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Nonprofit News, Tech & Marketing Stories from Whole Whale, a Nationally Recognized Nonprofit Marketing Agency for over a decade. Founded in 2010, Whole Whale is a B-Corp that runs analytics, digital advertising, Google Ad Grants, and SEO for nonprofits.
Episodes
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
A lively discussion with Pat Duffy, the co-founder of The Giving Block about where crypto philanthropy is and important lessons from 2021. Is it time for your nonprofit to start accepting cryptocurrency? What are the questions and issues that might come up? We discuss the topic in depth.
Data from 2021 in Crypto Philanthropy from The Giving Block
- The total donation volume on The Giving Block in 2021 was
$69,644,535, an increase of 1,558% from 2020. - The average crypto donation size on The Giving Block in 2021 was
$10,455, an increase of 236% from the previous year. - NFT projects donated $12.3 million to charities via The Giving
Block in 2021. - Crypto donation volume increased every single quarter in 2021.
- The Giving Block’s Cause Funds (index funds for crypto
philanthropy), established in November, raised $418,200 in their
first two months. - The Giving Block’s Crypto Adoption Fund (a mission-agnostic index
fund for all pro-crypto nonprofits on the platform), established in
November, raised $444,700 in its first two months.
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
Pegasus Spyware Poses Major Threat To Civil Society Globally
In a detailed post released last week by Human Rights Watch, the global advocacy organization details the exact ways that its Crisis and Conflict director was targetted by the Pegasus spyware “five times between April and August 2021.” The breach was “peer reviewed” by Amnesty International’s Security Lab, where it was determined that hackers had used a “zero-click exploit,” which means that no action has to be taken by the victim to initiate the breach. The sofwtare, made by the company NSO Group, has been purchased by multiple governments. Reporting by the New York Times uncovered that the FBI had purchased the software before deciding not to use it.
Read more ➝
National Blood Donation Crisis
Arizonans are working hard to organize blood drives, amid a national blood donation crisis. The American Red Cross estimates that a 62% drop in college and high school blood drives are partially able to explain the national shortage. According to the report, many hospitals in Tucson have had to cancel elective surguries as the state sees a two-year low in blood donations. Learn more about donating blood from the American Red Cross.
Read more ➝
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Tuesday Jan 25, 2022
Nonprofit news for the week of Jan 24th, 2022.
‘Red Flags’ At Nonprofit Backing U.S. Capitol Rioters
Experts see lots to worry about with the far-right endorsed Patriot Freedom Fund, a registered nonprofit organization fundraising money to support people charged with crimes involving the events of January 6th, 2021. As reported by NPR, the fund, led by an avid supporter of the U.S. Capitol rioters, and backed by far-right nationalists (chiefly Steve Bannon) , is sourcing donations using cryptocurrency. However, many nonprofit experts and even backers themselves are upset with the lack of transparency, lack of independent oversight, and potential failure to meet legal requirements. Laurie Styron, chief executive of rating organization CharityWatch, said the fund would undoubtedly receive a failing grade.
Read more ➝
ICRC Data Breached By Hackers
As reported by The NonProfit Times, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements have been targeted by hackers in what amounts to a significant data breach. Nearly 515,000 clients have had data stolen, according to organization communications. Those clients were part of the effort to help “people separated by migration, violence, war and other causes,” according to The NonProfit Times.
Read more ➝
Summary
- Chicago Public Media acquiring Chicago Sun-Times as nonprofit newsroom (The Spokesman Review)
- FBI investigates Minnesota nonprofit for allegedly misusing millions of dollars meant to feed kids (KARE11.com)
- Nonprofit proposes $50 million low-cost housing project on industrial site near Truax Field on North Side (madison.com)
- Bay Area Student-Run Nonprofit Offers Free STEAM Virtual Classes (Patch.com)
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Draws Thousands To Community Service Across Country
From Des Moines to Portland to Charleston and everywhere in between, thousands of volunteers across the country participated in a national day of service, often in partnership with local-based nonprofit and community organizations. MLK Day is the only federally-recognized national day of service and is usually focused on helping local communities. This Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day also saw renewed calls for commitments to civil rights ideals from community leaders and activists.
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Acquisition of Classy By GoFundMe Represents Continued, Fast-Paced Consolidation Of Nonprofit Fundraising Space
As reported by The NonProfit Times, nonprofit fundraising platform Classy has been purchased by the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. We encourage readers to read the full report in The NonProfit Times. Over $1.1 billion was raised on the Classy platform in 2021 alone, and since its inception, GoFundMe has raised more than $15 billion. This most recent announcement comes on the heels of the purchase of EveryAction by a private equity firm, and the Blackbaud purchase of Everfi for $750 million. All three deals have been publicly announced within the last two weeks.
Read more ➝
Summary
- 2020 Census Memo Cites ‘Unprecedented’ Meddling by Trump Administration (NY Times)
- Twin Cities nonprofits face critical shortages of volunteers amid omicron surge (Star Tribune)
- How Nonprofits Helped Fuel the Opioid Crisis (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
- A Look Inside NYC’s Supervised Drug-Injection Sites, The First In The Nation
(Gothamist) - Local pet adoption nonprofit honors Betty White, holds fundraiser as part of nationwide challenge (CBS17.com)
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Tuesday Jan 11, 2022
Nonprofit News for mid January.
Acquisition of Network For Good, Backed By Provide Equity Firm, Rolls Up Numerous Nonprofit Technology Products
The same venture firm that brought EveryAction, Social Solutions and CyberGrants under one corporate roof has added Network For Good to its roster. The as yet unnamed umbrella firm is being funded by UK-based private equity group Apax Partners LLP. As reported by The Nonprofit Times, “terms of the deal were not disclosed but industry experts estimated the addition to be worth north of $300 million and a combined value in the neighborhood of $3 billion for the combined operations.” Network For Good operates both a tax exempt organization and a B Corps tech company that manages the CRM. Coupled with EveryAction’s recent acquisitions, EveryAction, Salsa Labs, GiveGab, Mobilize, Social Solutions, CyberGrants and other nonprofit tech platforms now are all backed by the same PE firm representing a consolidation of the space.
Read more ➝
Pew Research Center Releases Top 2021 Findings
The Pew Research Center has released a cohesive roundup of top social trends and findings throughout 2021. Nonprofit organizations should stay on top of larger narrative shifts, national conversations, and a changing landscape when it comes to public engagement, particularly on social and political issues. Among these findings: 72% of Americans say they know someone who was hospitalized or died from Covid-19, voter turnout increased in every single state in 2020, and the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans has increased 10% from a decade ago.
Read more ➝
Summary
Thursday Jan 06, 2022
Thursday Jan 06, 2022
More than 167,000 children have been robbed, by COVID-19, of a parent, grandparent, or other in-home caregiver on whom they had relied for their social, developmental needs. This estimate is from a new report from COVID Collaborative and Social Policy Analytics that explores the number, characteristics, and needs of these highly vulnerable children and offers policymakers a way forward to help them.
The effort was led by Dan Treglia, who joins us on this episode of Using the Whole Whale. Dan is an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, CEO of Social Policy Analytics, and our Research and Evaluation Whaler.
Read the report here. Want to learn more about the study, or how your nonprofit can help these children? Reach out to Dan at dtreglia@gmail.com.
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
Nonprofits Struggle To Compete With For-Profit Businesses For Staff
Amid rising inflation, rising wages, decreased unemployment, and the so-called “great resignation,” nonprofit organizations are struggling to maintain and hire staff, according to reporting from The New York Times. While for-profit businesses lost more jobs during the pandemic, the nonprofit sector has struggled more to rehire, according to recent data. Total nonprofit employment was 4.8% below pre-pandemic levels, compared with for-profit companies that see just a 1.5% gap. Amid higher costs of living and other external factors, nonprofits are often struggling to offer wages to maintain or rehire staff, due largely to fixed and limited financial resources.
Read more ➝
Summary
- Franklin A. Thomas, Pathbreaking Ford Foundation President, Dies at 87 (NY Times)
- How the merger of United Way and other organizations will impact Knoxville nonprofits in 2022
- Russian Court Orders Liquidation of the Human Rights Group Memorial
- Third Quarter Fundraising: Dollars Increased From Fewer Gifts (NP Times)
- Oregon nonprofit that helps homeless families gets grant from Jeff Bezos' Day 1 Families Fund
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Nick Azulay, Maura Paxton and George Weiner share their predictions for the nonprofit industry in 2022. They cover Email shifts, USPS hikes, social movements associated with the election and potential Roe V. Wade rulings and many other trends that may come.
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Nonprofit Job Gains Slow As Sector Approaches Pre-Pandemic Employment Levels
According to data from the Center for Civil Society Studies (CCSS) at Johns Hopkins University as reported by the Nonprofit Times, nonprofit job growth slowed in November but shows that most nonprofit categories are expected to achieve near full employment by the end of the year. While nonprofits have recovered nearly 70% of lost jobs since the beginning of the pandemic, there remain approximately 485,000 missing jobs (of the initial 1.64 million lost). Nonprofit arts and entertainment organizations have seen the slowest recovery, down 13% of their jobs compared to before the pandemic.
Read more ➝
What To Know About The Log4j Vulnerability
Nonprofit open-source software organization Apache Software Foundation has announced a vulnerability that, left unresolved, poses a glaring cybersecurity threat across global commercial, corporate, and government networks. The Log4j vulnerability opens up the possibility of a significant breach in the form of malware, ransomware, and other attacks. The U.S. government has been working alongside cybersecurity experts to determine next steps while Microsoft has already identified threats from suspected state-backed actors in China and Iran. Read more about how companies are addressing the problem.
Read more ➝
Summary
- Environmental nonprofits receive just 2% of charitable dollars (Fast Company).
- How NFTs are helping charities and nonprofits fundraise (Denver Channel)
- Nonprofit Nazareth Child and Family Connection, nonprofits feel effects of 'great resignation' - Salisbury Post
- Foster care crisis is 'out of control' in Texas, with both children and staff in danger
- Letters to Santa in Braille: How a Lancaster nonprofit is helping kids who are visually impaired this Christmas (Lancaster Online)
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Weekly news from NonprofitNewsfeed.com
Elon Musk Dubbed “Troll Philanthropist” In New York Times
Elon Musk’s high-profile brush with the typically staid world of philanthropy is generating waves. Famously getting into a public ruff with the World Food Programme (WFP) over how much money it would take to “solve world hunger,” one researcher at the Urban Institute notes that Musk “doesn’t seem to care much about using his philanthropy to curry public favor.” Within large public conversations about the role of philanthropy, effective altruism, and corporate social responsibility, Musk’s role in shaping that conversation is noteworthy.
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Patagonia CEO Represents New Movement In For-Profit Activism
Not to be outdone by Musk’s philanthropic adventures, Patagonia’s new CEO Ryan Gellert has reengaged the outdoor retailer’s commitment to bold actions on climate and sustainability. Patagonia, a B Corporation (like Whole Whale, the creators of this fine newsletter) has recommitted to bold commitments within the corporate sustainability movement. Patagonia has committed to giving 1% of its sales to environmental groups. The company is on track to do almost $1 billion in sales this year.
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Summary
- Children, Coping With Loss, Are Pandemic’s ‘Forgotten Grievers’
- How Tech Is Helping Poor People Get Government Aid
- Wikipedia's first ever edit is being auctioned as an NFT
- Conservative members of Congress share Christmas photos with guns, receive donations from pro-gun rights groups
- Pandemic financially devastated minority-led nonprofits | State | stardem.com
- Nonprofit uses blacksmithing to support service members with PTSD