Picks of the Week: September 13 - 19, 2009

Website of the Week -- The Charities File: On Board

The Community Services Council in partnership with the Centre for Voluntary Sector Research and Development at Carleton University has just launched The Charities File: On Board, an online resource for small and rural charities. The website offers resources in four key areas:

• The Treasurer’s Chest: Tools and templates for treasurers, bookkeepers, and finance committees
• The Fundraiser’s Receipt Book: Information, tips, and the latest CRA fundraising guidelines
• Agenda Gems: A year-round calendar of seasonal agenda items for boards and annual meetings, and
• The Shoe Box: Contains the lists and rationale for storing and transferring key organizational documents

The Charities File: On Board is made possible with funding from the Government of Canada. Go to: www.thecharitiesfile.ca.


Publication of the Week -- Reliable Fundraising: What Good Causes Need to Know to Survive and Thrive by Kim Klein

From the publisher: Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable Times is the much anticipated follow-up to fundraising expert Kim Klein's bestselling Fundraising for Social Change. This important book offers social justice nonprofits a road map for meeting the challenges of fundraising in a climate of economic uncertainty. Klein outlines the steps an organization needs to take to create a disciplined, systematic fundraising program that is both flexible and durable in order to survive almost any challenge. Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable Times tackles the big issues head-on, including the fact that the current economic turmoil has no end in sight. Klein shows how to build fundraising programs that thrive on this kind of economic roller-coaster ride and reveals how to identify and make the most of opportunities as they come along. She explores fundraising from the point of view of organizational development and examines myriad issues such as working across generational lines and in multicultural communities, collaborating effectively with other nonprofits, and surviving scandals and crises. The book also examines challenging questions such as how boards can fulfill their fundraising responsibilities without feeling overly burdened, how organizations can adapt to generational leadership changes, how to practice good time-management habits, and how the sector—and the context for fundraising—will continue to change. Written in Kim Klein's conversational, reader-friendly style, Reliable Fundraising in Unreliable Times discusses the current fundraising landscape, provides an overview of the past, and offers hope for the future. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week -- Corporate Philanthropy Shifts From Cash Giving To Volunteerism

According to a new report "Making the Most of What We Have: Corporate Giving in the New Economy", published by LBG Research Institute of Stamford Connecticut, corporations and their foundations are showing their support for their communities by marshalling other, non-cash resources. Key findings include:

• More than 84% of corporations surveyed say they are encouraging more employee volunteerism to offset a decline in cash giving.
• More than 48% have increased the number of volunteer events this year.
• Almost 45% report increased participation rates in their employee volunteer programs.
• Besides giving their employees’ time, some companies are stepping up product and in-kind donations.
• 15% report they are increasing their in-kind donations (such as meeting space, office equipment, etc.).
• 12% are increasing their product donations (products they manufacture, such as pharmaceuticals, apparel, etc.).
• Almost half the corporations in the survey report that they are emphasizing partnerships with nonprofits over straight cash donations.
• Half are also paying more attention to measurability and nonprofit accountability.
• One-third of the survey respondents say they are actively seeking new nonprofit partners to better match strategic goals.

For more information about the report, go to: http://www.lbgresearch.org/survey09.php.


Resource of the Week -- Models of Collaboration

“Models of Collaboration” is a publication of the ASU Lodestar Center, an academic center that seeks to advance nonprofit leadership practice. The brief was authored by Marc Hager and Tyler Curry. This outstanding publication describes eight models of collaboration: fully integrated merger, partially integrated merger, joint program office, joint partnership with affiliated programming, joint partnership for issue advocacy, joint partnership with the birth of a new formal organization, joint administrative office and back office operations, and confederation. Each of the eight models is defined along with a listing of conditions that can be addressed by the selected model, as well as challenges and benefits of the model. There are brief capsule studies of collaborations that reflect each model. This publication is based in part on an analysis of nonprofits competing for the Collaboration Prize created by the Lodestar Foundation. To download a copy, go to: http://www.asu.edu.


Tech Tip of the Week -- Tracking Revisions in Excel 2007

Excel 2007 tracks worksheet revisions so you can see what has changed on each sheet. To use this feature, do the following:

1. Click the sheet to make it active
2. Click the Review tab on the Ribbon
3. Click Track Changes in the Changes group
4. Choose Highlight Changes
5. Click in the "Track changes while editing" box and then set the types of changes you want to highlight.

You can choose to have the changes highlighted on screen or listed on a new sheet.