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Archive for November, 2009
Talking About Religion: Going Deeper
Nov 30th
What we think and believe is important to all of us. I often find myself wondering what I can or cannot, should or should not say to donors, co-workers, and other staff. Should we always draw back from conversation in fear of what the response might be? Or are can we have a dialogue about what is important to each of us?
In a profession that is so people-focused and relationship-focused, it is hard to not involve yourself personally. Having a personal component to a relationship gives it richness and depth. I cannot ask personal questions for the sole purpose of soliciting for a gift. I really am interested in what is happening in the lives of the co-workers, donors, and volunteers with whom I work. For this reason I don’t think religion has to be a taboo topic.
Forcing thoughts about religion into a conversation is adversarial. The key is authenticity: don’t say something because you feel like it is what you “ought to” say or because you feel obligated. When you are talking about something close to your heart, it should be shared naturally from that same place.
I know this can be a very sensitive topic with many people. I am really interested in hearing from you as to what is and is not okay to discuss at your workplace? How do you handle conversations about religion or belief in your office and with donors that ask you about it?
Related posts:
- The Water Cooler
- Faith or Fundraising
- Business Before Pleasure
- How Clean Up Your Database
- Moves Management or Relationship Management
Chase Gives $25,000
Nov 29th
Wanted to let you know about a contest you can enter as a nonprofit. Chase is giving $25,000 to each of the Top 100 charities that are voted for on Facebook.
For more details and to vote for your favorite charity check out the Chase Facebook Page.
Voting from November 15 to December 11.
Announcing top 100 on December 15.
Related posts:
- Award & An Idea
- America’s Giving Challenge #2
- Limited Time Award
- Awards Update
- The Edge Visible Challenge: $1,000 Award
Physical Fitness Is Good for Business
Nov 24th
Use these lessons from triathlon training to improve your work performance.
Russia’s President Promotes Nonprofit Tax Breaks
Nov 24th
Russia’s president, Dimitri Medvedev, is calling for tax incentives and other measures to help the country’s nonprofit sector, which was strictly regulated and scrutinized under the administration of his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, says The New York Times.
“Our main goal is to support the authority of nonprofit groups in society and the attraction to this sector of more talented people and philanthropic resources,” Mr. Medvedev said in a meeting Monday with human-rights advocates.
(Free registration is required to view this article.)
Islamic Charity Under U.S. Watch Gave to Columbia and Rutgers
Nov 24th
A Muslim charity suspected by the U.S. government of being a front organization for Iran’s government has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Columbia, Rutgers, and other universities, according to the New York Post and The New York Times.
Over the past 25 years, the Alavi Foundation, whose assets were seized by the federal government earlier this month, has given $332,000 to Columbia to support Persian-language and -culture classes, including $100,000 shortly after Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, spoke at the New York school in 2007.
Alavi also donated $351,600 to Rutgers’s Persian-language program between 2005 and 2007. And Harvard and Portland State have received money from the organization, which has denied the government’s allegations and is fighting the property seizures.
(Free registration is required to view the Times article.)
Bezos Family Gives $10-Million to Hutchinson Cancer Center
Nov 24th
The parents of Amazon.com’s founder, Jeff Bezos, have donated $10-million to Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to explore immunotherapy as a potential cancer treatment, The Seattle Times reports.
The gift from Jackie and Mike Bezos will help the center recruit and retain top researchers and pay for clinical trials and the development of new drugs. The Hutchinson center is seeking to raise $28.5 million for its immunotherapy effort in all.
Crunch Forces Miss. Charities to Trim Thanksgiving Food Programs
Nov 24th
Rising turkey costs, declining donations, and growing clientele are forcing food charities in Mississippi to scale back distribution of traditional Thanksgiving meals, reports The Clarion-Ledger, of Jackson, Miss.
For the first time in its 25-year history, the Mississippi Food Network will forgo turkeys in its food donations to thousands of needy families. The organization, which supports soup kitchens, food pantries, and other programs statewide, has seen a 25 percent drop in collections from national food donors.
D.C.-Area Catholic Schools Face Closure Threat
Nov 24th
Fourteen Washington-area Catholic schools face closure or restructuring due to declining enrollment, according to The Washington Post.
Pastors from the affected churches that oversee the schools have been meeting with parents to discuss the closure threat. Enrollment at the 96 schools operated by the area’s archdiocese is down 2.4 percent from last year. Two Catholic schools in Maryland were shuttered in 2008, and seven Washington institutions were converted into public charter schools the year before.
(Free registration is required to view this article.)
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