November 2007 No. 48Table of ContentsIU philanthropy center’s 20 years Internet still a “tax-free zone” |
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Want to know the latest info on births, deaths, child care, housing, poverty, wealth, and nonprofits in your county? metro area? region? It’s all at the rejuvenated Web site www.stats.indiana.edu. After winning awards, folks at the Indiana Business Research Center redesigned it to be more user-friendly, with plenty of new data from government and other sources. They created map-based links and options that allow you to analyze many social issues and profile services that United Ways care about and support. Give it a try!
They built a “whole new field” of academic study at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy, said its current exec Eugene Temple. In 1987, the Fund Raising School moved from CA to become a cornerstone of the IU Center. Philanthropic studies guru Robert Payton became the institution’s first director, and a national planned giving group took root. Masters degree programs began in nonprofit management and in philanthropic studies, and the professional society for voluntarism researchers moved its offices here.
In 2001, the Center began writing the annual Giving USA databook on American philanthropy, and the “world’s first traditional-format Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies” started in 2004. The Women’s Philanthropy Institute joined the Center, and Lilly Endowment gave a $40 Million grant to endow much of its operations.
It’s become quite a resource for Hoosier nonprofit and community action leaders. There now are 50 such university-based centers nationwide, said Dennis Young at Georgia State University, but he added that IU’s Center “has the ability to be comprehensive in ways that other centers have yet to realize, and that’s been very important for the field.” What’s next?
Some 178 million American adults go online regularly, up 10% from 2006, with 79% online today compared to 9% in 1995. They now spend 11 hours/week online; 9% of them are 65+ years old; 60% have some college or graduated; 53% have incomes of $50,000+. And 10% of donors make their gifts online.
The President signed a 7-yr extension on a law prohibiting states and localities from levying taxes on Internet services, expanding coverage to email and instant messaging. The competitive “bundling” of Internet services with cable TV and regular telephone lines complicates the debate. Opponents of the moratorium liken Internet services to taxes and fees on telephone and mobile phone bills. There are 9 states—not IN—that were allowed to maintain pre-moratorium Internet taxes that generate about $120M/yr. Keeping the tax “temporary” keeps everyone “honest,” one lawmaker said. Others argue that it makes things worse to have a plethora of local, state, and federal taxes on what is becoming the most ubiquitous and accessible global media. The federal debate’s over for now.
In 2006, the American Red Cross took in $6 Billion in revenue, with 52% coming from charitable gifts, 38% from program services, and 1% each from government and in-kind donations. Of its expenses, 94% went to programs, 2% to fundraising, and 3% to administration, according to The NonProfit Times 2007 NPT Top 100 report out this month. United Ways were not aggregated under United Way of America in this study.
This top-line group had a record $64+ Billion in overall income. Capital campaigns, investments, and big gifts spurred the 9% increase over 2006. Income for hurricane relief and other disasters tapered off.
YMCA of America traded rankings with ARC this year, amassing $5.7B, followed by United Jewish Communities group at $4.3B, Catholic Charities USA $3.59B, and The Salvation Army at $3.3B. For the full list and related articles see www.nptimes.com.
Muncie tops college town list. If you’re looking for a place with affordable housing and want to earn an undergraduate degree, go to Muncie and Ball State University, says Coldwell Banker’s latest list of affordable college towns in the USA. If you don’t mind what it costs, go to Palo Alto CA’s Stanford University, the nation’s most expensive college town. Ranking Big Ten locales, Lafayette came in #1, and South Bend led for Independent schools. For the lists, see http://hpci.coldwellbanker.com/hpci_press.aspx.
We could be healthier. Indian ranks 32nd in the USA based on 20 health factors, compiled by United Health Foundation. While the number of smokers has decreased, Hoosiers have never been more overweight. Indiana’s improved ranking may be due to the overall worsening of the nation’s health indicators, especially in relation to other industrialized nations.
Improvements in cancer and cardiovascular mortality are “dwarfed” by increasing obesity, uninsured people, children in poverty, and “the persistence of risky health behaviors.” Though the USA improved health ratings in the 1990s, they’ve been stagnate since 2000. See www.americashealthrankings.org for the details.
Gubernatorial debates. Several press and nonpartisan citizen groups will conduct a series of 2008 debates among aspirants for Indiana’s chief executive. Stay tuned for dates.
Faith-based $$. Jay Hein, a Hoosier tapped to be President Bush’s director of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, told 650 nonprofit leaders from across IN that the state won $150 Million from this strain of grants in several federal agencies. He also commended IN for tying this grant initiative with its own volunteerism program. Governor Daniels commended such grants for helping prison inmates prepare for life back in their hometowns when they are released.
Just what you know about your family finances, AARP asked. Not much, Americans answered. Here’s the list of questions with the correct answers in BOLD:
Older workers working more. In 1986, some 30% of people over 55 years/old were part of the nation’s workforce. Today that is 38% with growth in almost every age bracket over 55—72% from 55 to 59, 53% from 60 to 64, 29% from 65 to 69, 17% from 70 to 74, and 6+% for the 75+ crowd, reports the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Older workers tend to cost more than newbies, simply because they’ve got lots of experience and know-how that will take years for the 20- and 30-somethings to acquire. Nonprofits are also designing more innovative and concerted efforts to engage retiring Baby Boomers into their volunteer ranks.
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