As we’ve noted in a recent press release, the central strategy of creating a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) for the Parkway, would be for the JPA to initiate the subsequent creation of a nonprofit organization to provide daily management and supplemental fund raising.
Crucial to the success of this organization would be the selection of a professional nonprofit executive with a graduate degree in some aspect of the nonprofit world.
This is very important due to the dramatic changes in the world of fund raising and managing a nonprofit organization, that has occurred over the past several years.
I have been involved with the nonprofit sector since the 1970’s and the changes I’ve witnessed are impressive; for one, the growth of the academic degrees available in the field, from virtually none then to hundreds now, including doctorates.
There is also a substantial generational change among philanthropists, and Kimberly Palmer has a good post about the changing landscape.
An excerpt.
“For a new generation of philanthropists, giving to charity isn't just about writing checks. Instead, the focus is on volunteering, socializing, and networking -- while also contributing to good causes. "Many Generation X-ers are more interested in social advocacy and engagement philanthropy," says Dwight Burlingame, associate executive director at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. That means they are more likely to want to work directly with organizations instead of just donating money, he explains.
“The center has found that giving rates tend to go up with education levels: 90 percent of those with graduate degrees contributed to charity, compared to 58 percent of those with high school educations or less. For a college graduate, the average annual gift is $2,633.
“Here are three of the most popular ways 20 and 30-somethings are giving back -- and how you can, too:…”
