Ever wondered about your 501(c)3 IQ? Test your knowledge of all things nonprofit with this quiz from the Wall Street Journal. A few good sample questions:

1. The Urban Institute says volunteering can be just as important as cash or goods for many nonprofits. What percentage of American adults volunteered for or through an organization in 2010?

A. 5%
B. 14%
C. 26%
D. 32%

17. Which community foundation gave away more than $183 million in 2009, making it the largest community foundation that year in terms of giving?

A. New York Community Trust
B. Silicon Valley Community Foundation
C. Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
D. Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

21. Charities, of course, vary in size by both revenues and assets. But one sector was by far the largest in 2009, garnering 60% of revenues and holding 41% of assets. Which sector was that?

A. Education
B. Health
C. Arts, culture and humanities
D. Public and social benefit

(Answers: 1 – C, 17 – D, 21 – B. Take the whole quiz here. How did you do?)

Making weekend plans? Check out what’s happening at our nonprofits …

Gifts that Give Hope (Trinity Presbyterian Church, 5533 North 16th St., Arlington)

From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday, a dozen nonprofits will provide a unique, stress-free holiday shopping experience. Looking for a good holiday gift? Consider making a contribution in honor of a family member of friend. Half of the participating nonprofits hail from CFP network: Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs, A-SPAN (Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network), Borromeo Housing, Inc., Doorways For Women and Families, Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, and Just Neighbors.

Anacostia Watershed Society (Bladen Woods Condos, 5208 Newton Street, Bladensburg, MD)

Join a neighborhood clean-up near the Quincy Run tributary on Saturday at 8:00 AM; all supplies and instructions will be provided on site!
Read all »

Division of Labor: The Gap Between Skills and Jobs (DCentric): “While much of the country struggles with job creation, DC is in the unique position of having more jobs than residents [...] Many of the available jobs in the District, the ones that attract people from around the country, require advanced degrees. This mismatch, or skills gap, means many of those born and raised within the District are increasingly being left out of its economic success.” According to the DC Department of Employment Services, professional, technical, or scientific or federal government positions make up nearly half of the area’s jobs; and 65% of November online job postings stipulated that applicants needed a minimum of a bachelors degree.
Read all »

It’s an obvious choice. But we are heading into the midst of the holiday season, so what better time to talk about gift cards? First, click the “How to Give” tab on the CFP mainpage and then click “Gift Cards” on the left hand menu. This screen will pop up:

So what is a Catalogue gift card? It works just like a traditional gift card for a website or store; but rather than spend the contents, the recipient donates it to the CFP charity (or charities) of his or her choosing. You can purchase a card for a friend or family member in denominations of $25, $50, $100, $150, and up and we will send it to them, along with instructions for visiting our website and learning about the great nonprofits in our network. And redeeming the card is pretty simple: just click “donate” on any charity’s page and select a donation amount. Same procedure as usual! But once you get to the payment page, you enter the code on the card instead of a credit card number.

With CFP’s wide range of organizations, from charter schools to preservation groups to dance companies, these gifts cards really can appeal to anyone. So if you’re interested, here’s how to get started: just head to the “Purchase a Gift Card” page and fill it out:

We can mail the card to you or directly to the recipient, along with a personal message. Just one important heads-up: we receive quite a few gift card orders during the holidays, so please order by December 12 if you would like the card to arrive by December 25. If you’re reading this entry after December 12 … we do e-cards of course!

Any questions? Just leave a comment and we’re happy to help out.

Happy Thanksgiving, Greater Washington! If you’re looking to support or volunteer with an organization in your neighborhood on this coming holiday weekend, we have the list for you. Check out what’s needed and what you can do at some of CFP’s human service nonprofits. (And we’ll be back to our regular GoodWorks programming on Monday)

Carpenter’s Shelter: Alexandria, VA

Each family, more than 100 in total, in the Aftercare program receives a basket full of essential ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner. Items needed range from boxes of stuffing to mashed potatoes to ziploc bags. Full list right here:

Doorways for Women and Families: Arlington, VA

Doorways, which strives to end domestic violence and homelessness, offers 6 ways to help out throughout this holiday season, including sponsoring a family and purchasing cards drawn by a child in the housing program.

FACETS Cares: Fairfax, VA

Seeking cooks for Turkeys and side dishes (ingredients provided) on November 22-24, volunteers to assemble and deliver food on Thanksgiving, AND food drive assistants that weekend! All info is right here.

Food for Others: Fairfax, VA

A full calendar of volunteer opportunities from 9 AM to 5 PM today and tomorrow includes directing truck traffic, sorting food, and distributing it to clients. Interested? Read the full schedule here or email nclifford@foodforothers.org.

Lorton Community Action Center: Lorton, VA

In serving clients of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, LCAC is not seeking the traditional American Thanksgiving provisions. A complete list is right here. The drop-off date was last Sunday, but give LCAC a call (contact info below) to see if they have everything that they need.

Manna Food Center: Gaithersburg, MD

Check out Channel 9′s report on Manna’s “need for turkeys” (and other protein items) from earlier this month. You can drop off food donations from 8 AM to 4 PM today and tomorrow, but locations are closed on Thursday.

Miriam’s Kitchen: Washington, DC

All volunteer spots are booked for Thanksgiving, but do check out the coverage of Miriam’s Kitchen on USA Today. This holiday, Miriam’s will be serving 150 homeless people its first all-organic or local Thanksgiving dinner (turkey included).

Our Daily Bread: Fairfax, VA

Every Saturday, November 5 through December 10, Our Daily Bread and Combined Properties host a fall food drive; full list of locations here. You also can sponsor a family through the holiday season.

Friendships begin with liking or gratitude — roots that can be pulled up.

– English novelist George Eliot

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

– 35th US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

This Thanksgiving week, we’re giving thanks for the incredible nonprofit community of Greater Washington — for cleaner rivers and parklands, innovative schools and enrichment programs, diverse theater and dance performances, and aid for our region’s neediest residents.

Are you a CFP nonprofit with particular volunteer or support needs this week? Let us know so that we can feature you right here!

Welcome to mid-November! Just one week ago today, we introduced you to our new class of CFP nonprofits. So now, we’d like to show how you can learn even more about them online.

First, head to the “Our Nonprofits” section of the CFP homepage and click on any of the five categories. Let’s go with “Nature.” From there, let’s get to know one of our new organizations: Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment. And if you scroll down on ACE’s page, you will see this menu:

Read all »

From yesterday’s “Inspiration to Action 2011” at the Harman Center for the Arts:

Here we are. YEAR NINE. To the 2011-12 charities featured in our new Catalogue and to those of you being re-featured on our website this year, it is truly an honor, and a pleasure, to see you here today. I hope you are already feeling inspired by what we are doing together. [...] Here at the Catalogue we believe in the power of telling stories — and in the hard work that makes it possible for donors and volunteers to tap into the in-depth information and guidance that is the foundation of our work. We want people who read the Catalogue and visit us on the web, to explore their own philanthropic interests and find what matters to them — knowing that we have already done the hard work that makes meaningful personal choice possible.

– Barbara Harman, President, Catalogue for Philanthropy

Read all »

Welcome to November, Greater Washington! So, what would you like to do this weekend?

Enjoy Great Music …

On Saturday at 8:00 & Sunday at 3:00 PM, National Philharmonic presents an “All Beethoven” evening; tickets over this way. Enjoy an afternoon of exquisite solo virtuosity from the Washington Bach Consort on Sunday at 3:00 PM at the National Presbyterian Church (tickets here) or catch the American Youth Philharmonic‘s “Orchestral Brilliance,” also at 3:00 PM.

Read all »

Happy Halloween, Greater Washington! Just doing a quick “In The News …” a couple days early this week, as we stumbled upon some ghoulish news items.

“Halloween Charity Treats For Those In Need” (Huffington Post): “When it comes to choosing your costume this Halloween, try this one on for size: go as a do-gooder. Even though Halloween typically takes the back seat to Thanksgiving and Christmas when it comes to charitable holidays, this festive day has plenty of potential to serve as an opportunity to help those in need.” The article highlights UNICEF, Operation Shoebox, and OneSight. What are your (perhaps local?) suggestions.

Read all »