Brainshark Awards Technology Grants to Six Outstanding Non-Profits as Part of the Company’s Non-Profit Program

It's always great when business teams up with nonprofit and I especially love it when business steps up to the plate and provides grants, especially technology grants.  Additionally, while the nonprofit community is often slower to adopt newer technology than the business community, so much can be gained by nonprofits modeling their business counterparts.  See how six nonprofits will be using technology to enhance their worthy missions.  Maybe some good ideas for you and your organization?  Bunnie

Brainshark Awards Technology Grants to Six Outstanding Non-Profits as Part of the Company’s Non-Profit Program

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, DAMMAD, FSG Social Impact Advisors, Hope Foundation, Road Runners Club of America and Summer Advantage USA Use Brainshark to Strengthen Training Programs and Promote Their Missions

Brainshark, Inc., the leader in on-demand multimedia for business, recently announced the six latest grant recipients in its Non-Profit Program. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS); Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers (DAMMAD), Inc.; FSG Social Impact Advisors (FSG); the Hope Foundation’s eLearn initiative; Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) and Summer Advantage USA have received a free one-year Brainshark software license – letting them harness the benefits of on-demand multimedia to cost-effectively increase their reach and impact.

With Brainshark’s Web-based platform, organizations can communicate faster and more effectively than ever before, cutting training time in half and reducing the costs associated with previous communications methods – including face-to-face meetings and Web conferencing – by up to 90%. Through its Non-Profit Program, Brainshark awards one-year technology licenses on a quarterly basis. This enables non-profit organizations to use Brainshark’s enterprise-class solutions to create, edit and distribute high-impact, multimedia content – incorporating voice narration, video, survey questions and more – that can be viewed online, on demand. Using Brainshark’s tracking capabilities, these organizations also get deep visibility into the impact and effectiveness of their communications.

The latest grant recipients plan to use Brainshark as follows:

• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: LLS is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. Its mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. The organization plans to use Brainshark’s audio and visual capabilities to deliver high-impact communications that galvanize potential partners and donors, help fund cancer research, and spread awareness of blood cancer and LLS’ mission. Brainshark will also be used to promote LLS’ “Light the Night” fundraising walk and its “Team in Training” charity sports training program.

• Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug Dealers: DAMMAD is an anti-drug organization committed to addressing drug trafficking, prescription drug abuse and illicit drug use in the state of New Hampshire. The organization plans to use Brainshark to educate students, parents and local communities on the dangers and consequences of drug abuse. DAMMAD has created the following Brainshark presentation to educate the community on the dangers of methamphetamine: http://www.brainshark.com/dammad/vu?pi=zHEzEHbboz1PaUz0 . Overall, this education and community awareness campaign will reach approximately 130,000 students and 891,000 residents across New Hampshire.

• FSG Social Impact Advisors: Through its work with leading foundations, corporations, governments and non-profits, FSG helps to accelerate social progress by advancing the practice of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. The organization will use Brainshark to engage, educate, inform and motivate key influencers, funders, clients and other stakeholders. FSG also plans to use Brainshark to enhance and expedite the creation of professional development and training presentations. In addition, FSG will leverage on-demand presentations for marketing and training activities associated with its subsidiary division, Community Foundation Insights.

• Hope Foundation: The Hope Foundation’s eLearn initiative is working to alleviate poverty in rural and semi-urban districts in India by providing education and training to the local communities. The foundation plans to use Brainshark to provide on-the-job training to working adults across India so they can improve their employment prospects and obtain higher wage jobs. Brainshark will also be used to train the foundation’s 5,000 accredited partners – who are responsible for training approximately 100,000 adults enrolled in the program. To learn more about the program, view the following Brainshark presentation: http://www.brainshark.com/hopefoundation/vu?pi=zGuzbYUDFz1sBdz0 .

• Road Runners Club of America: The RRCA is the national association of running clubs, running events and runners whose mission is to represent and promote the sport of running through education, leadership, programs and other services. The RRCA has more than 1,100 running clubs and events annually, and represents more than 175,000 members. The organization plans to use Brainshark to develop and administer a comprehensive race director certification course, complete with testing. As part of these efforts, the RRCA will develop narrated Brainshark training modules, based on the book Organizing Running Events by Phil Stewart. The RRCA will also use Brainshark in its development of an online training course for adults interested in leading/coaching youth running programs and in the development of free orientation modules for volunteers. RCCA has created the following Brainshark presentation to educate certified coaches about the organization’s general and professional liability insurance program: http://www.brainshark.com/rrca/vu?pi=zGvzWM7NSz1sTqz0 .

• Summer Advantage USA: Summer Advantage USA provides rigorous academic programming and enrichment activities to children in grades K-8 during the summer months to prepare them for success in high school, college and beyond. Launched only a year ago, Summer Advantage USA is already serving more than 3,000 children in Indiana and is expanding its efforts across other states. The organization plans to use Brainshark to train thousands of educators – helping to reach its goal of serving more than 100,000 students during the next five years. Summer Advantage USA will also use Brainshark’s software to educate parents, school leaders, government officials and policymakers about its mission, results and partnership opportunities. For more information about the organization and its mission, view the following Brainshark presentation: http://www.brainshark.com/summeradvantageusa/vu?pi=36716846 .

“We’re excited to announce the next round of non-profit grant recipients and applaud their plans to implement far-reaching and well-thought-out communication campaigns,” said Brainshark CEO Joe Gustafson. “In providing access to an easy-to-use, compelling and trackable communication solution, we look forward to helping these organizations spread awareness of their missions among key constituencies and achieve their communications goals.”

In addition to awarding grants, the Brainshark Non-Profit Program also provides the Standard Edition of the Brainshark platform at a 40% discount for eligible non-profits. These include registered 501(c)(3) organizations (or their equivalent outside the U.S.). Other eligibility requirements apply. For more information, please view the following two-minute Brainshark presentation, which provides a program overview and a link to the grant application: http://www.brainshark.com/brainsharkinc/NPOGrant .

Interested non-profits can also take advantage of Brainshark’s free website, myBrainshark.com, which allows anyone to create multimedia presentations that are search-engine optimized and can be shared via e-mail or embedded within a website or blog.

About Brainshark, Inc.


Brainshark is the leader in on-demand multimedia for business, transforming static business content into high-impact communications. Delivered via Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Brainshark enables audiences to access and engage with business content when and how they want. More than 1,200 companies – including a third of the Fortune 100 – rely on Brainshark software and services to help sales, marketing, training and HR experts cost-effectively deliver measurable results. In addition, organizations and individuals use the myBrainshark site to create, share and track multimedia presentations for free. For more information on these offerings, visit www.brainshark.com.

Assessing Associations' Identity Theft Red Flags and Risks

Here's the second half of the article I posted a couple of weeks ago by Thomas A. Cohn and Jeffrey S. Tennenbaum at Venable, LLP.  Assessing Associations Identity Theft Red Flags and Risks This would be a sample worksheet to help you assess your risk.  It's probably be helpful to you to re-read the above article before beginning this one.  We hear so much about identity theft these days and certainly no database is safe, but it is incumbent on nonprofits to do everything they can to keep people's most sensitive information safe.  Bunnie

ASSESSMENT OF ASSOCIATION’S ACCOUNTS/SERVICES, METHODS FOR OPENING ACCOUNTS, METHODS FOR ACCESSING ACCOUNTS

[Association] allows customers to open and access accounts and conduct transactions in-person, by mail, by telephone, and online [modify and change accordingly, both here and on following charts, to eliminate any irrelevant charts or portions thereof]. The risk of identity theft relating to the type of account, and the means of opening and accessing accounts and conducting transactions, are assessed below:

IN-PERSON


Accounts Offered Interaction IDT Experience Risk

Large corporate accounts

Small corporate accounts

[insert any other distinct types of account]

Sole proprietorship/ individual accounts

The overall risk rating for account opening, accessing accounts, and conducting transactions in person is [low/medium/high].

BY MAIL

Accounts Offered Interaction IDT Experience Risk

Large corporate accounts

Small corporate accounts

[insert any other distinct types of account]

Sole proprietorship/ individual accounts

The overall risk rating for account opening, accessing accounts, and conducting transactions in person is [low/medium/high].

BY TELEPHONE

Accounts Offered Interaction IDT Experience Risk

Large corporate accounts

Small corporate accounts

[insert any other distinct types of account]

Sole proprietorship/ individual accounts

The overall risk rating for account opening, accessing accounts, and conducting transactions in person is [low/medium/high].

ONLINE

Accounts Offered Interaction IDT Experience Risk

Large corporate accounts

Small corporate accounts

[insert any other distinct types of account]

Sole proprietorship/ individual accounts


[Note: In determining the association's risk regarding accounts/services and methods for opening and accessing accounts/services, you should review all types of accounts/services offered to customers, and note any restrictions on accounts/service availability that might mitigate risk. Also, review all methods for opening and accessing accounts/services and any restrictions that might mitigate risk.]

ASSESSMENT OF ASSOCIATION'S PRIOR EXPERIENCES WITH INFORMATION SECURITY BREACHES AND/OR IDENTITY THEFT CONCERNING CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS

[Association] had [number] data security breach[es] in XXXX, 200X [if true, and modify number and response accordingly]. No customer account information was accessed, and no customer accounts were accessed. In response to this breach, [Association] ______________________ [e.g., monitored accounts for a period of X months and instituted additional identification checks for accessing customer accounts to conduct transactions].

To date, [Association] is aware of [number] occurrence[s] of identity theft, concerning unauthorized access to our customer accounts, either in account opening, account access, or transactions conducted. In response to these occurrences, [Association] ______________ [issued a full credit to each affected customer, and instituted additional identification checks for accessing customer accounts to conduct transactions]. [if true, and modify number and response accordingly].

[Association] maintains all regulatory alerts and business guidance on the Identity Theft Red Flags Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 681) (the “Rule”) issued by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). Based on the above risk assessment and all applicable FTC alerts and business guidance, [Association] assesses the risk to its customer accounts from identity theft to be low. Because these are accounts for which there is not a foreseeable risk of identity theft, these accounts are not “covered accounts” within the meaning of the Rule.

[Note: In determining the association's risk regarding prior experiences with information security breaches and/or identity theft, you should include a description of any past experiences, including the steps taken by the association to prevent any further experiences. Also include other factors such as regulatory actions/findings; legal actions; insurance coverage; and/or independent analysis of any third-party vendors.]

CONCLUSION

While [Association] is a “creditor” within the meaning of the Rule, its customer accounts are not “covered accounts” under the Rule. Based on the above risk assessment, [Association] determines its overall risk regarding identity theft to be low. [but see Note below, if overall risk is medium or high] Because [Association] does not offer accounts for personal or household purposes, and because its customer accounts have experienced few occurrences of identity theft, when viewed in relation to either the total number of accounts or the total number of annual transactions, these accounts do not face a foreseeable risk of identity theft. Therefore, they are not “covered accounts” within the meaning of the Rule.

Because [Association]'s customer accounts do not fall within the scope of the Rule, [Association] is not required to establish any specific Policies or Procedures in order to comply with the Rule. [Association] will conduct a similar Risk Assessment annually, in order to determine whether any changes in identity theft threats have caused its accounts to be considered “covered accounts” under the Rule, and thus to require enactment of such Policies or Procedures.

[Note: The risk assessment should reach an overall conclusion as to the association's risk regarding identity theft. The above conclusion is drafted with a low overall risk assessment, and hence no Rule coverage. However, if the overall risk assessment is medium or high, then the association may conclude that such risk is in fact "reasonably foreseeable" and therefore proceed to develop and enact the Policies/Procedures required by the Rule.]

SIGNED:

NAME/TITLE:

DATED:

* * * * * *

For more information, please contact Thomas A. Cohn at 212.370.6256 or tacohn@Venable.com or Jeffrey S. Tenenbaum at 202.344.8138 or jstenenbaum@Venable.com.


This article is not intended to provide legal advice or opinion and should not be relied on as such. Legal advice can only be provided in response to a specific fact situation.

Nonprofits, Lobbying and You

Nonprofits, Lobbying and You
by Bunnie Riedel, Host of Nonprofit Conversation


I cannot tell you how often I speak with people who believe that nonprofit 501 (c)3 organizations are prohibited from direct lobbying at the local, state or federal levels. They fear that if they lobby they will lose their tax-exempt status. While there are limits on the amount of direct lobbying a nonprofit can do, they certainly can and should lobby.

The IRS has two tests for measuring direct lobbying: one is the “substantial part” test and the other is the “expenditure test.” Let me dissect these two.

The “substantial part” test is a highly vague measurement of how much time you and/or your volunteers spend on lobbying. It also takes into account expenditures, but offers no real guidance on what “substantial” really means and can be wide open for interpretation depending on which IRS agent has audited your tax return, seriously, I am not kidding on that. In the past the IRS has said that substantial is 5% to 15%, time and money, and they can come down at the low end or high end or somewhere in between.

This uncertainty has vexed nonprofits for years, and frankly scared the living daylights out of them because nobody wants to lose their hard sought tax exempt status. However, if you are ever in the Washington D.C. area and you take notice of the name plates on many buildings or office spaces, you will notice that D.C. is filled to the gills with nonprofits and associations who have headquarters in D.C. for the very purpose of lobbying. And most of those organizations have a 501 (c)3 designation, not a 501 (c)4.

However, the IRS does provide certainty in the “expenditure” test. I call it the “H” designation and basically what you have to do is fill out a very simple form, form Form 5768 and file it with the IRS. It’s like the IRS is saying to nonprofits “If you will just tell us that you are going to lobby, we will give you the guidelines and take the guess work out of your reporting.”

The following is from the IRS’s website:

Measuring Lobbying Activity: Expenditure Test

Organizations other than churches and private foundations may elect the expenditure test under section 501(h) as an alternative method for measuring lobbying activity. Under the expenditure test, the extent of an organization’s lobbying activity will not jeopardize its tax-exempt status, provided its expenditures, related to such activity, do not normally exceed an amount specified in section 4911. This limit is generally based upon the size of the organization and may not exceed $1,000,000, as indicated in the table below.

If the amount of exempt purpose expenditures is: Lobbying nontaxable amount is:

≤ $500,000                                          20% of the exempt purpose expenditures

>$500,00 but ≤ $1,000,000                $100,000 plus 15% of the excess of exempt purpose expenditures
over $500,000

>$1,000,000 but ≤ $1,500,000          $175,000 plus 10% of the excess of exempt purpose expenditures over $1,000,000

>$1,500,000                                      $225,000 plus 5% of the exempt purpose expenditures over $1,500,000

Organizations electing to use the expenditure test must file Form 5768, Election/Revocation of Election by an Eligible IRC Section 501(c)(3) Organization to Make Expenditures to Influence Legislation, at any time during the tax year for which it is to be effective. The election remains in effect for succeeding years unless it is revoked by the organization. Revocation of the election is effective beginning with the year following the year in which the revocation is filed.


Under the expenditure test, an organization that engages in excessive lobbying activity over a four-year period may lose its tax-exempt status, making all of its income for that period subject to tax. Should the organization exceed its lobbying expenditure dollar limit in a particular year, it must pay an excise tax equal to 25 percent of the excess.

In other words, if you have an organization whose exempt purpose expenditures are less than or equal to $500,000 you can spend 20% of that on direct lobbying. And the amounts go up depending on expenditures and are capped at $1,000,000 for direct lobbying.

This designation gives nonprofits a lot of leeway to do what it is they should be doing and that is advocating for their cause.

Now, having said that, you must note that federal lobbying rules have changed in the past few years. Expenditures used to be counted mainly as the time and money you spent for actual meetings to directly lobby. Under the new lobbying rules, everything gets counted including, but not limited to: the time and money you spent preparing to lobby; the time and money spent by staff preparing your lobbying efforts; overhead incurred by your organization (what percentage of operational and capital expenses could be counted against the lobbying activity?).

This is where the accountant comes in.

Additionally, there are ceilings for lobbying expenditures that require the organization be registered as a lobbying organization, see Lobby Disclosure Guidelines and there are reports that now must be filed once an organization has hit that ceiling.

However, while at first blush it might seem daunting, once your organization is in the system, it is easy to file the necessary reports.

I encourage you to do what it is you need to do and that is educate and advocate for your cause. To a great extent, that is what many nonprofits are for, to provide a voice for their cause.

This article is not meant to be a substitute for getting legal or accounting advice from your lawyer or your accountant.  If you have any questions, you can always call the IRS, I have found them to be quite responsive and helpful.

Assessing Associations' Identity Theft Red Flags and Risks

I love getting articles from the attorneys at Venable.  Many times the content is something I've never thought about, like this one...association identity theft red flags and risks.  So many nonprofits have online options for paying dues or making donations, which leaves donors or members vunerable to identity theft.  Or perhaps they have paper or electronic records of sensitive donor information such as credit card and bank account numbers, security codes, etc.  Have you done a risk assessment of your nonprofit?  Not just the possibility of your nonprofit accounts and identity being stolen but how safe is the identity and information of your donors?  Bunnie

Update: On May 28, 2010, at the request of several Members of Congress, the Federal Trade Commission announced it is further delaying enforcement of the “Red Flags” Rule through December 31, 2010, while Congress considers legislation that would affect the scope of entities covered by the Rule. If Congress passes legislation limiting the scope of the Red Flags Rule with an effective date earlier than December 31, 2010, the FTC indicated that it will begin enforcement as of that effective date.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Identity Theft Red Flags Rule (the “Rule”), 16 C.F.R. Part 681.2, was developed by the Federal Trade Commission pursuant to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. Under the Rule, financial institutions and creditors with covered accounts must have identity theft prevention programs to identify, detect and respond to patterns, practices or specific activities that could indicate identity theft.

While many associations meet the Rule’s definition of a “creditor” because they accept payments over time for good/services provided, such as membership dues, publications, events, etc., many of these associations will not meet the Rule's second prong for coverage, which is having a “covered account.”

An account is “covered” under the Rule if it is for personal/household use. If not, the account can still be “covered” if there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of identity theft to either the account holder or the association, based on past experience in the opening, accessing or transactional use associated with the account.

Therefore, it is crucial to first conduct a risk assessment to see whether or not the association’s risk of identity theft regarding customer accounts (including those of both members and non-members, whether corporate or individual) is reasonably foreseeable; if not, then the association does not have “covered accounts” and is not within the scope of the Rule. In that case, the association should keep a copy of this written risk assessment on file, and update the risk assessment at least annually, as evidence of Rule non-coverage.

If, on the other hand, the risk assessment indicates a reasonably foreseeable risk of ID theft and hence Rule coverage, then the association's Identity Theft Prevention/Red Flag Program must also include a written Policy and Procedures. The following risk assessment tools are one possible way to weigh some of the various facts that might go into such an assessment. But each association must consider its own facts and experiences in dealing with customer account information, to arrive at its own particular assessment of the ID theft risks.

Finally, it is important to remember that there are numerous other laws and regulations, at both the federal and state levels, that may cover associations' privacy and information security practices, depending on the type of information obtained, used, sold/transferred, and retained and/or disposed. Associations, therefore, must consult legal counsel to determine their specific coverage and compliance issues with regard to privacy and information security practices.

* * * * * *

RISK ASSESSMENT

Number of Customers, during the period from 1/1/XX to date: ______________
Number of Customer Transactions, from 1/1/XX to date: __________________

[Appropriate time frame for risk assessment: past 3-5 years preferable, past 2 years minimum. Customers includes both members and non-members, whether corporate or individual]

Risk Assessment Key

O=Open

A=Access (view balance; change personal information; change payment method)

T=Can conduct transactions (make a payment; transfer funds; obtain products)

“Experience” indicates whether association has had previous experiences with identity theft with respect to each specific type of account.

Risk ratings* are “High” (H), “Moderate” (M), and “Low” (L).

*Explanation for risk ratings: Risk ratings are based on the association’s size in terms of customers and annual transactions, the number of individuals authorized to access each customer's account, and the association's existing policies and procedures (such as Internet security, account oversight, account agreements, etc.). The risk also depends on the types of products/services normally sold to each customer, the accessibility of the customer account, the association’s experience with identity theft, and how susceptible the offered products and services are to fraudulent activity.

Our next posting will be the second half of this article ASSESSMENT OF ASSOCIATION’S ACCOUNTS/SERVICES, METHODS FOR OPENING ACCOUNTS, METHODS FOR ACCESSING ACCOUNTS

Great Opportunity! The Nonprofit Technology Leadership Academy

Whenever I can, I like to post opportunities for training on this blog, and I especially like it when the training is free!  This is a terrific opportunity to move your organization ahead technologically.  So often nonprofits and associations find it difficult to carve out training in their budgets, but with this Technology Leadership Academy, you don't have to, all you have to do is apply.  The application deadline is July 30th, 2010.  Bunnie

Now more than ever, nonprofit leaders must understand the potential technology has to help them meet their missions. You require effective ways to manage technology and lead others to use the available tools to your best organizational advantage.


That's why we're thrilled to invite your organization to apply for the Technology Leadership Academy, our 9-week online training program designed to help nonprofit leaders do just that.

Learn more and apply to the Technology Leadership Academy here:

http://tinyurl.com/29d2rb2

The Academy will be a unique opportunity to learn and interact with your peers while creating a tight network of nonprofit leaders working toward a common mission: to use technology to create more social change. Thanks to the generous support of Microsoft, we're able to offer the Technology Leadership Academy at no charge to qualifying organizations. You must apply for acceptance to the Academy, and there are, of course, some application requirements.

But oh, will it be worth your time. Your instructors during the weekly core sessions will be top nonprofit leaders like Beth Kanter, Katya Andresen, and Edward Granger-Happ. You'll also have the opportunity to interact with field experts like Charlene Li, Founder of Altimeter Group and Author of Open Leadership, in Ask the Expert sessions. The online sessions will take place weekly from September 29th through November 22nd. You can see the full schedule here.

At the end of the 9 weeks, you'll be able to:

Articulate the value of technology in your organization for yourself, your staff, funders, and other key stakeholders.

View technology as integral to every department in your organization.

Recognize options for funding IT projects in your organization.

Staff technology effectively.

Manage the organizational change that technology can produce.

At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate of completion from NTEN and Microsoft. Space is limited, however: for this pilot effort, we will only be able to accept 50 organizations with annual budgets under $2 million.

So, yes, the Academy will require commitment, but, knowing our community, we don't expect that will be a problem for you. Please take some time to review the application guidelines, gather the necessary materials, and apply to the Technology Leadership Academy before July 30th. (By the way, participants will be able to earn points toward some special software donations from Microsoft, free 2011 NTC registrations, and more.)

Learn more and apply to the Technology Leadership Academy here:

http://tinyurl.com/29d2rb2

We look forward to reviewing your application and learning more about your plans to use technology to help your organization meet its mission,

Brett Meyer
Communications Manager
NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network
http://www.nten.org/
brett at nten dot org
Twitter: brett_meyer

Country's Largest Charity Evaluator Expands Analysis

The folks at Charity Navigator do incredible and important work by evaluating the stewardship of donor dollars.  Every nonprofit should follow their guidelines for what information to provide the public regarding the organization's management, structure, income, expenditures, etc.  Getting a good rating from Charity Navigator is important because it will assure your donors that you are responsibly and ethically using their money for good.  Bunnie

Country's Largest Charity Evaluator Expands Analysis

Charity Navigator's Enhanced Service Helps Donors Assess a Charity's Commitment to Accountability and Transparency

Donors will be in a better position to make informed giving choices now that Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most utilized charity evaluator, has expanded its analysis.

Since launching its service in 2002, Charity Navigator’s free financial evaluations --- which examine how a charity functions day to day and how well positioned it is to sustain its programs over time --- have changed the giving habits of the general public. But financial metrics are just the starting point in choosing a charity to support. Donors must also have access to information that considers a charity’s accountability and transparency practices and assesses its effectiveness and results. Starting this month, Charity Navigator is deepening its analysis by rolling out new metrics that examine the accountability and transparency component.

“Smart donors should require evidence of accountability and transparency from the charities they support,” said Ken Berger, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “They should require this evidence because charities that are open about their performance and follow best practices in areas such as governance and donor privacy are less likely to engage in unethical or irresponsible activities and, as a result donations to such charities are a less risky investment.

“Charity Navigator was created with the goal of advancing a more responsive philanthropic marketplace, in which donors and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome our nation's most persistent challenges. We are thrilled to go beyond our financial ratings and take our analysis to the next level. By reviewing each charity’s commitment to accountability and transparency, we can help donors make even smarter giving choices.”

When examining the accountability and transparency of charities, Charity Navigator’s new methodology seeks to answer the following questions:

Does the charity follow ethical and best practices?

Does the charity make it easy for donors to find critical information about the organization?

Specifically, the methodology, which was developed in partnership with Charity Navigator’s staff, Board, Advisory Panel (http://www.charitynavigator.org/advisory), donors and nonprofit leaders, tracks the following:

1) A review of the charity’s website to determine if

Board members listed

Key staff listed

Audited financials and Form 990 included

Privacy policy posted

Inclusion of information about effectiveness and results

2) A review of the newly expanded Form 990 to determine if

The charity has made loan(s) to related parties

There has been a material diversion of assets

There are minutes for Board meetings

Copies of the Form 990 were provided to organization’s governing body

The charity has a conflict of interest policy

The charity has a whistleblower policy

The charity has a records retention policy

The charity disclosed its CEO’s name and salary

The charity has a process for determining CEO compensation

The Board is paid

The audited financials were prepared by independent accountant

An audit committee exists

As soon as the accountability and transparency data is gathered on a particular charity, it will be posted on its ratings page. However, no charity’s rating will be impacted by the results of this richer analysis until the data has been collected for all 5,500 charities in Charity Navigator’s database. For more information about Charity Navigator’s new Accountability / Transparency Methodology, please visit: www.charitynavigator.org/accountability. And to see a sample of a charity that has been reviewed for its accountability / transparency data, please visit: www.charitynavigator.org/accountability/list (more charities will display this data in August).

About Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org/)


Charity Navigator is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the financial health of over 5,500 charities. Charity Navigator is a 501 (c)(3) organization which accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations. Charity Navigator, can be reached directly by telephone at (201) 818-1288, or by mail at 139 Harristown Road, Suite 201, Glen Rock, N.J., 07452.


Media Contact
Sandra Miniutti, Vice President, Marketing
(201) 884-1051
media@charitynavigator.org

Nonprofit Tagline Awards!

You may have missed it last year...but now is your chance to enter this year...it is the 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Awards!  Nancy Schwartz of "Getting Attention" has kicked off this year's competition.  And if you want to know what the Tagline Report looks like, here's 2009, it is awesome! 2009 Tagline Awards Report  I think it is often difficult for a nonprofit to come up with an effective tagline, especially one that conveys the mission of the organization.  And that may be because we hang on to mission statements or even programming that is no longer relevant.  Read the 2009 report and you will be inspired to look at your tagline with a fresh prespective.  And then...enter the 2010 Tagline Awards!  Bunnie

Three New Categories Launched As Annual Nonprofit Tagline Awards Open

Great Words Promoting Good Causes—Organizations Everywhere Invited to Enter

The Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards Program (a.k.a. The Taggies), the world’s largest collection of nonprofit taglines, opens its third award season this week with the addition of three new categories.

Now, nonprofits everywhere will be able to enroll their organizational tagline in the annual program, plus any taglines they’ve created to support programs, fundraising campaigns and special events.

“The tagline is a critical element of any nonprofit’s message platform,” says Nancy E. Schwartz, president of Nancy Schwartz & Company and blogger at Getting Attention (www.gettingattention.org), the award program’s organizer.

“Adding these three new categories gives more organizations a chance to showcase their best efforts to effectively reach and communicate with their target audiences.”

In addition to the new categories, libraries have been added as a section of the organization tagline category.

Organizations can enter their nonprofits’ taglines via an easy-to-complete entry form at http://bit.ly/cQjUsw

Winners will be chosen in 13 organization fields of focus and one each in programs, fundraising and events, says Schwartz.

The deadline for entering an organization’s tagline is July 28.

This year’s award program finalists will be selected by a panel of 16 judges, including representatives from two winning organizations from last year’s program.

In late August, the finalists will be notified before voting for the tagline award winners begins in September.

Award winners will be announced in late October. The 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Report and updated database will be released in November.

Schwartz says a strong tagline does double duty – working to extend an organization’s name and mission while delivering a focused, memorable and repeatable message to its base.

All entrants will receive a free copy of the fully-updated 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Report. It’s the only complete guide to building an organization’s brand in eight words or less. There are now more than 2,500 taglines compiled and organized in the report, and that number will grow significantly with 2010 award submissions.

Twitter users can follow the 2010 Nonprofit Tagline Awards via the hashtag #taggies.

The Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards Program has four generous sponsors this year: Blackbaud, sponsoring the fundraising campaign category; Event360, sponsoring the special event tagline category; and general sponsors Eventbrite and See3 Communications.

THE GETTING ATTENTION NONPROFIT TAGLINE AWARDS

The annual Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards program came about when so many powerful taglines were submitted to the Getting Attention survey on nonprofit taglines, and is designed to motivate and guide nonprofit organizations to put effective taglines to work.

A list of 2008 and 2009 award winners can be found here: http://gettingattention.org/nonprofit-taglines/award-winners.html

THE NONPROFIT TAGLINE SURVEY

The Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Survey, implemented in 2008, investigated styles, usage trends, what’s working and what’s not in nonprofit taglines based on data provided by 1,900 nonprofit communicators working in organizations across 11 vertical sectors and countless locations (mostly in the United States).

Survey findings are available in the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Report

http://gettingattention.org/nonprofit-taglines/get-nonprofit-tagline-report-directory.html

ABOUT GETTING ATTENTION/NANCY SCHWARTZ

The Getting Attention blog and e-update http://www.gettingattention.org/ are no-charge, high-value sources of ideas, tactics, and tips for nonprofit communicators focused on helping their organizations succeed through effective marketing.

Nancy E. Schwartz provides marketing services to nonprofit organizations and grantmakers via Nancy Schwartz & Company and is the publisher of Getting Attention.