On Philanthropy: Philanthropy 2018: Bad news about good news (and vice versa)
Is your glass half full? Half empty? Thrown against the wall in frustration? The Giving USA report annually summarizes the nation’s charitable giving. The report on 2018 came out in July, and you can see whatever you want in those tea leaves.
On Philanthropy: Saving the World – and My July 4th Picnic
Every July 4th, our family reunion brings me into contact with my clueless brother-in-law. He’s the guy in every family who remembers exactly one fact about everyone else. As expected, he quickly worked our conversation around to his usual dig. “Hey, dude, you work for a nonprofit. So do you actually get paid?” he smirked.
On Philanthropy: Suffragette Dreams Come True – via Philanthropy
One hundred years ago, on June 10, 1919, Wisconsin became the first state to ratify the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. When I reflect on the struggles of our foremothers, I wonder: What have we accomplished?
On Philanthropy - Future Nonprofit C-Suiters: Top Traits to Cultivate
What does it take to become a nonprofit CEO? New research from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance reveals the common traits.
On Philanthropy - Blood drives in Winterfell?
Philanthropy can be found in even the darkest of places - Would-be Westerosi! The fate of humanity lies in our hands!
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Build awareness for your cause, your mission, and for philanthropy. The Milwaukee Business Journal's Partners in Philanthropy (PIP) special edition is what you have been waiting for.
On Philanthropy - Can Philanthropy Make You a Better Lover?
Three lessons from charitable giving for a long and lasting relationship
On Philanthropy - Resist the List! Give Them a Gift that Gives
Dear Dad: I received your annual Christmas Wish List yesterday. After an online search for the meaning of “auger,” “tip up,” and “floating livewell,” I have to let you know that you will not be receiving any ice fishing supplies this year.
On Philanthropy - Can Southeast Wisconsin Nonprofits Energize Corporate Giving?
Here’s an easy multiple-choice question: Last year, We Energies gave more than 2 percent of its net income to charity – twice the average rate for corporations nationwide. That makes the company well-positioned to:
Are Milwaukee’s Corporate Donors Maxed Out?
The $20.8 billion that American companies gave to charity last year sounds like a lot…until you consider their share was just 5 percent of the nation’s $410 billion in philanthropy. So maybe it’s time to ask: are corporate donors maxed out?
On Philanthropy - Behind the Brass Plaque
You see their names on buildings. You read their names on plaques. But behind all the brass and calligraphy, what really motivates our community’s philanthropists?
On Philanthropy - Corporate execs: Expect Provocative Tax Questions from Fundraisers
Fundraisers nationwide have sounded alarms about how the new tax law will affect philanthropic giving. But at least three local experts don’t seem overly concerned. Among other strategies, they suggest fundraisers use the tax changes to leverage corporate giving.
On Philanthropy: Revealed - Milwaukee Philanthropists Secretly Wish to Be Ordinary!
The scene: last November’s National Philanthropy Day celebration in Milwaukee. There I sat, in the crowd of 600-plus diners, listening to heartwarming thank-yous as our area’s leading philanthropists and volunteers received awards from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. I tried to put myself in their shoes, imagining how such public acclaim for altruism, generosity and community commitment must be like a dream come true for the honorees. Then suddenly it struck me:
On Philanthropy: Who Will Catch the Trickle-Down?
My brother-in-law can’t come for dinner this weekend (I’m crushed) because he’s “getting his tax stuff together.” Amid his annual drudgery, he lamented, “At least next year we’ll have the tax cut.”
On Philanthropy: Keep Calm -- and Enjoy Your Millennial Makeover
Despite their differences, the nonprofit and for-profit sectors agree on one thing: Millennials can be confounding.
On Philanthropy: Caution to fundraisers: don’t be a knothole!
Let’s take a sober look at charity fraud warnings
On Philanthropy: Hey (Your Name Here), Did You Make “The LIST?”
Some of 2017’s year-end lists are more meaningful than others
On Philanthropy: Take That, La-La Land
As Weather Turns Cool, Milwaukee Philanthropy Warms Up
On Philanthropy: Year-End Giving: Going Beyond the Fund-amentals
In a rapidly changing world, nonprofits must seize opportunities. Grab your chance to be a venture capitalist…!
On Philanthropy: Emancipation from itemization? So long, charitable conversation
As my wife will tell you, I hate to give up something of value -- even if I seldom use it. (Hey, my Betamax could still make a comeback, right?).
On Philanthropy - Backward and in heels: the professionalization of fundraising
Increased competition…savvier customers...corporate consolidation. These realities drive constant adaptation by business professionals.
On Philanthropy - Donor-advised funds: on-ramp to philanthropy’s superhighway
Annual investment in donor-advised funds grew from $9 billion in 2010 to $22 billion in 2015, according to the National Philanthropic Trust. A doubling of giving by would-be philanthropists sounds like a good thing. So why aren’t nonprofits more excited about it?
On Philanthropy: Congradulate Them on Building a Better World
I recently attended my niece’s graduation. You’ve been there: thousands of grads fidgeting beneath mortarboards, waiting for their big moment, in a ceremony that seems to last a lifetime.
On Philanthropy: Combo Campaigns Crowdsource Community
Every nonprofit raises funds to pursue its mission. And then there are nonprofits for which fundraising IS the mission. The impact of these organizations goes far beyond the charitable funds they channel to area nonprofits....
On Philanthropy: How Nonprofit Board Members Can be Even More Appreciated
If you are one of the hundreds of Milwaukee-area business leaders who advance causes close to your heart by serving on the board of a local nonprofit, here are some tips that might make your efforts even more deeply appreciated…
On Philanthropy: Tax reformers versus the “sole” of philanthropy
I just took my old work shoes to the resale shop. Yeah, I could have chucked them in my back closet. But I knew somebody out there would want them, and I knew I’d get a receipt for a little tax deduction. I wouldn’t save a lot -- but, hey, every little bit helps, right?
On Philanthropy: Foundations and Nonprofits Seek New Alignment for Challenging Times
One would think that Wisconsin’s foundations and the nonprofits they fund would strongly agree about what those organizations need to thrive. Turns out that is only partly the case.
On Philanthropy: Let’s Build a Community Culture of Corporate Philanthropy
The secret to expanding corporate philanthropy in Milwaukee? Helping companies learn how to do it right.
Where’s “Up?” -- Local Leaders Make 2017 Predictions for Milwaukee Philanthropy
Local Leaders Make 2017 Predictions for Milwaukee Philanthropy - On November 8, 500 luncheon attendees celebrated National Philanthropy Day and honored the past leadership of several Milwaukee philanthropists. But the event also looked forward: in a panel discussion convened by the AFP and moderated by Business Journal publisher Kira Lafond, area corporate and nonprofit leaders shared their thoughts on “what’s next” for Milwaukee philanthropy…
AFP in the Milwaukee Business Journal: Give a Hand to Those Who Give
Milwaukee is known as a great, family-oriented community: People here know that giving to a family member in need is not only the right thing to do, but results in a warmer and stronger family environment that benefits everyone. Fair enough. But there’s a special group among us who take this even farther – who see all of us as family. These people extend their giving spirit to the community at large – and the result is a warmer, stronger metro Milwaukee.
