Nonprofit Panel Recommends More Than 120 Actions to Strengthen Transparency, Governance, and Accountability in the Charitable Community
The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, a collaboration among leaders of America’s charitable organizations, recently offered a comprehensive series of recommendations intended to strengthen the ability of the nation’s 1.3 million charities and foundations to serve as responsible stewards of the public’s generosity.

In the report it presented to Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, and Ranking member Max Baucus (D-MT), the Panel recommended more than 120 actions to be taken by charitable organizations, by Congress, and by the Internal Revenue Service, which together would strengthen the sector’s transparency, governance, and accountability. A copy of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector report and other details are available at www.NonprofitPanel.org.

Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit Sector Research Fund Releases New Working Paper Money, Mission, and the Payout Rule
Congress is once more scrutinizing nonprofit organizations, and the debate about spending by foundations—including the percentage of their assets distributed each year for good works, also known as “payout”—may soon heat up again. To help inform discussion of foundation payout, the Aspen Institute’s Nonprofit Sector Research Fund has released a new working paper, Money, Mission, and the Payout Rule: In Search of a Strategic Approach to Foundation Spending, by Thomas J. Billitteri, a former news editor at The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Finding that too few foundations match their payout rate to their mission, Billitteri urges foundations to engage donors, board members, and foundation executives in weighing the merits of spending more money on good works now versus deferring outlays until later. The paper offers: a legislative history of payout rules; a summary of existing research on the payout rate and a listing of critical issues for future research; discussion of policy changes that may occur in this area; and, examples of how foundation leaders are strategically addressing payout at their institutions. The paper can be downloaded from the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund’s website at http://www.nonprofitresearch.org/usr_doc/FullReport721.pdf or can be purchased in hard copy by calling 202-736-2500.
   

  
Building Donor Loyalty: The Fundraiser’s Guide to Increasing Lifetime Value
Adrian Sargeant and Elaine Jay; Jossey-Bass (www.josseybass.com), 208 pages
Sargeant and Jay have written a step-by-step guide geared toward the professional fundraiser. Their guide not only helps develop strategies to retain donors, but also helps fundraisers to understand what drives people to keep on giving, or to lapse in their donations.

Nonprofit Essentials: Endowment Building
Diana S. Newman; John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (www.wiley.com), 239 pages
Newman shows how to build an endowment in a simple step-by-step process. The book describes the prime factors in successful endowment building, the training the staff will need, and the people who must be involved to achieve endowment goals. In addition, it looks at how to find donors, cultivate them, and keep them giving.

Nonprofit Internet Strategies: Best Practices for Marketing, Communications, and Fundraising Success
Ted Hart, James M. Greenfield, and Michael Johnston; John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (www.wiley.com), 345 pages
In this book, Hart et al provide strategy on how to use the Internet and e-mail as one of many strategies for nonprofits to raise money. The book provides examples from a variety of groups that use the Internet to raise funds. The visuals, charts, graphs and checklists throughout the book are useful in developing a fundraising strategy.

Philanthropy, Heirs & Values: How Successful Families Are Using Philanthropy To Prepare Their Heirs For Post-Transition Responsibilities
Roy Williams and Vic Preisser; Robert D. Reed Publishers (www.rdrpublishers.com), 163 pages
The transition of family wealth from one generation to the next is a trying time for many families. Williams and Preisser report that 70 percent of family-owned businesses do not succeed past the first generation. With that figure in mind, many are using philanthropy as a way to train the next generation for their post-transition responsibilities.

The Tax Law of Charitable Giving (Third Edition)
By Bruce R. Hopkins; John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (www.wiley.com), 722 pages
Tax law may be a topic that does not tickle the fancy of too many, but for those that need to know it, this book provides much more than the basics. Bruce Hopkins gives the reader a comprehensive and detailed look at tax laws, including legislation signed into law as recently as late 2004.
   

2005

September 8-9
IT for the Non-IT Executive, “Understanding IT and Leveraging Its Use,” Cambridge, Mass.; Contact: MIT Sloan School of Management at http://mitsloan.mit.edu/execed.

October 23-25
Independent Sector Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.; Contact: www.independentsector.org.

November 2-5
2005 International Conference on Volunteer Administration, Adam’s Mark Hotel—Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Fla.; Contact: Association for Volunteer Administration at www.avaintl.org.

November 17-19
34th Annual ARNOVA Conference, “Nonprofits, Philanthropy and the Public Agenda: Linking Research, Practice and Policy,” Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C.; Contact: ARNOVA at 317-684-2120; website: www.arnova.org.

November 20-22
“Service Learning—Models for the 21st Century: Intercommunity, Interdisciplinary, International” International Symposium, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Co-Sponsored by the University of Indianapolis (Indiana, USA) and Stellenbosch University (South Africa); Contact: www.sun.ac.za/ci/conference

December 1-2
IT for the Non-IT Executive, “Understanding IT and Leveraging Its Use,” Cambridge, Mass.; Contact: MIT Sloan School of Management at http://mitsloan.mit.edu/execed.

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