Philanthropy Front and Center-San Francisco

Looking for Corporate Funding?

You may first want to learn more about corporate funding for nonprofits and we have several opportunities available. Our seminar “Securing Corporate Partnerships” is for grantseekers who want to explore various corporate/nonprofit partnership models and provides our most in-depth learning experience. 

If you want an overview, attend our “Introduction to Corporate Giving”  class which provides a free 90-minute introduction to the world of corporate support for nonprofits and to the effective utilization of the Foundation Center's print and electronic resources on corporate giving.

Or take the same class as a free webinar or as a free interactive online guided course that reinforces lessons with interactivity, assignments, and self-tests.

If you’re looking for answers, check our Frequently Asked Questions section on funding resources for corporations.

When you’re ready to search for potential corporate funding partners, you may use the Foundation Directory Online database at no charge here at our library or at any of the Cooperating Collections.

You may first want to learn more about corporate funding for nonprofits and we have several opportunities available. Our seminar “Securing Corporate Partnerships” is for grantseekers who want to explore various corporate/nonprofit partnership models and provides our most in-depth learning experience. 

If you want an overview, attend our “Introduction to Corporate Giving”  class which provides a free 90-minute introduction to the world of corporate support for nonprofits and to the effective utilization of the Foundation Center's print and electronic resources on corporate giving.

Or take the same class as a free webinar or as a free interactive online guided course that reinforces lessons with interactivity, assignments, and self-tests.

If you’re looking for answers, check our Frequently Asked Questions section on funding resources for corporations.

When you’re ready to search for potential corporate funding partners, you may use the Foundation Directory Online database at no charge here at our library or at any of the Cooperating Collections.

Back By Popular Demand: Webinars to Help Your Nonprofit Survive & Emerge Stronger

Now that we've lived through over a year of the economic downturn, you may be seeing the light at the end of tunnel in your nonprofit -- or maybe that light hasn't reached you yet and you're still in crisis mode. Regardless of your current position, you'll benefit from our new webinar training series, Turning Economic Crisis into Opportunity: How Nonprofits Can Survive and Emerge Stronger.

If this series sounds familiar, that's because we debuted it in October to a very positive response, so we've decided to repeat it. In the four sessions, you will learn to evaluate how well your organization uses resources to achieve its mission; apply the most effective short-term and medium-range strategies to ensure its survival; determine which revenue option is best; and implement the five essential characteristics of effective, sustainable nonprofits.

By understanding and strengthening your current financial health, you'll be prepared to make the most of economic recovery and secure your long-term sustainability. In addition, you'll develop skills that help you adapt to any economic climate.

Registration fee: $45 for each session.
Special offer: Register by November 30 for the complete four-part series for only $135...
YOU SAVE $45! Get four webinars for the price of three!

Click any title to get details and register.

• Special Offer: Complete Four-Part Series for $135
• Assessing Your Nonprofit's Financial Health, Tuesday, December 1
• Survival Strategies for Your Nonprofit, Thursday, December 3
• Strengthening Your Nonprofit's Income Portfolio, Tuesday, December 8
• Beyond the Recession: Building Sustainability, Thursday, December 10

Meeting Space in San Mateo

We just got notice from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) that it's planning to open a state-of-the-art conference center in San Mateo.  SVCF anticipates opening the facility in late January and hosting an open house in February 2010. Located at 1300 S. El Camino Real, the conference center is designed to offer free meeting space to community groups and accommodate SVCF events. The center will have three conference rooms that can host groups ranging from 50 to 160 attendees and will have video conferencing capabilities. Free meeting space seems always to be on the wish list for nonprofits, so thank you SVCF.

Win a Dream Home

Maybe you've seen an announcement from a nonprofit telling you how you could win the house of your dreams--just buy a raffle ticket.  From the top of my head I can think of two recent examples:  Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (I remember the ads in bus shelters this summer) and the current raffle at InnVision: The Way Home.  I wonder how these raffles work. Does the sponsoring nonprofit really raise money beyond expenses with this kind of raffle?  How many tickets does the group have to sell?  

Kathleen Pender's column in Sunday's Chronicle highlights the dream-home raffle phenomenon. The answer to both of my questions is, of course, it depends but Pender gives a good explanation of how and why it depends.  The column also lists what you should be aware of before buying a ticket; such as, the grand prize could be less than advertised; raffle tickets are not a tax-deductible charitable contribution; and, in California, nonprofits are not allowed to sell raffle tickets online.

This Week at the Foundation Center (November 16-20)

Tuesday, November 17, 5:30-6:45 pm Fundraising in a Challenging Economy

Wednesday, November 18, 5:30-7:00 pm Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits

Thursday, November 19, 5:00-6:30 pm Grantseeking Basics; and 6:30-7:30 pm Introduction to Foundation Directory Online

Friday, November 20, 1:00-2:15 pm Prospect Research Basics: Researching Individual Donors

Our library is open Monday through Friday free of charge and no appointment is necessary.

Library Hours:

Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday
10:00 am-5:00 pm
Wednesday
10:00 am-8:00 pm

Free Shipping in November on The 21st Century Nonprofit

This November, the Foundation Center is offering free shipping on our new edition of The 21st Century Nonprofit when you order online.

The second edition of this popular title explores the increasing emphasis on nonprofit governance, including accountability, transparency, and responsibility.

Revised chapters contain updated information on strategic and operational issues, such as long-term planning, marketing, and earned income. The new edition also provides a special discussion of the strategic issues facing nonprofits during times of recession and severe economic downturn.

Visit the Marketplace section of our web site for more information on this essential title or to view the table of contents for the publication. The 21st Century Nonprofit is available for just $39.95 with free shipping online this month. Order your copy today! >>

Submit Questions: The State of Corporate Giving in the Bay Area

Tomorrow's program featuring the top five corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area is going to focus specifically on how the current state of the economy is impacting corporate philanthropy and what lies ahead for 2010. This philanthropy forum, co-sponsored with the San Francisco Business Times and the Development Executives Roundtable, featuring regional corporate philanthropy trends has become something of an annual tradition. Since we last held this forum a year ago we have continued to see corporations shrink, merge or disappear from the landscape altogether, and of course nonprofits are facing similar challenges.  This timely session will explore the questions that are on many of our minds about the state of the economy and the fallout for philanthropy.

The program, The State of Corporate Giving in the Bay Area, will happen tomorrow from 12-2pm.  The session will feature representatives from the top five ranked corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area taken from the San Francisco Business Times' annual list.  Panelists will discuss current philanthropic strategies, giving forecasts for 2010 and beyond, and how corporate philanthropy responds during tough economic times.  Panelists include representatives from AT&T, Wells Fargo, Chevron, Bank of America, and Safeway.

I invite you to submit suggestions for questions that you would like asked of our panel of corporate philanthropy colleagues.  I know we have inquiring minds out there--please submit your questions now for consideration now by posting to our blog.

Tomorrow's program featuring the top five corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area is going to focus specifically on how the current state of the economy is impacting corporate philanthropy and what lies ahead for 2010. This philanthropy forum, co-sponsored with the San Francisco Business Times and the Development Executives Roundtable, featuring regional corporate philanthropy trends has become something of an annual tradition. Since we last held this forum a year ago we have continued to see corporations shrink, merge or disappear from the landscape altogether, and of course nonprofits are facing similar challenges.  This timely session will explore the questions that are on many of our minds about the state of the economy and the fallout for philanthropy.

The program, The State of Corporate Giving in the Bay Area, will happen tomorrow from 12-2pm.  The session will feature representatives from the top five ranked corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area taken from the San Francisco Business Times' annual list.  Panelists will discuss current philanthropic strategies, giving forecasts for 2010 and beyond, and how corporate philanthropy responds during tough economic times.  Panelists include representatives from AT&T, Wells Fargo, Chevron, Bank of America, and Safeway.

I invite you to submit suggestions for questions that you would like asked of our panel of corporate philanthropy colleagues.  I know we have inquiring minds out there--please submit your questions now for consideration now by posting to our blog.

New Foundation Center Map of Cross-border Giving

Our new Map of Cross-border Giving allows grantseekers to access a wealth of information on grants awarded by U.S. foundations to non-U.S. recipients. This interactive database includes detailed descriptions of grants awarded to over 12,000 international organizations totaling more than $8.5 billion. With this new resource, users can:

• Browse grants from U.S. grantmakers to non-U.S. recipient organizations using the interactive world map.
• Filter grants by fiscal year, grantmaker type, primary subject, recipient type, or type of support.
• View descriptions of over 30,000 grants to international organizations with information on the recipient, amount awarded, duration, type of support, description, and subject.
• Access detailed profiles of more than 1,400 funders, including contact information, giving interests and limitations, key financial data, and full copies of IRS returns for past years.
• Copy, print, or save maps for future reference. Data can also be exported as a spreadsheet file for further manipulation.

The Foundation Center's Map of Cross-border Giving is available by monthly or annual subscription. For more details, go to crossborder.foundationcenter.org or visit the Marketplace section of our web site.

Kidsdata.org is Now Statewide: Find Data for Every City, School District, and County in California

Data on the health and well being of children across California is now more accessible than ever before.

Kidsdata.org, a children’s health web site developed by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, just expanded statewide, offering data for all counties, cities, and school districts in California -- nearly 1,600 regions. Data are available for dozens of topics measuring the health and well being of children, and much more data will be phased in throughout 2010. Learn how kids in your community are faring use this data to support your case for support at http://www.kidsdata.org

Do you need data about children and families for your grant proposals or reports? Kidsdata.org can help you find the facts quickly and easily. The user-friendly site offers nearly 300 indicators of child health and well being, ranging from family economics and physical health to child safety and emotional health. You also can compare regions of interest and view comparable California data. Join us on Tuesday, December 15, 10:00 am-12:00 pm and learn how to get the most out of this web site for your work. To register, visit http://foundationcenter.org/sanfrancisco/training/wksf12_15.html.

New Funding Source for Artists and Others

Did you see the feature about Kickstarter in today's San Francisco Chronicle? The article describes Kickstarter as a crowd-funding web site.  The company's own web site calls itself  a "funding platform for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, inventors, explorers..."  As we know any kind of funding source/platform/vehicle for artists and other creative types is more than welcome.