Posts by nc

What if corporate leaders thought more like Bill Gates, a leading philanthropist and founder of Microsoft, who once said, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” Ideally, innovative corporations would increasingly function beyond the short-term profit motive and pay greater attention to their impact on the social…

Corporate philanthropy is one of our business essentials and not just a temporary business initiative. When we think about giving back to the community, we focus on three areas: in-kind gifts, financial gifts and volunteerism. We give to organizations such as the Alice Ferguson Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club, Meals on Wheels, Capital Area…

Social impact investing — a concept frequently raised but not clearly defined or understood — presents a compelling opportunity for foundations and philanthropists to maximize the leverage and impact of their work. Innovative philanthropists with higher risk tolerances such as Pierre Omidyar, Jeff Skoll, and Bob Pattillo, along with leading foundations and social impact funds…

Some helpful tips from Ken Berger, CEO of Charity Navigator, on how to avoid charity scams.   As Evelyn Young was leaving the Kmart in Bloomington, Ill., this past summer, a young boy crossed the parking lot toward her, a rolled-up paper clutched in his hand. He came close, unrolling the paper as a form…

This is a guest post by Bob Ottenhoff, CEO of GuideStar. GuideStar recently announced they have acquired innovative startups Social Actions and Philanthropedia. We asked Bob to share the strategic rationale behind these deals. By: Bob Ottenhoff Over the years, GuideStar has taken on the monumental task of providing transparency into the nonprofit sector, with…

March 21, 2011 Giving for Japan Disaster Now Totals More Than $136-MillionBy Caroline Preston and Nicole Wallace Ten days after the devastating earthquake and tsunamis in Japan, American donors have contributed more than $136-million for relief efforts, according to a Chronicle tally. Nearly two-thirds of the total has been raised by one organization, the American…

Watson, the IBM super computer, last week beat out two of Jeopardy’s most successful contestants on the television game show. Now officials at IBM are beginning to think about how Watson, which can answer questions posed to it in natural language by using algorithms to sort through reams and reams of information, might be able…

Federal employees from the Washington area gave a record amount of money in 2010 to charity, the local chapter of the Combined Federal Campaign announced during its end-of-campaign celebration Wednesday morning. Washington-area federal employees donated $66.7 million in 2010 to about 4,000 charities through the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area, their local…

By Suzanne Perry, The Chronicle of Philanthropy Many nonprofit advocates expect bad news when President Obama unveils his fiscal 2012 budget on Monday. The president has said he plans to propose a five-year spending freeze on some domestic spending and has already outlined some cuts that would affect programs for low-income people. Read more: http://philanthropy.com/article/Nonprofits-Brace-for-Obamas/126325/