How a Small Volunteer-Staffed Nonprofit Raised $57 Million for Ukraine

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August 2, 2022

From: Philanthropy Today

Subject: How a Small Volunteer-Staffed Nonprofit Raised $57 Million for Ukraine

On the Cover: Toward a More Just Nonprofit World

We profile 15 professionals whose ideas, writing, activism, and work are driving conversations about equity. Read about thinkers and doers, Twitter pros and essayists, philanthropy outsiders and insiders, and more.

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War in Ukraine

How One Tiny, All-Volunteer Nonprofit Raised $57 Million for Ukraine

By Jim Rendon

Razom for Ukraine has made $3 million in grants to grassroots relief efforts and spent $38 million on its own relief efforts. Chief among them: assembling and shipping tactical medical kits to Ukraine.
Opinion

Leaders Must Confront Declining Trust in the Nonprofit World — Before It’s Too Late

By Greg Berman

Recent surveys show people are increasingly skeptical of nonprofits’ role and effectiveness — a perception that is reinforced by critiques from activists on the left and right. Halting this trend is critical but will require a willingness to ask hard questions and change some long-held practices.

Webinars

Today: Tactics to Maximize Results at Year’s End

The key to year-end fundraising in 2022 is staying relevant amid economic woes and a pandemic that won’t end. Join us on demand or live today, August 11, to learn from veteran fundraisers which tactics and messages are working, tips for thanking — and keeping — big and small donors, and smart ways to stay connected so donors will give more at year’s end. Plus, you’ll get advice for using donor data to improve your year-end results. Register now.

BRIEFINGS & FORUMS

Today: Women Philanthropists: Charting a Course for Change

As wealthy women in America make more multimillion-dollar gifts, they are reshaping philanthropy — giving with fewer strings attached to groups often overlooked in the past. Join us to hear from three women philanthropists who are giving more general-operating and multi-year grants. We’ll delve into causes they care about, why they give, and their visions for the future of philanthropy. This free event will include announcement of the recipients of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. Register now and join us today at 2 p.m.

NONPROFIT NEWS FROM ELSEWHERE

As the Boy Scouts of America prepares to emerge from bankruptcy proceedings triggered by a tsunami of sex-abuse claims, it must regain families’ trust and rebuild the organization’s reputation if it is to survive. After more than two years of Chapter 11 hearings and negotiations, a court has approved most of a compensation plan worth at least $2.5 billion for 82,000-plus claimants. The national organization and local councils will put in $800 million combined, while payouts from insurance companies and troop sponsors will make up the rest. Afterward, the Scouts will need to “take credible efforts to remake their leadership, internal operations, communications, and investments,” said Michael Bellavia, chief executive of the HelpGood marketing agency, which works with groups with social missions. He said the work could take decades. The Scouts has apologized for the abuse, which executives say took place before current safety protocols were in place. Current rules require that at least two adults be present during any interaction between scouts and adult volunteers. (Wall Street Journal — subscription)

More News

‘I Have No Choice but to Do This.’ A Boston-Based Group Is Distributing Cash to Displaced Ukrainians. (Boston Globe)
Investigating Misuse of LGBTQ Nonprofit’s Funds, D.C. Attorney General Seeks to Block Access to Casa Ruby Bank Accounts
(Washington Post)
N.Y. Nonprofits Cheer City Hall Headway on $5 Billion Payments Backlog (Crain’s New York Business)
Soaring Housing, Energy Costs Put Pressure on Houston’s Nonprofits to Deliver Help (Houston Chronicle)
Why Thousands of People Are Left Out of New York City’s Daily Homeless Census (New Yorker)

Nonprofits and Media

Report for America — the Frontline Warriors in the Battle to Save Journalism (Editor & Publisher)
The Founder of the OpEd Project Set Out to Amplify Marginalized Voices in the Opinion Pages ... but She Did So Much More Than That. (Oprah Daily)

Arts

Arts and Culture Wrestles With Corporate Philanthropy’s New Normal (San Francisco Business Times)
Utah’s Odyssey Dance Theatre to Close After 28 Years (KSL)
Rebounding From a Revolt, Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater Is Again Mired in Turmoil (New York Times)
Under Pressure to Cut Russian Ties, Maestro Forms New Orchestra (New York Times)

EDITOR'S PICKS

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Fundraising Leadership at the Biggest Groups Still Has a ‘Shocking’ Lack of Diversity Despite Racial Reckoning

By Drew Lindsay

America’s nonprofits have promised to make their staffs look like America itself. Yet diversity remains elusive in the ranks of top fundraisers at the biggest organizations, despite significant turnover.
Management and Leadership

Humanize Your Hiring Process — Here’s Why and How

By Mordy Walfish

Six ways one nonprofit has improved its recruiting — such as highlighting skills rather than credentials, including salary ranges in job ads, and making interviews more equitable.
Leadership

Homegrown Foundation Leader Builds Bridges and Trust

By Eden Stiffman

For Isaiah Oliver, CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, helping with the city’s water crisis — and pandemic recovery — has allowed his leadership to shine through.
Opinion

Why Must I Relive My Deepest Trauma to Persuade Donors to Fund My Organization?

By Damion J. Cooper

The head of a Baltimore nonprofit implores grant makers to stop asking him to tell his story about the night he was shot and nearly died. When, he asks, will Black nonprofit leaders no longer need to recount their near-death experiences to be deemed worthy of funding?
FROM THE ARCHIVE: EDITOR’S PICK

We Committed to Paying Our Staff More Than a Living Wage. Your Nonprofit Should Do the Same.

By Minor Sinclair

As inflation takes a toll on underpaid employees, nonprofit leaders need to recognize the seriousness of the problem and make sure their compensation policies align with their organizational missions.