Honor a Legacy and Nominate an Outstanding Nonprofit Employee 

Community leaders and the family of youth coach Dawnn Jaffier, an innocent victim of gun violence, will be honoring Dawnn's legacy by celebrating people dedicated to building stronger communities for a better future.

To honor Dawnn, the Light of Dawnn Awards will celebrate 2-5 individuals working on the front lines of Boston's nonprofit sector who demonstrate the spirit that is Dawnn's legacy - a compassion and unwavering commitment to serve those in need. Award recipients will be recognized at a public event and receive a monetary award for their outstanding efforts. All nominations are due by December 31. Click here to submit a nomination.

#GivingTuesday Numbers Surge While Black Friday Sales Struggle

Last Tuesday, December 2, was the third annual #GivingTuesday - when thousands of nonprofits hoped to boost donations as part of the holiday spending season.  It worked. Millions of individuals, and corporations, took the opportunity to kick-off the holiday season charitably and give back to their community and in doing so raised more than $45 million.

Started in 2012 by the United Nations Foundation and the 92nd Street Y, #GivingTuesday has observed tremendous growth with each year. This year, the Case Foundation reports that a preliminary estimate of donations tallied from fundraising platforms Blackbaud, DonorPerfect, GlobalGiving, Network for Good and Razoo shows that $45.7 million was raised on this day of giving. This means that donations are up nearly 63% from last year, proving to many that #GivingTuesday is a holiday mainstay from here on out. This jump in growth is especially impressive considering that Black Friday spending was down this year.

Click to view the Case Foundation infographic

GivingTuesday.org focused on several #GivingTuesday movements happening around the country, including one in Somerville. Fifteen nonprofits banded together to host Giving Tuesday Somerville: Give Local, a joint fundraising effort that featured a telethon on SCATV, as well as live entertainment, expert panel discussions, and  public service announcements. There were tons of other great Massachusetts-based campaigns from the Berkshires to the Cape, and everywhere in between.  

Aside from the significant boost in monetary giving this year, there was also a notable increase in volunteer efforts. Community projects ranging from mitten and clothing drives to tutoring sessions took place in the spirit of this day of giving.

Now that the campaign has really taken off, the next step is harnessing its powerful data... Read more.

Getting to Know Outcomes Management

This morning wrapped up a series of workshops hosted by MNN, along with various partners throughout the region, to help tackle the challenging topic of outcomes management. Outcomes Management: An Introduction, featured Ellen Bass, Director of the Capacity Institute, and introduced nonprofit professionals to the practice of defining, tracking, and managing expectations around their organization's outcomes. Participants came from all types or organizations, with varying missions, budget size, and reach, all eager to better measure how their organization is meeting its mission.

During the workshops, Ellen walked participants through the various stages related to setting an organization on the path to being outcomes driven, urging participants to ask important questions of themselves, like "what is my organization's commitment?", "is our mission statement effective?" and "what steps would my organization need to take to start becoming more performance driven?" A series of activities encouraged valuable reflection, including one that revealed the importance of having a mission statement that isn't overly complicated or vague. Read more...

Participants in Pioneer Valley discuss outcomes management in their organizations.