The growth at fundraising firm RKD Group in Dallas, Texas continues with the acquisition of Heller Consulting, a strategy, planning and implementation provider of nonprofit technology and leadership training. Heller Consulting, launched 1996 and headquartered in Bay Area of California, touts expertise in systems design and implementation and will be added to RKD Group’s existing fundraising and marketing solutions. The plan is to help nonprofits design, orchestrate and activate data and technology. Heller Consulting will operate as a subsidiary of RKD Group. Founder Keith Heller will remain wi ..read more

Grant professionals have historically used Form 990 tax information filings as a central resource for cutting a long list of maybe-maybe-not foundations down to a short list of solid prospects. Part XV, Line 3 of that form requires foundations to list the amounts, recipients, and purposes of grants made in the fiscal year. The Form 990 is public information and easily accessed through numerous sources including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Studying a few years of tax returns gives you a realistic perspective of whether your organization and project might fit a funder’s interests, accord ..read more

Nonprofit leaders need to commit to a mindset of continuous learning and professional development to remain relevant and effective in their current roles. This requires embracing opportunities for skill development, whether through reading books and articles, attending conferences and workshops, or participating in online courses and webinars. According to Jackie Sue Griffin, founder of JSG & Associates in Tampa, Florida, by prioritizing continuous learning, you gradually adapt to evolving challenges and find new ways to drive positive change within your organization and community. Here ar ..read more

A federal appeals panel has greenlighted the use of a popular trademark claimed by two educational charities that both specialize in converting unwanted and junked cars into cash. With the ruling, a 10-year legal battle between them appears to be at the end of the road. However, only one of them is happy with the result. Kars4Kids, a Lakewood, New Jersey charity, first deployed its earworm 1-877-KARS-4-KIDS jingle in commercials that began airing locally in the New York-New Jersey region in 1999. The ads with precocious hipsters urging listeners to “donate your car today” were such a hit that ..read more

Holly Welch Stubbing was selected to head the National Philanthropic Trust, the largest national, independent public charity that manages donor-advised funds. She will assume the job on July 1 upon the retirement of CEO Eileen Heisman, who has led the organization since 1998. Welch Stubbing joins National Philanthropic Trust, in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, as president and CEO after serving as president and CEO of E4E Relief since 2017 E4E Relief is a national nonprofit offering emergency financial relief programs for global companies and communities. E4E Relief has awarded more than ..read more

A former United Way executive has filed a $12 million lawsuit against the nonprofit alleging sexual discrimination and workplace retaliation. Lisa Bowman was chief marketing officer and executive vice president for United Way Worldwide from November 2015 through February 2020. She alleges it was a hostile work environment culminating in her wrongful termination. She alleges her termination was in retaliation for reporting to United Way leaders what she described as a persistent pattern of sexual harassment against her and other female employees. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the Virginia ..read more

A union drive is underway at a Denver nonprofit that helps the unhoused, the latest of what appears to be a nascent but growing trend across the nonprofit sector there and in other parts of the country. Colorado Coalition for the Homeless workers say low pay and understaffing are contributing to high turnover, exacerbating what they contend are already difficult working conditions. An organizer told The NonProfit Times they have gathered signatures of support from close to 200 of the slightly more than 600 non-management colleagues, enough to trigger a unionization vote under the National Labo ..read more

Givebutter, the all-in-one nonprofit fundraising and CRM platform, closed a $50 million strategic growth investment led by BVP Forge, Bessemer Venture Partners’ dedicated investment fund for self-sustaining, growing companies. There is also participation from existing investor Ardent Venture Partners. The funding follows another year of rapid and profitable growth for Givebutter, during which total donations on the platform crossed $1 billion. While the platform is offered for free, the firm makes revenue from donors adding a fee to the donation. Information on the firm website is that 95% of ..read more

Fundraisers expecting online revenue to save their 2023 were probably very disappointed. Online revenue declined by 1% during 2023 on average, but revenue from monthly giving increased 6%, and accounted for 31% of all online revenue. Some nonprofits did have increased online revenue. It was 3% more for Public Media nonprofits, and 4% more for the Health sector. At the other extreme, Disaster/International Aid nonprofits had online revenue decline by 7%. Nonprofits raised an average 94 cents through direct mail for every dollar raised online. Direct mail revenue fell by 6% in 2023. Those are so ..read more

The value of a volunteer hour in the United States during 2023 was $33.49, up $4.95 from 2020. It’s a 5.3% increase from 2022. The value is estimated from data collected in 2023, the figure illustrates the valuable and significant contributions volunteers make every day to support our communities and nation. In a state-by-state comparison and including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, Massachusetts had the highest volunteer value at $40.97 per hour, followed closely by Washington state at $40.28. The lowest state value was in Mississippi at $25.42. It was $15.82 per hour for Puer ..read more