Using the Whole Whale - A Nonprofit Podcast

257: (news) Billions Pledged at UN & Crypto Giving Trend

The nonprofit news summary for the last week of September!

 

The Giving Block Expects To Process $100M In Crypto Donations In 2021

The Giving Block, a cryptocurrency giving solution for nonprofits, reports that it expects to process over $100 million in donations by the end of 2021. In a press release, The Giving Block estimates that 2021 has represented the highest amount of cryptocurrency donations in any year and expects to 2022 to be even higher. As the trend of major nonprofit organizations accepting cryptocurrency donations continues, fundraising professionals should expect and prepare for a rise in donations via crypto heading into the EOY and 2022, especially among millennials and Gen-Z. (Disclosure: The Giving Block is a client of Whole Whale.)

Private Foundations Announce Plans To Give $Billions Towards Food, Health, & Climate Projects At UN General Assembly

Private philanthropic foundations including the Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and others have announced sweeping investments in protecting global infrastructure particularly around nutrition, vaccine access, and climate mitigation. The announcement came at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, the yearly and preeminent global meeting of world leaders. The announced projects coincide with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs which seek to guide global efforts to address systemic issues.

 

Summary

 

• Afghan Nonprofit Workers Desperately Scramble to Evacuate
• National Philanthropic Trust Donor-Recommended Grants to Charities Grow 179% to $6.46B During FY 2021
• SpaceX’s Inspiration4 Campaign for St. Jude Surpasses $200M Fundraising Goal
• Feel-good story: https://www.gofundme.com/f/increase-student-engagement-in-science 

 

 

256: (news) Haiti Supply Chain Issues & Omaze lands $85M Funding

nonprofitnewsfeed.com

 

Global Supply Chain Shortages Disrupt NGO Operations In Haiti & Elsewhere

The New York Times reports that many nonprofit organizations and international NGOs are facing severe shortages of goods, disrupting their charitable operations. The global supply chain issues, largely attributed to the pandemic, have caused headaches for groups like the Haitian American Caucus, which provides the shoes at low cost to sellers in Haiti. “That pair of shoes represents so much more,” says executive director Samuel Darguin. “It represents a mother being able to send a kid to school, being able to afford health care and feed her family maybe two meals a day instead of one.” In the United States, nonprofit Soles4Souls, which also supplies the Haitian American Caucus with shoes, was forced to cut back its program to distribute shoes to homeless children in America.

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Sweepstakes Fundraising Platform Omaze Raises $85 Million in VC Funding

The lottery and sweepstakes fundraising platform Omaze has announced that it has raised over $85 million in Series C venture capital funding, according to this report from Axios. In addition to funding from traditional investors, celebrities Bono, Kerry Washington, and Tom Brady are also named as investors. According to Omzae CEO Matt Pohlson, “90% of a participating charity's donors via Omaze haven't donated to that organization before.”

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Summary

• The Activist: reality TV show to be ‘reimagined’ as documentary after backlash
• 2021 Nonprofit Organizations Salary and Benefits Report – The Non-Profit Times
• International Day of Peace | United Nations
• Record $1.7 Billion From Vanguard's DAF Donors

255: Planned Giving & The One Thing to Know

Planned giving can be difficult for nonprofits to incorporate into their giving strategy but it shouldn't be according to our guest Tony Martignetti. Tony, the evangelist for Planned Giving, shares how and why nonprofits that are over 5 years old should be adopting this fundraising strategy. 

 

About Tony

Tony Martignetti is the evangelist for Planned Giving. He’s been starting and growing Planned Giving programs since 1997. A former attorney, he’s now launched Planned Giving Accelerator, a membership community to create 1,000+ new Planned Giving programs in the U.S. It’s at PlannedGivingAccelerator.com. 

He’s also the aptly-named host of Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio, the #1 podcast for nonprofits, with 13,000+ weekly listeners in small- and mid-size orgs. It’s Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%. It’s at tonymartignetti.com

 

On Twitter: @tonymartignetti

254: (news) Nonprofit Reality Show & 9/11 Day of Service

Nonprofit News for September 13th, 2021

Nonprofits Honor Anniversary of 9/11 With Day Of Service

On the 20th anniversary of the events of September 11th, 2001, nonprofits across the country have made the solemn day one not only of remembrance—but one of giving back to communities. The nonprofit 9/11 Day, started by two friends, one of whom lost a brother in the attacks, seeks to encourage positive acts of kindness throughout the country every September. “The whole idea of it is to ensure that each one of us every 9/11 take time to think about all we have in common,” says organization co-founder David Paine. “We're not as divided as we think we are,” he adds. 9/11 Day’s Executive Director Ryan Walls says that September 11th is the nation’s largest day of service, and that last year “about 29 million people took part in some act of service or charitable engagement."

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CBS Launches Reality TV Show “The Activist.” Activists Aren’t Happy.

A new reality TV show has entered CBS’s lineup called “The Activist.” The premise, while novel, has garnered lots of negative critiques from advocates and activists alike. The show will feature “activists” who use social media to advocate for a cause. The success of these on-air “activists” will be measured in social media metrics like “online engagement” and “social metrics.” Those featured on the show will get a chance to go to the G20 and petition their cause in front of world leaders. While some might say the show is one for an era defined by social media and digital activism, others criticize the show’s focus on social media attention in favor of real activists making on-the-ground change.

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Summary

• Texas Women Are Now Going Online for Abortion Pills Info After State's New Ban, Says Nonprofit
• Nonprofit gives $100 for every shot given at vaccine clinic
• United Way Worldwide Picks Williams As New CEO
• Lil Nas X raising funds for Central Florida LGBTQ nonprofit with his upcoming album release

253: (news) HRC President Fired & Afghan Refugee Support

Nonprofit news from the sector.

 

Human Rights Campaign President Fired After Ties To Cuomo

Alphonso David, President of Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, was ousted due to ties to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. After contentious internal decision-making, David was fired for his reported role in assisting Cuomo with responses to accusations of sexual misconduct. David, who insists he did nothing wrong, says that he supported bringing in an external law firm to conduct an investigation into his involvement with Cuomo’s office. David, a long-time advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, had been hired two years ago by HRC after previously serving as Cuomo’s chief counsel.

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Desire To Help Afghans Bridges Contentious Political Divisions

Across the country Americans, largely regardless of political affiliation, are mobilizing to support Afghan refugees fleeing the country after its takeover by the Taliban. In a rare show of bipartisan support around the otherwise contentious issue of immigration and refugee assistance, Americans of all creeds are volunteering, donating, and working with their communities to prepare to welcome the thousands of Afghans who will be eventually settling in America. While detractors remain, nonprofits that assist with refugee resettlement are seeing an outpouring of support from communities.

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Summary

• Nonprofit to boost COVID resources in Hispanic communities
• Nonprofit Works To Break The 'Grass Ceiling' In Missouri Cannabis Industry
• Fast Food Punks Raise Nearly $600K for Charity
• International Day of Charity 2021: History, Significance
• After Losing Job In New York City, Chef Starts Nonprofit To Feed Veterans, Long Islanders In Need
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252: (news) Hurricane Ida & Afghanistan Nonprofit Response

Weekly nonprofit news summaries.

 

 

Nonprofits And Volunteer Organizations Step Up in Wake of Hurricane Ida

After Category 4 Hurricane Ida made landfall in south Louisiana on Sunday, organizations on the ground are already stepping up to help their neighbors. The organization Shreveport Volunteer Network, a community-based emergency response coalition, has partnered with other local organizations like the United Cajun Navy to provide emergency response in the wake of the hurricane. One of the strongest storms to hit Louisiana since Hurricane Katrina, folks in southern LA will need disaster assistance and then a long-road plan to recovery. Learn more about organizations working to help here.

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Follow-Up: GoFundMe Campaign Helps More Than 300 People Flee Afghanistan

A viral GoFundMe campaign that we previously highlighted has successfully evacuated approximately 300+ people from Kabul, according to reporting from the Seattle Times. Two organizations that helped with the logistics include the group Sayara International, a global development firm, and the Rockefeller Foundation. The folks who fled on this mission were brought to Uganda, where they will be temporarily sheltered in Kampala. The security situation in Kabul continued to deteriorate late last week with ISIS attacks that killed dozens.

Read more ➝

 

Summary

• GoFundMe Money for LGBTQ Afghans Is Frozen 'Due to Taliban Control'
• How to help Ida victims, right now and avoid scams
• Shreveport Volunteers taking donations for Hurricane Ida
• Tulsa nonprofit preparing to welcome Afghan refugees to Oklahoma
• 5 Years of Nonprofit Fundraising Stats: [2015 to 2020] And 6 Trends to Know

 Feel-good stories from the Sector...

• Mptree: A song that plants trees

251: (news) Afghanistan Fundraising & Nonprofit Democracy Report

 

Viral Fundraiser For Afghans Pits Bountiful Generosity Versus A Logistical Nightmare

A GoFundMe hosted by an “Instagram personality” has generated well over $5 million in funds in an effort to support the airlift of vulnerable people attempting to flee Afghanistan. Only one problem — organizing an evacuation from a war zone isn’t exactly easy. The funds are slated to go to a group called Raven Advisory, which has a history of providing security support in Afghanistan. According to a spokesperson,  “The funds raised are being used to engage trusted aircraft, crews, and security operations teams. The focus will remain on extracting as many people as possible as quickly and as safely as possible.” Additional unspent funds are said to go to the nonprofit International Women’s Media Foundation. However, some experts are more pessimistic, asserting that any efforts will run smack into the U.S. Immigration system. The labyrinthine process of obtaining a visa (necessary for U.S. entry) might be one logistical hurdle too many. Nonprofits should consider that while the exact logistics of a grassroots mission of this complexity might be unrealistic, the mounting public pressure spurred by such viral fundraisers have intrinsic value as an expression of a desire among Americans to protect Afghans. 

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Nonprofits Can Shape Democracy, Report Finds

A new report by the organization Nonprofit Vote, as reported by Business Insider, shows that nonprofits have real staying power when it comes to helping get out the vote, especially in traditionally underserved or underrepresented communities. The group, analyzing organizations within their consortium, found that nonprofits helped more than 600,000 people vote. They also found that “underrepresented communities, including people of color, low-income earners, and those without college educations, saw the biggest increases in turnout when engaged by nonprofits.” It should be no surprise that local nonprofits are better equipped to move the needle in historically underrepresented communities, but the data show that they can do so with rigor. Nonprofits shouldn’t underestimate their power to help the communities they serve to elevate the voices of their beneficiaries.

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Summary

• Nonprofit expecting to welcome around 80,000 Afghan refugees over the next couple years
• Turmoil Was Brewing at Time’s Up Long Before Cuomo
• I am an Afghan woman working for a western NGO in Kabul. I feel forgotten
• Donors Send Quake Aid to Haiti, but for How Long?

250: (news) Afghanistan & Haiti - How Nonprofits are Responding

Nonprofit News for the week of 8/16/2021

 

Earthquake Rattles Haiti, Nonprofits & NGOs Step Up In Shadow of Previous Quake Response

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake rattled Haiti over the weekend, a devastating blow for a country already in the midst of a severe political crisis. The quake, the epicenter of which was located west of Port-au-Prince, initially seemed less catastrophic as it occurred in a less densely populated area, but the emergency need still exists. While the last earthquake response generated unprecedented levels of giving (as well as scrutiny of the effectiveness of vast sums raised) the need again exists for disaster response. Major disaster response organizations, like Americares, already have campaigns set up to direct aid. This Massachusetts-based but local Haitian organization is one of many established local organizations that are well-equipped to help communities on the ground. The Chief Executive of the organization, Mission E4, says that "organizations who are not established already, who don't speak the language, who don't already understand the culture, it takes them a lot longer to get up and running,” and would “encourage people to fund organizations who are already there and established.” 

Kabul Falls To Taliban, NGO & Activist Progress Set Back With Unprecedented Speed

After 20 years of U.S. military presence, the withdrawal of U.S. troops has culminated in chaos as the Taliban has taken control of Kabul, the Afghan capital. After progress on fronts like girls’ education, and human rights, the country again faces the rule of the Taliban, with strict, terror-adjacent laws and rules. This Seattle-based nonprofit that operates in Afghanistan is concerned about the safety and well-being of both the girls they’ve taught and the teachers they’ve hired. The setback to the organization, Sahar, and others just like might be the tip of the iceberg for NGOs that operate in the region.

 

Summary

• To stop another COVID wave, fund the nonprofits that vulnerable Bay Area residents trust
• USF nonprofit accounting manager steals millions, spends on "adult" website
• Meet Our 2021 John W. Gardner Leadership Award Recipients – Dr. Gail C. Christopher and Professor john a. powell
• Begins Monday: Louisiana COVID relief program offering up to $25K to nonprofits, small businesses

 

 

249: (news) Half of U.S. Gives & ASPCA Overhead Questions

Nonprofitnewsfeed.com

 

 

ASPCA Faces Criticism Over Programming Expense Ratio

The ASCPA, known as one of the largest and most publicly visible animal welfare nonprofits within the United States, is facing criticism highlighted in this CBS News spot over how it spends its donations. According to the report, only 47% of all donations go towards programs that directly help animals, while the rest goes to “public education,” “fundraising,” and “management.” The ASPCA gained notoriety for its heartbreaking TV commercials of animals in need, but according to some perspectives, these advertisements don’t tell the full picture of how that money is being spent. Of the 2 billion raised since 2008, the ASPCA gave only 7% of the total raised to local SPCA affiliated local groups, while a much larger percentage goes to national fundraising campaigns.

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New Report Shows Less Than Half of U.S. Households Donate To Charity

In a report from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, for the first time, less than half of U.S. households gave money to charity, as reported by The Times Leader. While the report’s data is only as recent as 2018, it shows that the trend is downward in terms of the percentage of Americans who are donating. Coupled with record-level giving in 2020, the picture created by these studies is that philanthropic and charitable giving is consolidating, that is, being initiated by a more select group of people.

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Summary

• If You Want to Work for Our Nonprofit, You Need to Get Vaccinated
• Owner donates $28 million Biloxi casino site to a MS Coast nonprofit
• Catalytic converters stolen from Columbus nonprofit's meal delivery vans, other vehicles
• NPT Power & Influence Top 50 (2021)

 

 

248: From Fellow to Fulltime - Kariesha Martinez exit interview

After two great years at Whole Whale, Kariesha Martinez, Senior Marketing Associate is moving on. She shares how the Whole Whale Fellowship program works, what she learned over two years and other advice/thoughts for the company.