From “Easy Money” in City Arts Magazine of Seattle, WA:

The Awesome Foundation was founded in 2009 in Boston by a guy named Tim Hwang. He came up with the simple formula of 10 people giving $100 each that is handed out as grants on a monthly basis. It went from the one chapter in Boston to four chapters to 12 chapters. Two years later, it’s at 30 chapters.

The Awesome Foundation does high-frequency, low-stakes grant-making. Most grant-making institutions do high-stakes, low-frequency grantmaking. They often think big about initiatives and form multiyear commitments with their grantees. [...] The foundation’s success has to do with the simple formula. [...] Our trustees know where the money goes. They’re really invested in the success of these small projects.

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From “What Donors Want — but Often Don’t Get” in the Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Charities don’t do nearly enough to tell donors how their money will be used. That;s one of the striking preliminary findings from a new survey by the researcher Penelope Burk. This is the fourth year that Ms. Burke, president of Cygnus Applied Research, has conducted an online survey with thousands of donors. (See my article about last year?s findings.)

The survey asked donors “what could unleash your philanthropy at a whole new level?” Nearly half of the donors said that they had more money to give but held back. Many of them said that was largely because they had not received enough information about how past donations had been spent.

Burk’s blog reports that “even in the worst moments of the recession, close to 50% of donors we surveyed agreed that they could have given more money.” One survey respondent explained that the “the thing that could unleash my philanthropy at a whole new level is [...] knowing that the money I give is making a real difference in people’s lives (not just a drop in the ocean of need);” another said that she would appreciate non-profits “giving loyal donors feedback about their accumulative giving to a cause over five, ten or even fifteen years.”

So let us know: what do you do to keep your donors “in the know?” And donors, what do you most appreciate hearing and enjoy leaning about at the non-profits that you support?

Have a good weekend, friends! Here are some great destinations just around the corner …

Jazz Conversations with Jazz Vocalist Rene Marie with DC Jazz Fest (at THEARC Theater, 1901 Mississippi Avenue SE)

For music students and music lovers, this 60-minute session on Friday at 10:30 AM will explore the amazing contribution of jazz vocalists to American history and culture. Recommended for middle and high school students; register right here.

The Snowy Day at Adventure Theatre (Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo)

The simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night is brought to life in this magical world premiere. Most performances this weekend are sold out, but tickets are still available online for Friday at 7:00 PM and Saturday at 11:00 AM.

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Why Kids Drop Out: Identifying The Early Warning Signs (WAMU): “New graduation numbers to be released this month are expected to show that just more than half of public school students in the District actually graduate high school in four years. Students don’t drop out of school for any one reason. It’s usually a complicated mix, including individual traits, home life as well as school and neighborhood characteristics. But many researchers believe children exhibit clear warning signs early on that can help identify those at risk of dropping out. This report focuses on Turner Elementary School in Southeast, whose graduates attend a middle and high school “where approximately 20 percent of students can read and do math at grade level.” Attendance is the most critical challenge, as nearly 20 percent of DCPS students “had more than two weeks of unexcused absences last year.” To learn more about CFP education enrichment nonprofits, head this way.

Study: Child Abuse Affects More US Kids than SIDS (TIME): “When it comes to child abuse, the first year of life is the most dangerous for children. Although SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, attracts far more attention, the rate of hospital admissions related to SIDS is actually lower than the rate of child abuse — 50 per 100,000 children under age 1 for SIDS, compared with 58.2 per 100,000 births. [...] Researchers at Yale University found that abuse landed 4,569 children under 18 in the hospital in 2006; 300 of them died.” Locally, SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia and Alternative House are working for safe, permanent homes for children in need.

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From The Chronicle of Philanthropy:

Nonprofits added jobs at an average annual rate of more than 2 percent from 2000 to 2010, while for-profit jobs were cut by 0.6 percent each year on average, according to a new study.

Even during the recession years of 2008 and 2009, charities increased their employment by nearly 2 percent, while for-profit jobs declined by nearly 4 percent, according to the report, which was based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
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Wishing you a good weekend, Greater Washington! We’ve got some great events coming up …

The Snowy Day at Adventure Theatre (Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo)

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first American picture book to feature an African-American child as the main character. The simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen is brought to life in the magical world premiere, starting this Friday at 7:00 PM and continuing on the weekend at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Tickets right here!

Decadent Delights at Neediest Kids (Carnegie Institution of Science, 1530 P Street NW)

Enjoy an afternoon of “Decadent Delights” to benefit thousands of children in need in the DC Metro area this Saturday at 2:00 PM — you won?t be able to resist the sumptuous treats from a variety of notable confectionaries in the region. Family and individual tickets available here.
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Last Thursday, we posted a question-and-answer walk-through of the CFP application process. Applications are due in one month and one day, so we’re adding a few more FAQs — and just leave a comment or tweet us @cataloguedc with any other questions:

Have you announced the dates for the financial supplement workshops yet?

We have! Two workshops will be held, one on February 14th, 2-4 PM and the other on March 5th 2-4 PM, at Smith & Wollensky’s, 1112 19th Street NW. You can sign up online right here.

When and how do you notify applicants of the decisions?

If we need to see financial information, we will request it in early to mid-April. Final decisions are made in early to mid-May and we will be sure to email you the decision either way. The new Catalogue comes out in early November in time for the giving season.
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Why Low-Income Kids Miss Out On Play (DCentric): “‘Free play’ helps boost childhood development and leads to better behavior in schools. But a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics found low-income children in cities have limited opportunities to play [...] Low-income kids are more likely to see recess cut from their school day [and] there are fewer playgrounds in low-income, urban communities [and] Parents are busy insuring their families? day-to-day survival.” So definitely get to know the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, whose 100+ volunteers give children a much-needed opportunity to play and relax.
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Applications are now open for the 2012/2013 Catalogue for Philanthropy and due on February 13 at midnight. So let’s talk details:

Who is eligible? We try to keep the process as open as possible to a wide range of nonprofits. You just need to be a 501(c)3 organization, operating in the Washington region, with a budget below $3 million. That’s about it. And if you were featured in the 2008/2009 print Catalogue and earlier, you can apply for it again this year.
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Still deciding about year-end giving? First, check out our “How To Give” section:

- You can donate easily to any CFP nonprofit or the Catalogue itself online. You can browse through the five nonprofit categories here and donate directly from any nonprofit’s page as you go.

- Just as easily, you can download a Giving Form here, make a list of charities and contribution amounts, and send one check to us. We’ll handle the rest!

Second, a good way to learn what your donation will mean to a particular nonprofit is to check out the Wish List:

- At Montgomery Countryside Alliance, $100 covers two Agricultural Reserve tours for elected officials and $500 covers 1 year of action alert emails.

- For Educacion Para Nuestro Futuro, $500 buys 10 textbooks for children learning English and $1000 provides a university field trip for 10 college-bound students and their parents.

- Or for Partner for Surgery, $100 buys transportation and care for two patients post-surgery and $500 covers pre-surgical nutrition support for children with cleft palates.

In other words, gifts of all sizes can make a major difference for these high-impact nonprofits. So consider spending a part of New Year’s Eve day getting to know all of them and helping them better our communities. They are amazingly good at it!