and more tech savvy.  However, as the class discussion continued I quickly realized many problems with it.  Some people don’t receive text messaging, some do but hate it.  There was a mention of being put on a list to receive such messages if you wanted.  Also there was concerns on where the donations actually went, to the organization or phone company.  With all of these negative aspects, I believe not for profit organizations are better off perusing donations by previous means.

Pay it Forward?

All the talk in class about Oprah’s Big Give and the concept of changing lives, I couldn’t resist making a post about something interesting I saw on Craig’s List today.

If you’ll take a look at post ID# 611591357 , you will find a good Samaritan wanting to pay forward generous donations from strangers.  To save you the time of visiting the site I will quote:

“I am wanting to try an experiment, I am asking anyone wishing to make donations to me, I will pay it forward to those in need. I don’t know how many will respond, but I think a lot of money could be raised. Thanks for your support.”

This sounds like a good idea, but doesn’t it sound a little fish-y?  I don’t mean to be a pessimist, but I’m not going to send money to a random person on Craig’s List and hope for the best.  It does bring up another issue: do non-profits have a place on social networking sites?  I love when I see non-profits on Facebook, but where is the line?  Is Craig’s List appropriate?  Or does it only seem inappropriate because this specific link seems so… untrustworthy?

Oprah, of course

After hearing the current event presentation on Oprah’s big give show, I thought that it was the same as a lot of shows like that. It seems like a good idea at the time, and people who don’t really watch it or pay to much attention think it’s really great for the goodwill of the world. I agree with whoever said it was kind of weird. I think that it is a little bizarre that they kick people off who didn’t raise enough money. They are being punished for raising money for a good cause, and I think that’s ridiculous. I don’t think anyone should be kicked off the show, I just think that each week they should have a different type of cause to raise money for. If people thought they were not doing a good enough job by raising money, then they might not try to raise money anymore. It’s a good idea Oprah, but you can’t do everything right

Oprah’s Big Give…where is the focus?

To be honest, I had never heard of this new Oprah’s Big Give philanthropic television series until a few days ago.  I think it sounds like a great show….but I have my worries.  My worries aren’t that I know this will put philanthropic giving to the forefront of millions of viewers each week, or that this could be the beginning of even more types of philanthropy (venture, etc.).  This show will definitely be an amazing promoter towards enriching lives by fund raising.  I am, although, worried that big-time networks some times focus on ratings more than the heart and soul that is found within shows such as these.

I scanned through some of the first news articles online about this show, and many of them centered on how many viewers tuned in, or a comparison to another show that aired the same night.  This isn’t American Idol…but wouldn’t it be great if a television show could carry as many loyal followers and viewers as that show.  Maybe those followers could become motivated to turn into philanthropic activists.

Oprah’s big GIVE?

I think Oprah’s new show, Oprah’s Big Give definitely sends a strong message to anyone who watches it.  It shows the amazing impact you can have on somebody’s life if you just help a little.  However, I am very curious to see just how much Oprah is profiting off of this show, that may end up being very popular.  The real question here is, what will Oprah do with all the money she’s rolling in once this show gets off the ground? (if it does)

A Few Relevant Links about Nonprofit Work

I try to check my Google Alerts every day, so they do not pile up in my e-mail in box. Today’s “nonprofit” alert threw a few things at me that I think would be relevant for you as students of the nonprofit sector to read.

First, Washington Post writer Philip Rucker discusses an impending job crunch in the nonprofit sector. More specifically, his focus is on the leadership within the nonprofit sector. I think this is quite relevant seeing our recent discussions about nonprofit salaries.

Second, Lindsey McDougle writes a blog called Leadership as a Field of Study: Advancing Philanthropy, Leadership and Social Change. She is a Ph.D. student in leadership studies with a philanthropy focus, and provides quite a bit of information about the field in general. Might be worth a read.