GuideStar Blog

This morning, Greg Ulrich of Hope Consulting and I participated in a host of interviews with radio and TV stations across the country to talk about how donors can make more effective giving decisions.

One of the most thought provoking books I’ve read over the last few years is The Starfish and the Spider by Rod Beckstrom and Ori Brafman. I was reminded about it as I listened to Bill Drayton’s acceptance speech as he was awarded the Independent Sector’s John W. Gardner Leadership Award for his ground-breaking work with social entrepreneurs at Ashoka. Drayton said organizational change is accelerating at the same pace that Moore’s law is changing computers and predicted that the change to come in organizational structure is “bigger than the industrial revolution and even the digital revolution.” This rate of change means today’s systems and institutions can no longer work. Drayton observed that for hundreds of years the world ran on “hierarchy and repetition.” Now this approach doesn’t work anymore. Relying solely on hierarchy – we’ve come to term them command and control systems – are no longer able to respond quickly or sufficiently enough. Depending on repetition to ensure authority and trust has been replaced by an explosion of information from all directions, thanks to the Internet and new technologies. Drayton believes the only way out of this dilemma is to tear down the walls and make everyone into a change maker. To cause change, we need to create teams – not hierarchies – and make sure that all the pieces are working together. The job of the leader is helping to set the goal and getting everyone to agree on it.

Until a little over a week ago, updating board members or senior managers in a nonprofit's profile meant entering each name separately. One. by. one. GuideStar Exchange members hated that, and we weren't thrilled with it, either.

At Minnesota Philanthropy Partners, we work with individual donors who are eager to learn about high-impact organizations. We strive to create engaging, accessible and informative tools that help our donors not only learn about nonprofits but also inspire them to invest their charitable dollars in the community. One tool we provide that helps donors fulfill upon this is MNSights, our bi-annual magazine.

The last quarter of the year, known as the "giving season," is a crucial time for both charities and donors. Half of the nonprofits that participated in a 2010 fundraising survey reported that they receive the majority of contributions during the last three months of the year, and online giving has peaked at the end of December in recent years.

As the economy continues to squeeze donors, a recent report conducted by Campbell Rinker showed disturbing results—that nearly 7 in 10 Americans say they will give more sparingly to charities in the coming months. As a result, more organizations are looking to find ways for donors to help them financially without having to dip into their pocketbooks again. Here are eight ways organizations can ask supporters to raise money without writing a check:

Guess what? GuideStar and KIMBIA have teamed up again this giving season for another contest! If your organization is a 501(c)(3) public charity or private operating foundation then it could be eligible to win $5000 in the GuideStar-KIMBIA 2011 Giving Contest. The contest runs from November 1 to December 31. Here’s how to participate:

Earning $1,000 for your organization may be easier than you think. Just obtain the GuideStar Exchange seal for your organization, then enter the 2009 GuideStar Exchange Giveaway.