The Community Foundation of Utah

The Center for Effective Philanthropy just completed a study saying that nonprofit leaders want greater transparency from foundations about what grantmakers are learning and how they assess grantee performance and impact. Less than a third of the folks surveyed said they understood how foundations use the information they provide, 44 percent are unclear about how their efforts fit into the funders' overall work, 51 percent said they wanted "a lot more" transparency about what foundations are learning, and more than 75 percent wanted more transparency about the impact that foundations are having. I wonder how well we are doing on this front. We have not done much grantmaking - the Social Enterprise Mini Grants and the grants available through Love UT Give UT. What can we do differently? Better?

Nearly half of 50 sports stars’ nonprofit groups whose financial records were reviewed by The Boston Globe spent less than 65 percent of their revenues on charitable programs and contributions. As a Not Fan of the Yankees - here is one that really struck me:  " A foundation started by New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez gave only 1 percent of proceeds to charity during its first year of operation in 2006, then stopped submitting mandatory financial reports to the IRS and was stripped of its tax-exempt status. Yet the group’s website still tells visitors the A-Rod Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization."  And Steve Youn'g Forver Yougn Foudnaiton was cited as one that wors: Athlete: Retired quarterback/ESPN analyst Steve Young Nonprofit: Forever Young Foundation for Children Mission: Academic, athletic, and therapeutic support for children facing physical, emotional, and financial challenges Funds raised 2008-10: $6.2 million Percent to charitable causes: 75 Why it works: Young’s foundation pays a six-figure salary to its president. But for its investment in professional leadership, the nonprofit gets prolific and efficient fund-raising in return. In 2010, for instance, four special events raised $946,485 and cost just $229,772. SOURCE: IRS filings

With just 38 days to go, Love UT Give UT is really picking up momentum! I wanted to share a few updates with you. Over 250 schools and nonprofits have signed up to participate, and we anticipate hitting 300 Every area of service to our community is represented - human services, animal care, education, arts, health care and education. Many organizations have set up their individual page at www.loveutgiveut.org. If you have a minute, browse through them. You’ll be amazed at the quality of nonprofits and schools working to improve our communities. While it’s still early, please explore the options in the tool kit to help formulate a roll out plan for your company. This can be found at http://loveutgiveut.razoo.com/giving_events/utah13/corptoolkit.   We continue to see synergy in the nonprofit sector as local groups spring up in St. George, Logan, Ogden, Moab, and Utah County to deepen their collaboration and leverage media and momentum. The Utah Non Profits Association (UNA) is providing training and encouragement to the registered organizations ensuring the event is both successful and professional. The Community Foundation of Utah is grateful for the opportunity to serve the organizations that make Utah ‘the place’ to live.

Love UT Give UT is really taking off. Almost 200 causes from across the state are already on board. Our web site looks great, thanks to Pam Browers. And now - we have the incredible support of UBS. Our deepest, (REALLY deep) thanks go to Karen Sheperd, Chair of the CRA Board, Kathy Hale and Jan Bergeson of UBS. What wonderful women, and what a terrific company. I know they  are as excited about Love UT Give UT as we are! Now lets raise a lot of money for Utah charities and give them a real return on their investment!

Some good news! Charities received 61 percent more in online gifts Thanksgiving week than they did during the same days in 2011, according to Network for Good data.

$595,642 dollars raised in 24 hours by 2,689  Park-ites. Now that is somethign to aspite to! Congrtualtions to Trisha, Katie and the Board of the Park City Foundation. Holy smokes... check it out!