The Case Foundation - who know what they are doing - share what they have learned about on line giving in this report. Here is how they summarize their experiment:

"In December 2007, our team launched our first online Giving Challenge..... As the 50 days of the Challenge went by, we would periodically gather around the computer in my office to watch the leaderboard. Would we see the large national nonprofits trump the little guys  ‐‐ or would the smaller, more nimble organizations do a better job mobilizing their online networks? How were people using social media tools such as blogs and videos to spread the word and reach new audiences? Were the prize levels right, and would they provide enough incentive to drive people to action? In the end, we couldn't have predicted a more fulfilling outcome.

Perhaps this is something the Community Foundation can spearhead in Utah?

The economic crisis requires a reengineering of the way we approach funding and solving long standing social issues. Our foundation began by asking: What if we could engage Utah's entrepreneurs to address Utah's complex problems? How can we provide nonprofit organizations the strategic resources they need to create sustainable positive change?

To help answer that question we held a series of meetings with entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders. We found a disconnection between these important sectors: entrepreneurs know little about the role of the nonprofit sector, and nonprofit leaders are yearning for a way to effectively tap their resources. Yet each do, and will, rely on each other. A growing economy needs a healthy community, and the organizations that support the public good need the intellectual and financial capital of entrepreneurs.

We believe, and our research confirms, that Utah needs a catalyst  so that nonprofits and entrepreneurs benefit from each other's expertise. We invite you to be a part of this effort. Share your thoughts!

The two reports are posted here:

Entrepreneur_Focus_Group_June_2009.pdf NonprofitFocusGroup.pdf

 

An article in the July 30th edition Forbes magazine confirms what many nonprofits know; "You don't need to be rich to give to charity. You don't even need to be middle class. In fact, in the United States today it's the poor, not the wealthy, who give the highest percentage of their income to those in need." According to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, those making less than $50,000 a year donate about 4% of their income to charity. Read the article here

PR Week has a good article on how nonprofits are changing their communications strategies and tactics to counter the effects of the recession.

The Atlantic summarizes a great study by  Barclays'  of 500 high net worth individuals' attitudes towards charity. Easy to read charts and comforting news ... the younger the age group polled, the more responsibility is felt to share their wealth.

US News and World report agrees - their findings confirm that the new generation of philanthropists, 'giving' includes volunteering and networking -- and donations.

Effective leadership is the best predictor, followed by fundraising, fiscal management and program staffing. You can rea dthe full report from the TCC Group here

Utah is one of only a handful of states with a law that promotes social entrepreneurship - the Low-profit Limited Liability Company (or L3C), is intended for companies that put their missions before profits. Our new law will let L3cs qualify for "program-related investments" from foundations-loans or investments that further a foundation's goals and also may yield financial returns. Read full text.

Yesterday I had the chance to catch up with Charley Johnson of SnugzUSA, a Utah company that produces promotional products and an awardee at the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year. Snugz has been supporting "Pay It Forward”  -- a book, a movie and an idea that each of us, though small acts, can create a better world. Charley's idea was to create bracelets that are passed along with the act. You do something for someone, - perhaps unexpectedly -- and give them a bracelet to remind them to do the same for someone else.  in a very short period of time they have produced 450,000 pay it forward bracelets and sent them off to to 53 countries. Check out their blog.

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In November, Bridgespan published a study showing the impact of the economic downturn on the nonprofit sector. Their new report shows this impact has only deepened over the past six months. In February, the Community Foundation of Utah, with your help, conducted a similar economic dashboard. It is time for us to ask again how you are fairing. I know you have much on your plate, but hope you will take a few minutes to help shape the discussion here at home. This survey is much shorter than the initial dashboard. We'll again share the results with you, funders and the media. As with the last study, all responses are anonymous, and we are happy to provide you with a more detailed analysis by agency type if you'd like.  Be sure to log on to our web site for the results on July 15.

We heard the study was very helpful to your planning, and hope you'll continue to find it useful. Thanks again for your support of this research and of the Community Foundation of Utah.

Fraser Nelson

SURVEY LINK: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=0g8_2bM5mUByS5ds8OYWosIQ_3d_3d

 

 

 

Greg Warnock, Matthew Minkevitch, & Fraser Nelson

Utah's first Ernst and Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year award was presented to Matthew M. Minkevitch from the Road Home on June 12. Over 1,200 members of the business community were on hand to cheer the achievements of Matt and his fellow social entrepreneurs, Jessica Norie from Artspace and Bette Gibson from the Academy for Creating Enterprise. Matt will go on to compete at the national Entrepreneur of the Year awards. 

The Community Foundation of Utah was pleased to sponsor this first of its kind effort to bring awareness to social entrepreneurial practices.

MC Bruce Lindsey commended the nominees for their innovative business practices: "Regardless of the platform, they apply entrepreneurial principles to make social change. They are strategic and persistent. They see and seize opportunity. In short, social entrepreneurs are like all entrepreneurs: innovative and determined individuals that are driven to solve complex problems in their communities."

The Community Foundation of Utah began by asking: "What if we could engage entrepreneurs to work on some of the most complex social and environmental problems facing our state? And how can we help nonprofit organizations get the strategic resources they need to create sustainable change?" This award is just one answer.

The economic crisis requires that we reengineer the way we approach funding and solving long standing social issues. Entrepreneurs are innovative and determined individuals that are driven to solve complex problems. They are committed to their vision—even in the face of daunting odds. They share a common spirit for innovation and risk-taking. They are strategic and persistent. They see and seize opportunity.  They are jus the kinds of people the nonprofit sector may need now and in the future.

This past week, we held a series of focus groups with twenty young entrepreneurs focusing on entrepreneur and nonprofit collaboration.  Our goal was to learn how we might engage their talents with the social problems that nonprofits address.

Perhaps not surprisingly, these people were largely unaware of the good work being done by agencies across Utah. “To be honest, I just don’t know anything about them other than they ask for money.”  And unfortunately, the few people that had worked with nonprofits in the past had largely unsatisfying experiences.

Our focus group participants see the sector as very different from their universe. They see nonprofits as focused on process and repetition rather than outcome and action.  Impact is the word these entrepreneurs came back to over and over again. They are short on time and have very high expectations of how it is used. Before they engage with a nonprofit they want to know that a nonprofit that is open to innovation and action, has a clear sense of the desired end effect, and is willing to measure and share results.

The Community Foundation of Utah believes that these minds, if engaged, could add tremendously to the social sector.  We believe their talents are untapped.  We are dedicated to finding productive and impactful ways to harness their energies for the common good.

In the near future we’ll be rolling out a series of events and actives which we hope will bridge the divide between entrepreneurs and the social sector.  We hope you’ll engage with us.

To read the full report click here.