Picks of the Week: April 10-16, 2010

Website of the Week – Alliance for Justice


The Alliance for Justice is a national association of public interest organizations spanning a range of issues, including civil rights, social justice, and consumer and environmental protection. Representing this broad constituency, the Alliance’s mission is to strengthen the nonprofit sector’s influence on public policy, ensure equal access to the federal courts, and cultivate the next generation of advocates and community activists. Founded in 1979, the Alliance for Justice works closely with public interest organizations, social service networks,foundations, the legal community, and community-based organizations that work to energize vibrant and effective citizen engagement in public policy. Along with more information and resources on these issues, you can sign up for the Nonprofit Action Network and get news about IRS and Federal Election Commission rulings, as well as other developments that affect the advocacy activities of nonprofits. Go to: www.allianceforjustice.org.


Publication of the Week -- The End of Fundraising by Jason Saul


From the publisher: Why does it cost nonprofits on average $20 to raise $100, while it costs companies only $4? Simply put: Nonprofits have no leverage. No one has to make a donation. And since most donors have no direct stake in the organizations they support, they make donations out of the goodness of their hearts. If donors feel like writing a check, they will. If they don't, they won't. The End of Fundraising turns fundraising on its head, teaching nonprofits how to stop begging for charity and start selling impact. For the first time, nonprofits have economic power. We live in a new era where consumers, businesses, investors, employees, and service providers attach real economic value to social outcomes. An era where yesterday's "feel good" issues—education, the environment, health care, the arts, and animal rights—now have direct economic consequences and opportunities. Nonprofits now have leverage. To use this leverage, nonprofits must learn how to "sell" their impact to a new set of stakeholders. Using his fifteen years of experience advising the world's leading nonprofits, foundations, and corporations, Jason Saul reveals the formula for how nonprofits transcend the paradigm of charitable fundraising and reach true financial sustainability. Specifically, this groundbreaking book offers nonprofit professionals a guide to:

• Understand the role of social change in our economy
• Capture and communicate impact in simple, compelling terms
• Identify the new market stakeholders that value nonprofit outcomes
• Create powerful value propositions to increase leverage
• Improve the success of a nonprofit's pitches to funders

The End of Fundraising includes the tools needed to effectively frame, market, and sell a nonprofit organization's impact, and contains step-by-step guidance for creating dynamic new opportunities with a variety of funders. Click to preview this look on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week – Foundation Giving Expected to Rise in 2011

In the context of an uneven economic recovery, U.S. foundation giving was nearly unchanged in 2010 according to Foundation Center’s annual “Foundation Giving Forecast Survey”. The country’s more than 76,000 grantmaking foundations had estimated giving totaling $45.7 billion last year, almost matching giving in 2009. The relative stabilization of foundation giving in 2010 reflected numerous factors. Among these were the beginning of a modest recovery in foundation assets in 2009; new gifts and bequests from donors into recently established and existing foundations; and the continuing commitment of some funders to maintaining their giving levels or minimizing reductions in their support, despite substantial losses in the value of their endowments. These positive trends helped
to balance out lower levels of funding by the many foundations that felt the need to reduce giving in 2010.Findings from the Foundation Center’s survey “Foundation Giving Forecast Survey” suggest that 2011 giving will grow between 2 and 4 percent. Looking ahead to 2012, grantmakers appear to be fairly optimistic about their prospects. To download a copy of the report, go to: http://foundationcenter.org.


Resource of the Week – Resources for Evaluating Community Organizing


To help raise the profile of community organizing as a critically important change strategy, the Alliance for Justice has developed Resources for Evaluating Community Organizing (RECO). RECO to provide specific information about evaluating community organizing. RECO includes detailed summaries of each resource so users can find the resources that are most useful for their evaluation needs. Most of the resources included—case studies, tools and methodologies, and theoretical approaches to evaluation—are broadly available to the public, either through free downloads from the organization's website, or through an e-mail request. also included are books and other publications which are only available for purchase. Go to: http://www.afj.org.


Tech Tip of the Week -- Using IF Functions in Excel 2007 and 2010


In a previous tip Using IF Functions in Excel we covered the basic If function which can be used in all versions of Excel. About.com explains the use of the If function and provides step-by-step tutorials on how to enter this function in 2007 and 2010:

• Using the Excel 2007 IF Function
• Using If Functions in Excel 2010

Download the If Function Worksheet and learn about the more complex uses of If functions.