The Resource - May 20, 2010

FIC Community Calendar
If you haven’t visited our website lately, check out the Community Calendar posted there. Our desire is for nonprofit agencies to have a place to post upcoming events. This will assist with special events planning for the rest of the year and into 2011. Simply go to http://www.fic-ftw.org and click on Community Calendar. To submit an event, please contact Stephen at sbradshaw@fic-ftw.org

Nonprofit Times 5/3/10
Donors …Prospect screening and capital campaigns

Getting the most out of any campaign requires plenty of thought and preparation.

It is no different for capital campaigns, and in their book “Building Fundraising Momentum in a Recession,” Lawrence Henze and Katherine Swank discuss the advisability of prospect screening, trying to determine which prospects are most likely and capable of giving.

To read the complete article, click here

The Philanthropic Trends Digest
Fundraisers Need More than People Skills

In a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Holly Hall points out that more than just people skills are needed by fundraisers today who hope to be successful.  These new skills include cross-cultural knowledge and analytical abilities.  Zachary A. Smith, whose job is to recruit development officers at the University of California at Irvine, when looking for major gift fundraisers wants to see 60% analytical skills and 40% people skills.  A more important part of the article deals with the need for fundraisers to have the skill of dealing with older donors as the number of people 65 and older doubles over the next 20 years.  This is an important article that all of us in the world of philanthropy should read and absorb.  - -  The Chronicle of Philanthropy, April 8, 2010, p. 1.

Blue Avocado

Seven Ways to Reduce Your Audit Costs

By Dennis Walsh, CPA

Too many of us think of audit costs as an expense to suffer, not to manage. CPA Dennis Walsh tells us differently:

Executive Director Blair Benson of the Mental Health Association in Greensboro, NC, was hoping her audit costs wouldn’t go up much. With a budget of $340,000, there isn’t a lot to spare. But although she had expected an increase, she was stunned when her auditor said he would be increasing his fee by 40%. “An increase like this is something you just can’t build into your budget,” said Benson.

Click here to read the rest of the article.
 

Nonprofit Times 5/17/10
Grants …5 Ways to Use the Form 990 to Target Funding

In the 1940s it was Frankenstein meets the Wolfman. During the 1990s it was Freddy meets Jason. Two horror-inducing images coming together in one place.

That trend continued at the recent Association of Fundraising Professionals’ international conference, where consultant Steven Byers spoke about both grant writing, which has been known to make some people lose sleep, and the Form 990, which has been known to make a lot of people lose sleep.

Actually, Byers was trying to help everyone sleep easier, by showing grant applicants how to use an organization’s 990 to learn more about it and thus target foundations that are the best prospects for soliciting support. He said that a 990 can be utilized to help fine-tune an ask amount, glean information about submission guidelines or identify trustees and staff contacts.

Byers said that a foundation’s Form 990 can be used to help learn about the following:

* Contact information, such as the foundation’s exact name, address, phone number and Web site.
* Assets. The amount of grant a foundation can make is determined by the size of its assets.
* Annual grants usually equal about 5 percent of fair market value (FMV).
* Even though FMV is always outdated by the time a recipient sees it, information about asset classes gives broad indications of how well the foundation is doing today.
* How an organization invests its money also yields clues as to its organizational culture.
 

Corporate America Values Skilled Volunteerism as a Means to Social Change, Survey Finds (5/05/10)

 Increasingly, corporations regard workplace volunteerism as a means to effect long-term social change and are offering their employees skilled volunteer opportunities, an annual survey from New York City-based Deloitte (http://www.deloitte.com/) finds.

  According to the 2010 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, 84 percent of corporate managers believe volunteerism can help nonprofits achieve long-term goals. The survey also found that whereas 50 percent of respondents offered skills-based volunteer opportunities in 2009, 60 percent now report offering options for employee-selected projects, while 64 percent offer options that fit the companies' philanthropic focus. Top criteria for determining workplace volunteer activities include the potential to help mitigate a social problem, help a nonprofit organization  function more effectively, help a nonprofit serve more clients,  promote good corporate citizenship values, and enhance employee  morale.

Click here to read the rest of the article.
 

Administrative Notes

What is a registered agent?
The Texas Business Organizations Code (BOC) requires every domestic or foreign filing entity to maintain a registered agent and office in Texas. The BOC also permits the filing of an appointment of agent for service of process by an incorporated nonprofit association. Additionally, the Texas Finance Code permits a Texas financial institution to appoint an agent for service of process.

An entity’s registered agent is an agent of the entity on whom may be served any process, notice, or demand required or permitted by law to be served to the entity. Recent amendments to the BOC, enacted by the Texas Legislature in HB 1787, require that registered agents designated on or after January 1, 2010 must have consented to serve in that capacity in a written or electronic form developed by the Office of the Secretary of State, Form 401-A.

What is a registered office?
An entity’s registered office must be a physical address in Texas where the registered agent can be served with process during business hours. The registered office is also where the Office of Secretary of State will mail correspondence. A registered office is the business office address of the registered agent and may be the same as the entity’s place of business. It cannot, however, be a post office box that is part of a commercial mail or message service unless that commercial enterprise is the registered agent.

Educational Opportunities

2010 AFP DFW Philanthropy Conference

June 24, 2010

Calling all fundraisers! The 30th Annual Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) DFW Philanthropy Conference will take place on June 24, 2010 at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, Texas. Whether you’re a newcomer to the profession or a seasoned veteran, you’ll find something just for you at the Conference. It’s casual Thursday so come as you are and be ready to gain some great information! If you are a first time attendee, scholarships are available and the application can be found online. Apply by May 28.

For more information and to register, please visit our website at http://www.dfwphilanthropyconference.com/home.html. Early bird registration is open until May 22.

Where Philanthropy Is Headed in this Age of Anxiety
Webinar - Wednesday May 26, 2010 (Noon-1:00pm)

Lunch/Networking (11:30 am-noon)
Conference Call (noon-1 pm)

Speaker: Penelope Burk, President, Cygnus Applied Research

Description: Join author, speaker and fundraising futurist, Penelope Burk, as she unveils brand new research conducted earlier this year with thousands of American and Canadian donors. In a one-hour webinar packed with new information and statistical evidence, Penelope will talk about what donors want in 2010 and how you can help your organization get out in front of the trends.

Target Audience: Fundraisers at every level will find compelling information in this webinar as will not-for-profit CEOs, CFOs, Directors and Leadership Volunteers who make decisions that affect fundraising.

Fee: $15 for FIC members; $25 for nonmembers

Held at the FIC
329 S. Henderson
Fort Worth, TX 76104
817-334-0228 (FIC phone)
Click Here to Register

    50 Asks in 50 Weeks: How to Jumpstart Your Small Development Office
AFP Audio-Conference
Wednesday June 9, 2010 at FIC
Lunch/Networking (11:30am-noon)
Conference Call (noon-1:30pm)

Presenter: Amy M. Eisenstein, MPA, CFRE is the Principal and Owner of Tri Point Resources, a full service consulting firm for non-profit organizations and foundations.

Description: This session will help participants create a development plan which ensures a diverse funding stream, a system for asking for gifts in smarter, more efficient ways, and ensuring they ask for gifts all year long. (It specifically targets non-profit organizations with small development offices (0-3 paid staff members,). Brief discussions on event planning, grant writing, individual solicitations, and direct mail will be included.

Fee: Free for AFP Members, $10 for FIC members; $15 for nonmembers

Held at the FIC
329 S. Henderson
Fort Worth, TX 76104
817-334-0228 (FIC phone)
Click Here to Register

Fundraising Opportunities with the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are very excited about the possibility of helping your schools/non-profits fundraise. Visit the Cowboys' website for more information on tours: http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/tours/tourInfo.cfm  

For fundraising, schools/non-profits get our VIP Guided tickets at $18.64 and our Self-Guided tickets at $11.18 (adults) or $9.32 (children/seniors). This works out to be a profit of $8.86 per VIP ticket and $6.32 or $5.18 per Self-Guided.

We have had tremendous success fundraising, with more than 500,000 tours sold in the last year. This really is an amazing opportunity for schools/non-profits to be able to brand themselves with the Dallas Cowboys, have unprecedented access to the World’s greatest stadium, and generate much needed revenue.

If you would like more information about some different options for fundraising and using the stadium, please contact: John Blakely, 817-892-4653, jblakely@dallascowboys.net

Volunteer Opportunities

Have you heard the great news?  SLANT 45:  Service Learning Adventures in North Texas, a program of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee, is open to ALL elementary aged youth in the North Texas region.  We want the youth in your life and those you serve to have the chance to be a part of this exciting and historic program.  Please visit http://www.slant45.org to learn more information. 

ALL youth who participate will be provided a FREE workbook & t-shirt as well as a FREE ticket to the year-end celebration event at Cowboys Stadium in January 2011!  That’s right; everyone who participates in SLANT 45 will be invited to the stadium to celebrate their success!  Participation is as easy as registering your team, doing a service-learning project and telling us about it! 

If you’d like to schedule an opportunity for one of our speakers to talk to your group about the program, please click here to complete our speakers bureau registration form.

SLANT 45 seeks to raise the awareness of the wonderful work being done by the nonprofit partners in our community.  If you’re able to offer this FREE program to the youth you serve, join our team as an official SLANT 45 community partner!  Thank you for giving the kids you serve the chance to be a part of SLANT 45 and Super Bowl XLV history!

Funding Opportunities

City of Fort Worth Funding

Would you like to help Fort Worth become the nation’s safest major city? The City of Fort Worth in partnership with the Crime Control and Prevention District (CCPD) are pleased to release the FY 2011 Community Based Funding Program request for proposal (RFP).  The city and CCPD are seeking community based programs that meet one or more of the following goals: 

1.    Support efforts to reduce violent crime and gang-related activities through enhanced enforcement activities and crime prevention programs;

2.    Support efforts to increase the safety of residents and to decrease crime throughout Fort Worth neighborhoods; and

3.    Support efforts to increase the safety of youth and reduce juvenile crime through crime prevention and intervention programs. 

In addition to the goals mentioned above, this year the Board is placing special emphasis on projects involved in the prevention or intervention of youth violence and/or family violence.

Non-profit agencies who can address one or more of these goals are invited to apply for funding.  The application forms and instructions are available at http://www.fortworthpd.com.  Applications must be postmarked or delivered by 5 PM on June 1, 2010.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Sasha Kane at 817-392-4243. Thank you for your interest in crime prevention in the City of Fort Worth. 


Linda McMillan
Library Administrator
Website: http://www.fic-ftw.org/
Phone: 817-334-0228

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Our Vision: Better communities through successful nonprofits.

Our Mission: To provide funding information, education, and other resources nonprofit organizations need to succeed.