Picks of the Week: October 30 - November 5, 2011

Website of the Week -- Partnership for Philanthropic Planning

Originally created in 1988 as the National Committee on Planned Giving (NCPG), the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (the Partnership) is a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission is to help people and organizations create charitable giving experiences that are the most meaningful in achieving both charitable mission and the philanthropic, financial, family and personal goals of the donor. The Partnership achieves its mission through research, education, advocacy, community dialogue and the setting of standards and best practices in philanthropic planning. The Partnership strives to engage all constituents in the charitable gift planning process: planned giving and major gifts professionals, nonprofit managers and trustees, financial and estate planners, trust managers and administrators. To access the Resource Center, go to: http://www.pppnet.org.


Publication of the Week -- Implementing and Sustaining Your Strategic Plan: A Workbook for Public and Nonprofit Organizations by John M. Bryson Sharon Roe Anderson and Farnum K. Alston

From the publisher: Based on John Bryson's acclaimed comprehensive approach to strategic planning, the Implementing and Sustaining Your Strategic Plan workbook provides a step-by-step process, tools, techniques, and worksheets to help successfully implement, manage, and troubleshoot an organization's strategy over the long haul. This new and immensely practical workbook helps organizations work through the typical challenges of leading implementation for sustained change. It spotlights the importance of effective leadership for long-term successful strategic plan implementation. The authors include a wealth of tools designed to help with goal and objective setting, budgeting, stakeholder analysis, priority reconciliation, strategies in practice, special leadership roles, cultural changes, and more. The workbook's conceptual framework, step-by-step process, and worksheets can be applied in a variety of ways. It can be used as a whole, or selected parts can be used by board members, boards of directors, senior management teams, implementation teams, and task forces on a regular basis throughout the process of sustained implementation. The workbook's individual worksheets, or combinations of worksheets, can be used as needed to address a variety of implementation-related tasks. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week – Latest Trends in Corporate Giving

Based on data from 184 companies, including 63 of the top 100 companies in the Fortune 500, the 2011 Edition of Giving in Numbers is the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy's seventh annual report on trends in corporate philanthropy. The sum of contributions across all respondents of the 2010 Corporate Giving Survey (CGS) totaled over $15.5 billion in cash and product giving. In this report, CECP not only presents a profile of corporate philanthropy in 2010, but also seeks to answer the pivotal question: How has corporate giving changed since the onset of the economic downturn? Key findings include:

• 94% of companies offered at least one matching gift program in 2010
• 89% of companies had a formal domestic employee volunteer program
• 81% of companies reported having a corporate foundation
• Health, education, and community and economic development were top priorities for the typical company

For more information about the key findings and to download a copy of the full report, go to: http://www.corporatephilanthropy.org.


Resource of the Week – Nonprofit Tips Phone App

From the publisher: Smart tips at your fingertips. Whether you work or volunteer for a nonprofit organization – or would like to – this app is for you. Need to chair a committee? Planning a fundraising event or board retreat? Thinking about joining a board? Want to know more about nonprofit budgets? View a daily tip that can help you and your favorite cause be more effective and efficient. Search related categories and terms. Designate favorites and add notes to stimulate discussion at your next meeting. Or simply share a smart thought with colleagues and friends. Features Display a daily tip with brief commentary. Touch a category to view related tips or search by keyword or tip number. Save or share a tip or edit your favorites list. Add and save your notes about a tip. Shake your device to reload the current day. Go to: http://appshopper.com/business/nonprofittips.


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.