#FUNDRAISING: Crowdfunding Response To Boston Bombing Raises Hope & Caution
One of the wonderful qualities of Americans is the way we respond with our time and our money when a terrible shock or natural disaster hits our fellow countrypeople. The bombings in Boston on the 15th were certainly ‘terrible shocks’ and as homemade and smartphone videos make clear, volunteers and fellow marathon watchers ran in to help before the smoke cleared. And since then Americans all over the country have been raising money online and via a sprouting group of crowdfunding sites. But along with over $2 million being raised to help survivors recover, warnings are also being raised about cases of fraud. How do legitimate crowdfunding organizations separate themselves from the occasional fraudsters?
| Category Civics, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Crowdfunding, Events, Fundraising, Low-Income, Mobile, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Opinion, Politics, Social Networks | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#GRANTS: Dell Computers & Dell Foundation Offer Resources For Youth & Environment
Dell Computers was founded in 1984 in Austin Texas and it became a worldwide leader in online sales of MSDOS/Windows/x86 computers within a decade. Michael and Susan Dell established their foundation in 1999 in an effort to present their booming company as a corporate citizen. The efforts of the foundation are to multiply the work of Dell’s individual employees:
Being a good corporate citizen is more than just writing a check to a nonprofit and checking ‘complete’ next to your external branding strategy. To make a meaningful difference, companies must integrate the process into its business model, strategically align community involvement with business initiatives and avoid diluting efforts by consciously focusing on areas where the greatest impact can be made. That’s the recipe for success in today’s global market.
If your organization would like to apply for support from the foundation, we have collated some resources to help you get started.
| Category Advocacy, Affordable Housing, Civics, Community, Environment, Fundraising, Grants, Grants and Funding, Greening, Health, How-to, Low-Income, Major Gifts, Nonprofit, Resource, Revitalization, Sponsorship | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Philanthropy: President’s Jobs Bill & Tax Proposal Not Warmly Welcomed By Charities
As arguments over what to do with and about the US economy and the federal deficit continue to shed more heat than light, President Obama sought to take the fight back to the Republicans with the ‘American Jobs Act’ announced last week. The act contains a mix of tax realignments likely to gain some Republican votes and stimulus spending pretty much guaranteed to lose those same votes.
Perhaps the most talked-about realignment pertains to the ‘Buffett Rule‘, a popularly-coined term reflecting Warren Buffett’s dismay at paying less income tax than does his secretary. It would rearrange the tax code to shrink loopholes for wealthy individuals and corporations, while rearranging the tax base for those with low-paying jobs.
One loophole the president wants to reduce concerns the deductions of taxes made by the wealthy to charitable organizations – a reduction many charities and nonprofits do not want to see.
| Category Banking & Finance, Communications, Community, Development, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, Grants, Grants and Funding, Low-Income, Major Gifts, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Opinion, Politics | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Economy: The Loss Of A Functional Middle Class
The oft-discussed possibility of a double-dip recession still looms darkly on the near horizon. Sure, the Stock Market is more often up than down, but those numbers represent only about 40% of the economy. Unfortunately, some 1% of the people in the economy control and profit from the 40% takings from that particular casino.
For the rest of the economy, and the people who built it, the shocks of ‘The Great Recession’ are still coming. And the working middle class are feeling it the worst.
| Category Banking & Finance, Civics, Communications, Community, Low-Income, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Opinion, Politics, Web and Print | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Philanthropy: How to Find and Solicit the Biggest Corporate Donors
In the midst of the present economic crisis, the debate about whether corporations should have social responsibility to give to philanthropic causes has grown heated. Some argue that CR (Corporate Responsibility) departments actually diffuse problems rather than solve them and corporations should put their resources to better, profit-driven, uses for the betterment of all. Others counter that without a role for institutionalized CR, innovation and economic dynamism are often replaced with market suppression and cronyism.
But the present fact is a number of corporations give a good deal of financial and/or goods-in-kind support for social causes (broadly defined). A list of the top 50 (as of July 2011) can be found at The Foundation Center‘s website. What are some of the ways they give? And how might your organization benefit from their philanthropic programs? Over the next few weeks, we’ll present some of the research pursued to see what can be learned about a number of these 50 programs.
We begin with the top 5.
| Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, Environment, Fundraising, Grants, Grants and Funding, Greening, Health, Healthcare, Low-Income, Marketing, Nonprofit, Public Relations, Resource, Revitalization | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Aging: Health-Care Reform Showing Small Advantages For Medicare Recipients
Shrinking, but not gone until 2020
Politics have roughed up most of our attitudes towards health reform. Sometimes it is difficult to sort out what has changed, what seems to be improvement or expansion or cut in service or cost. As the reforms of 2010 move through the courts, we all might need ever greater concentration to keep an eye under which shell is the benefit and under which shell is the cut.
Some experts, fortunately, are keeping a close eye on the ever-shifting Medicare debate – and many of them are noting some of the improvements that have already been enacted. (more…)
| Category Aging, Communications, Health, Healthcare, Independent Living, Low-Income, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Politics, Retirement Living, Seniors Life, Wellness | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Aging: Medicare On The Chopping Block Of Debt ‘Compromise’
As most of us raise a sigh of relief that the debt ceiling was raised and a vague compromise to trim $1.2 trillion of the national debt was reached, we should not assume that all government spending will be trimmed equally. The social safety net weaved by Social Security and Medicare remains the most conspicuous target for cutting. What to be wary of is how the cuts are going to be presented, argues Trudy Lieberman of Time Magazine. What may look good in the headlines is likely to sting older Americans in practice.
| Category Aging, Civics, Health, Healthcare, Low-Income, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Opinion, Politics, Retirement Living, Seniors Life | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Aging: Is The Job Part-Time, Or The Retirement?
Click on Carol Simpson's Cartoon To Purchase A Copy
Whatever political position you hold on the TARP of George W. Bush or the bailout of General Motors carried out under Barack Obama, the fact is, a great deal of money, not wealth, was pushed into the economy. ‘Inflation‘ is the result of putting in more money into an economy than the economy is worth: as dollars are pumped in that to do not reflect the perceived value of the market, each person will demand more of those cheap, common, dollars for his or her goods and services.
No one is hurt more by inflation than those on a fixed income that does not respond with the economy; Namely, the retired. When a retiree’s Social Security Check check arrives in the mail, the note on the check might be for $100 (to keep my brain clear with simple round numbers), but the groceries that used to cost $100 might cost $110 with 10% inflation. Those in the labor force can work an extra hour or two to make up the difference. Those who are retired (or unemployed), are stuck $10 short a month. How will they cover the shortfall?
| Category Affordable Housing, Aging, Community, Independent Living, Low-Income, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Report, Resource, Retirement Living, Seniors Life | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Sustainability: Keeping Families In Homes Keeps Neighborhoods Alive
Bernell Grier, CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC
We welcome Bernell Grier, CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City, Inc. to the growing list of Contributors to the MKCREATIVEnonprofit Blog. Ms. Grier was appointed CEO in May of last year, having been COO of the housing organization since 2004. She is writing about proposed cuts in government funding to community-development programs.
Each day Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City and its affiliated Neighborhood Offices (NHSNYC) assist homeowners that are facing the potential loss of their homes through foreclosure. Government, at every level, has been the primary funder for many of the foreclosure prevention and intervention programs over the past three years.
Now, despite the fact that the foreclosure crisis continues, government funding that has been effective is threatened to be completely cut at the federal, state, and local level.
| Category Advocacy, Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Civics, Community, Low-Income, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Opinion, Politics | | Comments Off
Written by: Bernell Grier
#ProAging: Federal Budget Cuts Senior Housing & Programs
The fierce debates about the federal deficit, its origins, and how (quickly) to pay it down have affected almost every sector of the US population. The short-term problem of a government shut-down seems to have been pushed down the calendar by a couple of weeks, but only by pressing a host of cuts to the short-term/hold-over budget of Fiscal Year 2010-11.
Even some conservative pundits are unhappy with the proposed cuts, and the outcry has only grown as details about cutting programs for older Americans come to light.
| Category Affordable Housing, Aging, Community, Low-Income, National/International, Politics | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
Over 1 Million Households Pay More Than 50% of Their Income For Rent
Image via Wikipedia
Senior Housing News reports that the supply of affordable rental housing appears to be dropping at a rapid pace during the past 2 years according to new research released this week from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The study, Worst Case Housing Needs 2009: A Report to Congress, measures the scale of critical housing problems facing low-income un-assisted American renting households and finds that the found that “worst case housing needs” grew by nearly 1.2 million households, or more than 20 percent, from 2007 to 2009 and by 42 percent since 2001.
For the full report, visit: http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/worstcase_HsgNeeds09.pdf
| Category Low-Income, Report, Resource, Retirement Living, Seniors Life | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
Education Resources And Analyses In The Context of The Great Recession
Education is a stunningly inefficient human endeavor. A teacher might invest hours of time on a student only to discover that the student’s family situation is too unstable to allow any of the teacher’s influence to stick after the school bell rings. Or the teacher might get dispirited about students’ indifferent reactions to a story, only to discover that a couple of those students recall the story years later and are inspired to write great novels or, better still, become teachers themselves. Or (an irony I have myself experienced) a ‘bad’ teacher might spur a child to believe she could do better if the roles were reversed, so she strives to reverse the roles. Unlike so many other aspects of our economic and social environment, the links of cause-and-effect are tenuous indeed when discussing the ‘value’ or ‘success’ of education.
Nevertheless, we must not give up on the ideal that everyone should have opportunity for a good education to help them strive for what they might choose to strive for. And we must continue to study how better to reform, adjust, and align the educational systems we have. As with environmental and housing issues so important to MKCREATIVE, we are pleased to pass on the word when private and public concerns combine to improve the educational environment of our communities. Today’s example is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation‘s report “PRIMARY SOURCES: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools,” a project done with Scholastic and recently published online.
| Category Advocacy, Community, Education: General, Grants and Funding, Low-Income, News and Current Affairs | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD