Picks of the Week: May 25 - 31, 2014

Website of the Week -- Leader-Values

This site aims to provide visitors with cutting-edge resources on leadership and value systems with a special emphasis on the consideration of multicultural, global issues. Resources at the site have been written or selected to assist leaders in all kinds of organization to develop their skills. In addition, the site examines the qualities and behavior of famous leaders throughout the centuries. Thought-provoking feature articles share the limelight with regular sections: 'themes' offers in-depth work on change, knowledge, organization, and value systems and '4Es' discusses the four essential Es of leadership. Go to: www.leader-values.com

 

Publication of the Week --  Donor Cultivation and the Donor Lifecycle Map: A New Framework for Fundraising + Website by Deborah Kaplan Polivy

From the publisher: A guide to better and more strategic fundraising, Donor Cultivation and the Donor Life Cycle Map presents the donor lifecycle map, which is circular in form, revealing how the convergence of the two subject matters—cultivation and the lifecycle map—can lead to better and more strategic fundraising. Author Deborah Kaplan Polivy specifically addresses the topic of cultivation and how, when focused over the donor lifecycle, it can become a logical and focused activity for obtaining increasingly large gifts.

• Step-by-step guidance and practical tools for understanding and making the most of the donor lifecycle
• Coverage includes Introduction to Donor Cultivation, Defining Donor Cultivation, Donor Cultivation Tools and the Donor Lifecycle: How and Where They Intersect, and Impediments to the Implementation Process
• Features a companion website with a variety of online tools to help readers implement key concepts

Donor Cultivation and the Donor Life Cycle Map seeks to change the perspective from transactional fundraising to recurring fundraising, beginning with the first donation and extending to the very last—an endowment that keeps on giving even after death.

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week -- Nonprofit-Government Contract and Grant Trends

In 2012, the Urban Institute conducted a national survey, Nonprofit‐Government Contracts and Grants: Findings from the 2013 National Survey, expanding the scope of a previous 2009 study to include most types of nonprofits. The latest survey indicates that nonprofit‐government contracts and grants reached approximately 56,000 nonprofits and totaled $137 billion and that the effects of the recession were still evident. The research reveals that problems reported with government contracts and grants in 2009 are not confined to human services nonprofits, although problems are less pronounced for grants than for contracts. Nonprofit organizations in 2012 were still dealing with many of the same issues as in 2009. This report provides data on government contracts and grants with nonprofits, problems encountered, and the current fiscal situation of nonprofit organizations in each state. This compilation of state profiles provides national and state-by-state snapshots of most types of nonprofit organizations that have contracts and grants with local, state, and federal governments. The individual state profiles are designed to document the extent of nonprofit-government contracting, processes and problems. States are also ranked according to number of grants, types of issues, and actions taken by nonprofits to address the challenges they face. To download the full report, go to: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412949-National-Study-of-Nonprofit-Government-Contracts-and-Grants-2013.pdf

Resource of the Week –  HandsOn Network

HandsOn Network, a Points of Light enterprise,  is a network of 250 local volunteer centers around the world that seek to engage 21st century volunteers to use their time, talent, voice and money to create change in their communities. The HandsOn Network offers volunteer development tools and resources that are accessible, easy to implement and focused on impact. These resources and tools are based on:

• Principles of adult learning
• Practitioner-based best practices
• Interactive design
• Practical resources for innovation, action and impact
• Needs of the target audience

For more information about the resource library, go to: http://www.handsonnetwork.org/tools

Tech Tip of the Week -- Move or Copy Sheets between Workbooks in Excel 2007/2010

• Open the sheet you want to move or copy
• Click the Home tab on the Ribbon
• In the Cells group, click Format
• Under Organize Sheets, select Move or Copy Sheet
• Choose where you want the sheet to be copied or moved to
• Be sure to select the create a copy box if you do not want your sheet moved