Using the Whole Whale - A Nonprofit Podcast

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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

Tuesday Sep 14, 2021

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

Tuesday Sep 14, 2021

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."

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.

Summary

Tuesday Sep 07, 2021

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

Tuesday Sep 07, 2021

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.

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.

252: (news) Hurricane Ida & Afghanistan Nonprofit Response

Tuesday Aug 31, 2021

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.

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.

Feel-good stories from the Sector...

Mptree: A song that plants trees

Tuesday Aug 24, 2021

251: (news) Afghanistan Fundraising & Nonprofit Democracy Report

Tuesday Aug 24, 2021

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.

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.

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

Tuesday Aug 17, 2021

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

Wednesday Aug 04, 2021

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

Wednesday Aug 04, 2021

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.

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.

248: From Fellow to Fulltime - Kariesha Martinez exit interview

Thursday Jul 29, 2021

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.

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

247: (news) Bezos Blasts Off Donation & Nonprofit Trust Report

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

Nonprofit news for the week of 7/26/2021.

Bezos Blasts Off Into Space, Donates $200 Million

Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and the world’s wealthiest human, has announced a $200 million donation to the activist Van Jones and humanitarian chef José Andrés. The money, with no strings attached, was part of Bezos’ new “Courage and Civility Award.” Bezos announced the award shortly after returning to earth from a ride to space via his aerospace company Blue Origin’s spaceship.

New Report On Trust In Civil Society Released

The report, published by Independent Sector, finds that trust in institutions overall is declining across America, and that nonprofits and philanthropic organizations are not immune from this trend. While overall trust remains high, residents with lower income, lower education levels, and those who live in rural communities contributed to the downward tick in trust. Gen Z also exhibited decrease metrics when it comes to these institutions. How the public perceives nonprofits and philanthropic organizations broadly needs to be at the forefront of conversations around nonprofit development, fundraising, communication, and marketing.

Summary

Tuesday Jul 20, 2021

246:(news) Nonprofit Closure Trend & Steph Curry Joins NinetyToZero

Tuesday Jul 20, 2021

Nonprofitnewsfeed.com

200 Nonprofits Close In Minnesota, Indicative of Larger Trend

Between April of 2020 and March of 2021, 186 nonprofits stopped operations, according to data from the state of Minnesota. Hundreds of other nonprofits are believed to have downsized operations dramatically, indicating a substantial trend. Health, arts, and religious organizations were hurt most substantially. While this data only reflects nonprofits within Minnesota, Candid estimates that nearly one-third of nonprofits are in danger of closing within the next two years nationally. Coupled with record giving in 2020, this broad trend is indicative of an industry that’s slowly consolidating, as funding and resources increasingly flow to larger organizations at the expense of smaller organizations.

Steph Curry Partners With Nonprofit Venture NinetyToZero To Bridge Racial Wealth Gap

NBA superstar Steph Curry has partnered up with the nonprofit project NinetyToZero, which seeks to bridge the vast racial wealth divide within American society. The new organization, incubated by the Robinhood Foundation in partnership with Goldman Sachs and Starbucks, took its name from the reported disparity of wealth in America, particularly that white Americans hold approximately 90% more wealth than black Americans. With additional support from the ACLU and prominent figures in the social philanthropy world, the estimated economic benefit of closing the racial wealth gap in America is $1.5 trillion over the next decade.

245:(news) Fundraising Scrutiny & Frontline SMS Closes

Tuesday Jul 13, 2021

Online Fundraising Platforms Face Fresh Scrutiny

New scrutiny is being applied to the donation fundraising tactics of political fundraising platforms. After a New York Times expose highlighting potentially deceptive practices was released in April, fresh criticism has come in the form of an open inquiry being led by four democratic state attorneys general. The inquiry is into both the Republican platform WinRed and the Democratic platform ActBlue. Nonprofits, particularly those in the political and advocacy spaces, should watch this narrative closely as new rules may arise regarding how campaign-affiliated companies and organizations can procure online donations from the public.

FrontlineSMS Closes After 15 Years

The professional SMS messaging service FrontlineSMS has announced that it will be closing. The service, which provided users with a primarily free platform to communicate via SMS, will continue to be available as a free, fully open-source software on Windows, Mac, and Linux. In an open letter, FrontlineSMS CEO writes that “our products have been continuously used by community groups, service providers, and national governments alike, reaching tens of thousands of people a year. Over the last 15 years, we’ve supported users in 200 countries around the world with primarily free tools and support. We’ve been part of peer-reviewed academic studies, ground-breaking journalism, and the transformational change of life-saving systems – both as subject and as service provider.”