078: Readings, Possible Futures, Past Lives & Board Oversight Basics II – Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio

Tony’s guests this week:

Betsy Cohen, psychic medium

Gene Takagi and Emily Chan of the Nonprofit & Exempt Organizations law group

Read and watch more on Tony’s blog: http://mpgadv.com

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No. Welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent on your aptly named host. I hope you’re with me last week because if you were and what a shame if you weren’t, but if you were those who were with me heard entrepreneurs on board, entrepreneurs are under utilized on boards, and jerry stengel, founder of venture near, helped you to make the fix. Who are these people? How do you find them? And how do you approach them to get their special talents on your board? Also, we had starting the plant e-giving conversation with laurie greiff, president of breakthrough philanthropy. She encouraged you to start the plan giving conversation with your committed prospects and donors. Well, if you weren’t with me last week, you are now much more important this week readings, possible futures and past lives psychic medium betsy cohen will take your calls and tweets my bryce just cracked tweets to read your non-profits energy and help you see a wider perspective, reveal what’s hidden and understand possible futures from different alternatives related to donors, staffing, budget programs or whatever challenges you’re facing. She’ll also do readings about career issues. In the second half of the show board oversight basics to our regular legal contributors, jean takagi and emily chan from the non-profit and exempt organizations law group in san francisco unlock the vagueness around board oversight this’s part two of the discussion we started on january twentieth there’s a lot to say and it’s important board oversight between the segments on tony’s take two in praise of naps that’s my blogger this week in praise of naps i’ll talk about why i praise them, so we’re live tweeting as we do every week hashtag non-profit radio use it recklessly, but especially this week we have a guest live tweeter mazarene treyz from austin, texas she’s been a guest on this show she’s been a guest on my podcast for the chronicle of philanthropy that i do monthly. You can follow her on twitter at wild woman fund mazarene treyz welcome to the show on twitter. Right now, we take a break when we return it’s readings, possible futures and past lives with psychic medium betsy cohen, so stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com. We look forward to serving you. Is your marriage in trouble? Are you considering divorce? Hello, i’m lawrence bloom, a family law attorney in new york and new jersey. No one is happier than the day their divorce is final. My firm can help you. We take the nasty out of the divorce process and make people happy. Police call a set to one, two, nine six four three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s lawrence h bloom two, one two, nine, six, four, three five zero two. We make people happy. Durney hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com. Welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent and your aptly named host. Right now, i’m joined by betsy cohen. Betsy is a psychic medium. She has a background also in social work and psychology, and worked for a nonprofit for over ten years. So you see the important overlap she’s, a reverend in the spiritualist church of new york city, and is one of the top ten psychics in new york, and we’re going to have some fun, and i’m really very pleased to welcome that seat to the show. Welcome. Thanks for having me, it’s. A real pleasure. Yes, i want to tell people first that we are taking calls about your non-profit or about your career at eight. Seven seven for a tow for one two oh, for psychic medium, betsy cohen. And of course, you can also tweet using hashtag non-profit radio and we’re monitoring that hashtag here in the studio. Betty um psychic medium let’s. Try to break it down a little bit. What is a psychic? A psychic is somebody who gains information that they would have no other way of knowing through the collective unconscious or someone’s aura all right? And that could include a non-profit good to be with someone it could about the past president future and you can really tap into any kind of issue you want, even if it’s beyond your own personal self so you can find out information about other people. You can find out information about an agency. And as i was preparing for the show, i was thinking about you prepare for the show like the guest does more preparation in the host, okay, i was thinking about that law about corporations being individuals, and although most people don’t agree with that and it’s kind of wonky it’s, sort of that same idea, you know, each each agency, each corporation has its own sort of set of ideals and morals and things like that and operates as a unit. And so you can read that energy of the unit. And just as i would for individuals, talk about possible futures for an individual, we can also do business called consultations with the same sort of concept. Okay, so the person doesn’t have to be affiliated with the non-profit for youto read the energy of the non-profit they’re asking about or there does have to be some relationship. Well, that’s, sort of. Ah, moral question. I can get information on anything at any point. But if you don’t directly have to do with it, i prefer not to go there so similar as if business. Exactly. I have no relationship let’s say to thee, pick a huge charity to the american cancer society. Right? So it’s, none of my damn business. But through me, you could. But you could read about the american cancer society totally irrelevant. Just that i’m merely the one who brought it up. Yes, i could. Okay, but i choose not to understand. Okay? And then what about the medium part of psychic medium? What’s? A medium mediums are people who speak to people on the other side that the dead. Okay. And how do you? Ah, you know these these air unusual things to most people. Not everyone but but the most people. How does one establish credentials for talking to people on the other side? I mean, how do we know that that’s? A bona fide. How do you know that? It’s quantified. Well. And i am a reverend in the spiritualist church and the spiritualist. Church believes in a higher power the golden rule, things like that, but their primary function is to prove life after death, and so the way they do that is through mediumship. So if i don’t know you, you come in off the street and i make a connection with your deceased grandmother, and i tell you five shared memories that you had or something that she liked or did that really you could identify her from? That would be a way to sort of say, oh, my gosh, she’s onto something here, okay, okay, so they’re so being a reverend in that in the spiritualist church of new york city is a credential. It is just not something honorary. No, you have to be actually a certified psychic medium, which you conduced through schooling. And then on top of that, you know, it wasn’t something i just got online. I went to seminary school for about two years and got ordained, and i conduct church services there, and in fact, i’ll be in austin, texas, texas on the eighteenth, and i hope to co conduct the church service there and do some guest speaking and guess mediumship there, too. Okay, so mazarene treyz you’re in austin, texas, that’s. Ah, reverend betsy cohen will be there on february eighteenth at the first spiritualist church of austin, texas. Okay, a reminder that we’re taking calls eight, seven, seven, four, eight o for one two oh, if you have questions about the non-profit that you’re affiliated with that you work with or that maybe you’re a volunteer for ah challenges about budget or staffing or programming anything that’s ah that’s a concern in that non-profit you can also hit us on twitter using the hashtag non-profit radio. So you mentioned schooling, but i would have thought, and maybe i’m wrong that being a psychic or medium is something that you’re born with. I believe that actually everyone khun do what ideo but some people are more inclined and so it’s, just like, if you wind up growing up and you’re good at math, then you may study math further and you may become an accountant or something like that. So it really is through a lot of practice that you get to be a point where i’m at interest in helping others and things like that so it’s sort of like just getting a roadmap for where you’re going, other people have paved the way before, and they let you know what you can expect pretty much and in just a minute or so that we have left before the break is so this is greater than just someone’s intuition, obviously, but we all have intuition, a gut feeling about a person, a feeling that i left something in my apartment as i’m walking out the door, we all have that level, but this is much greater. I wouldn’t say necessarily greater, but more specialized and more in depth. So, you know, like i said, if if you’re not good at taxes, you might get, like turbotax online or something versus being an accountant and being someone who does taxes for a living. So it’s really just that concentration and practice really practice makes perfect, so it is also a lifestyle, so i don’t use any cards or any instruments or anything like that. It’s just my body. So i have to make sure that i keep really good care of my body. So there’s a lot that goes into it. Okay before the show, you said you have very good immune. System is bragging because i have. I have bronchitis right now, which, measuring treyz you don’t need to tweet that part, but betsy claims more sophisticated immune system than me. We’re going to take a break, and when we return, more readings, possible futures and past lives with psychic medium. Betsy cohen. Stay with us, the defendant think dick tooting, getting thinking thing. You’re listening to the talking, alternate network, itching to get anything. Nothing. You could are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall. This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Oppcoll hi, this is psychic medium. Betsy cohen, host of the show. The power of intuition. Join me at talking alternative dot com mondays at eleven a. M call in for a free second reading. Learn how to tune into your intuition to feel better and to create your optimum life. I’m here to guide you and to assist you in creating life that you deserve. Listen every monday at eleven a, m on talking alternative dot com. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed, i and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. I’m christine cronin, president of n y charities. Dahna you’re listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Welcome back to the show we’re talking about reading is possible futures in past lives. Becky, what is the advantage for non-profits what could what could a charity expect from a reading? Well, i know that especially in these quote unquote hard economic times, let’s, just call it a recession. We’re in a recession from metoo call it was called, we’re in a recession, eso in the recession dance and the recession non-profits tend to have it harder with funding being pulled left and right, and it really does trickle down from the top to the employees, and it could really affect morale and decision making and there’s a lot of the decisions that have to be made nowadays that didn’t necessarily have to be made five, ten years ago. And so when ever people come to a reading, whether it be a business consultation or individual, they’ve got issues that they don’t know the future of, they don’t know what direction to take, and if you have possible options, i’m trained to look into possible futures. So even hypothetical, yes, absolutely, because we do have free will, and so i don’t personally believe that, you know, as faras the american dream is concerned. We have ah, plethora of options to us all the time. But there are crossroads that come up. And so when you’re at a cross road that’s a time when you can say okay, well, should we should we go with this funder, or should we put our money in this area? And so i can say, okay, well, if you went with this funder, this is what would happen if you put your money elsewhere. This is what would happen as well. So you can really take a good look at the possible scopes of things. It really helps with decision making. On top of that, you know, there are a lot of things that, as you mentioned in the beginning of the segment, that it’s there’s hidden, hidden agendas and i do provide a wider perspective. So when especially people on the top of the letter don’t necessarily have the best connection with the people who are running the agency day today and interacting with the clients and things like that. And so with my my work and social work, i’ve seen sort of all stratos fears and and helped with that sort of communication so that so that the employees who were really running the business feel appreciated and the people on tap can make the best decisions for the whole agency, that kind of thing. Um, and as far as the problem solving goes, what i also say is, you know, you ask one question, but there’s a whole bunch of hidden questions in that as well. And so my job is to ask, ask, ask i am somewhat like a telephone, so if you’re getting a business consultation and i’m speaking with, you know, the collective, if i don’t ask the collective of it, i don’t ask divine source, it doesn’t get answered, so i ask all the whos that what’s the wise and the wares in the ones behind your question to really get a complete answer. Okay, now on the show, we have jargon jail, and you’ve just committed to offenses, but but they’re not as technical as we usually get a lot of times lawyers will find himself in jail, but the collective and divine source. Okay, so what are what are these? Okay, well, they in these terms, they’re sort of they’re sort of the same thing. There’s there’s an energy that connects us all and actually science modern science is actually leading us to to these conclusions as well. Some of it is not so easily access, but you can find it. And so is that that a lot of people believe in the soul, right? So there’s a part of us that’s, energetic that’s bigger than our body, and it’s connected to everyone so that’s sort of the collective unconscious that’s how we tune in we’re all plugged into this one energy and divine consciousness is that that in that intelligence source that is there only to support our highest good, and just always supports us, so they’re very similar, but slightly different. Sometimes i feel the divine energy is electrocuting me way have a question that came by email, i think, betsy, so go ahead. What is that? Yeah, anna in brooklyn says if i feel stuck and not being fulfilled at work, she works for a nonprofit, but afraid to change jobs. What can i do to find a passion? And so for for and i do feel like this happens to a lot of people when you’re in a non-profit for a while you sort of especially if you’re young, although even if you’re just new to the agency ah lot of times you’re really gung ho about it, and you’re gung ho because you go in with your your heart, you go in with the passion nobody is in non-profit to get rich, we know that right it’s a life of service, and so when you go in, you have on the forefront of your brain and your thinking low, i’m going to go in to help people. I’m going in to help people, and you go in with that passion, and then you go in and you read, you hear all the bureaucracy and the old staff member start to complain, and you start to see the different side of all the administrative stuff, and maybe you don’t feel appreciated, and then your passion starts to diminish and you start to lose track of what brought you there in the first place. What brought you that fulfillment and that joy? And so when you’re looking for a new job, what is always recommended is it sounds a little bit backwards and we’re not really taught this, but i know firsthand. That it works, especially when i worked in non-profit i was able to switch jobs by doing this is you need to create that passion from within again in your current job. What is it that brings you there that will connect you to your heart center, and that will let you sort of really tune into what it is that you’re there for in the first place, and then you can start to tune and say, okay, well, this aspect of the job i liked, but this aspect of the job i don’t like, and you can start to search with what it is that you do like, and you can start your job, search that way and then another quick thing is that when you, when you start to do that, when you start to appreciate where you are, your energy changes and the energy of those around you changes think of when you having a good day and everyone around you is smiling because you’re smiling versus getting up on the wrong side of the bed. So then there’s a thing when you have a job and you switch your attitude around and you go searching for a job. The people that you interview with want you because you’re bringing in a different energy of someone who’s unemployed and who needs that job? I just needed to pay the bills. That’s, not your best energy. And when you go in, you could be bruce. Exactly. And so you and you’re not being desperate because you hate your job already as well. So you say they say, why are you here? And they say, well, you say i want a new skill set i want to bring my passion to your agency and they’re speaking from the heart versus sort of masking your dissatisfaction at your old job now and so that’s. All very good. I think job search and job change advice. But are you able to read anything about anna’s situation just just from an e mail? Is that is that possible? Yes, absolutely. That was that was for and i don’t even know her last name. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, that that really applied that would really apply. Generally, it would because it’s it’s something that we all go through. But for her specifically it well, it works as well. She has a follow up. Question should i read that? Yeah, okay, she says at non-profits even if i do believe in the work i dio, how can i find more comforting asking for a financial support from the community, especially after bad press? So she’s talking about fund-raising so that’s a that’s a big thing as well, especially with the press, trying to find all of these things, you know, just a good story. So i would say, and one of the things that you do want to do is you do want to find those passionate people. The people who are there are ready with their heart, and if you can, if you can get the people who are actually receiving the services to somehow be represented, not necessarily that you want them to do the fund-raising themselves sometimes videos can really help. So the people who receive the services they have, you know, heartfelt message is if it weren’t for this agency, i would not be ableto walk today. I would not be going to college today. Videos really work sometimes, um, sometimes just stories that you can have a sort of, not a postcard. So you want to have that that poster child who was really affected those things, and if you have enthusiastic clients who want to be out in the public and say, can you help us out along with the staff members, that can be really helpful? That could be very compelling, absolutely than alive story to a board or ah, or an event that you’re hosting absolutely gala and those those are the things because you you always and this is a general thing, but it’s specifically for this question as well, you always want to focus on what you want versus what you don’t want. And so if you have that client and that staff member who are very passionate and very affected, the people, the audience, the people who you want to donate money are going to see that, and they’re not going to be concentrating on the story that they read last week about the agency other value that that non-profits could see in the reading focus on this little bit more the hypothetical that we mentioned earlier, so it doesn’t have to be it’s, not it’s, not limited to existing circumstances, but even just ah, question about different alternatives absolutely that’s what? You mean by possible futures? Yeah. Um, when i was in social work, i primarily not all the time, but i primarily worked with people with developmentally to say do weird about developmentally disabled. And they were pretty high functioning. My job was to educate them on the consequences of their actions and then let them make their own decisions. Unless it was a health and safety risk. Right? This is what i bring into my readings. And so when people come to me with a business consultation or personal constitutent consultation they say yes, but what should i d’oh? I say, well, that would be putting my own judgment in. And i take myself out. I will tell you, if you do this, this will happen. And if you do this other path, this other thing will happen. So you get to choose on dh with what degree of certainty can you say that? On your saying this so that this will happen with this other thing will happen? Not may happen. Might happen, you know, you know, it really depends on the feedback that i get from readings. So far, the feedback has been eighty to one hundred percent. Accurate how people come up with those numbers, i think is just sort of ah, feeling i do tape every reading and send it to people so it’s possible that they’re sort of rating on a checklist, but i wouldn’t. I wouldn’t necessarily go that far with it, and i don’t know of anyone personally who’s done that it’s just really a track record of of the past readings and how much they’ve come true and also, you know, i always look for the for the best possible future for somebody, so there isn’t necessarily doom and gloom, although someone did ask me if i get something negative, will i relay it on what i say is that whatever i get, i give, so if i get something negative, i’ll deliver it to you, but we’ll also ask, though, who’s the what’s, the wise, the wares in the ones to either avoid that or make the best of that psychic medium. Betsy cohen is a za reverend in the spiritualist church of new york city, and we’re talking about readings possible futures in past lives. You can reach us on twitter using hashtag non-profit radio or call eight seven seven. For eight xero for one to zero what is spirit and and is it related to the organizational type readings that we’re talking about? Absolutely spirit is is the energy that i believe exists in everything around us. I believe what’s an intelligent force and i believe it’s what keeps things together, and i also believe that we can sort of harness spirit to create things there was this the collective energy that i said electrocute feel like it’s electrocuting me? Yes, it’s the same thing. Yes. Okay, go ahead. Yeah. And and what was the other part of the questions that were that doesn’t relate to organization it’s readings as well as individual meeting? Absolutely. Absolutely. The thing is, is that everything that’s been created and will be created first started in someone’s mind’s eye and so it’s really bringing that fourth and so that’s. What non-profits will do in a reading is they’ll wonder what they should manifest next to watch the next step should be. And so when you talk about that it’s like, well, what is the best step for you and talking about that? So here and in terms of, um, your work connecting with the dead being a medium. So first, let me say all psychics or not mediums, right? That’s, right? All right. Okay. Yeah. With that at all, be related to organizational readings like someone who’s who’s used to work for the organisation is now deceased possible. Yes, it is. I mean, it’s getting a little far out for your show, but absolutely well, just it’s a consulting a dead person for a non-profit i mean it’s definitely possible and probable, especially if that person was really good at bringing the organization to a good place leading the organization whenever they were the founder. Exactly that’s possible or or or an influential ceos ceo for decades or something. And they have a lot to say about the current course of the of the organization. No, absolute, yes, absolutely. You can also call on other famous people who were good at what you’re looking for. You can also ask them for consultations as well from that. And, you know, it’s it’s really good. Because i always say when we’re contacting the dead, it comes through their filter so you wouldn’t want to contact the ceo who led the organization into the red about money, you know, you might want teo about, you know about anything else, but you probably wouldn’t want to talk to them finances, but that’s it’s a really good point and i have have now. Now you say it’s a really good point, but two minutes ago it was it was too far afield for the show that man complete one eighty you doing for embarrass me and you say, it’s your show so i shouldn’t have made that judgment people embarrass me also, i embarrass myself. It doesn’t matter if you don’t, i will. So you may as well make your point, though that was the point is that that is that is a really good point. And and if you did want to contact someone on the other side, i do have really high standards from my mediumship. So if i’m giving a reading for anyone i really want to come up with identify irs, and i’ll explain what that is so that you know, that they’re here so things that i would have no way of knowing the way they died, what they liked with some of the personalities may be a shared memory that you had with them something like that, so that, you know, if i gave you five, identify ours, and you’re like, whoa, that’s. Definitely, you know, the last ceo, he definitely made that joke to me that something that was convincing to me in the beginning was it was conveying the personality of a deceased loved one. And then, you know, the very first reading that i had it was she was using the exact words i used the day before. And, you know, how would that person know that? We pretty much are out of time. I wantto i want to let people know that he has a show here on talking alternative, which is the power of intuition and that’s on mondays at eleven a, m here at talking alternative dot com, she has a background in social work and psychology, and has worked for a nonprofit for over ten years. Courses, i said, reverend in the spiritualist church of new york city and that’s, a corner one, thank you very much for being on the show, things going to give out my web site, new york psychic no, go ahead, new york city psychic that comets all spelled out in new york city. Psychic dot com. Thanks for coming into the studio on a friday. Thanks for having me, he’s. Been a pleasure. We’ll take a break, and when we returned, tony’s take two about naps and then board oversight basics. Stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics politically expressed. I am montgomery taylor, and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Dahna hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com durney welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio it’s, time for tony’s, take two at roughly thirty two minutes after the hour in praise of naps. That’s, my block this week. Um, i just i love naps. You know, if naps ran for president, i would vote for them, you know, because it’s, time to rest the body and rest the mind, and i’m sure that betsy cohen would say, rest his soul or something similar. It’s, just it’s rest, you know, and midday. I know a lot of people can only do them on a weekend, but i am fortunate to have the luxury of working at home. So sometimes on a weekday, i can indulge in an app and that’s. What my block is about. Ah, little about some peoples, different idiosyncrasies around. Ah, the proper venue for your nap, you know, bed versus sofa. Or maybe a comfy chair. Cover. I make a point that having the cover that’s just the right weight is important. I have my favorite blanket when it’s folded in half. It’s the perfect it’s a hideous color but it’s a great it’s a perfect weight when it’s folded in half. Um, something else that was nufer me ah, friend mentioned sound level. I mean, i was take my naps in silence, but she likes a tv low in the background, so sound level is something i hadn’t thought off. Anyway, you have your own idiosyncrasies. I hope you get the opportunity to indulge in naps and that’s what my post is about you’ll find my blogged at attorney martignetti dot com and note that that is a different girl than previous tony martignetti dot com that’s tony’s take two for friday, february tenth the sixth show of two thousand twelve excuse me, i’m very pleased now to welcome back jean takagi and emily chan gina’s principle of neo the non-profit and exempt organizations law group in san francisco he edits the popular blogged at non-profit law blogged dot com. You’ll find him on twitter at g tak g t k emily chan is an attorney at neo-sage contributor to the non-profit law blogged and she’s on twitter at emily chan, gene and emily welcome back, durney durney pleasure to have you. We’re continuing our conversation that jean and i started last week. Sorry last month about board oversight and gene, we had we had just we’re just the point where we’re getting some lessons from the penn state and second mile scandal crisis. What, you just remind listeners what that situation was about before we get some more lessons from it? Sure, honey, i think there’s been a lot of news, and jerry sandusky, who was an assistant football coach at penn state university, was founder of a children’s charity called the second mile. Uh, has, which is a charity that served more than one hundred thousand children annually. Mr sandusky was indicted in november following that three year investigation into reported sexual assaults of young boys by sandusky, including taking a shower with a boy at the penn state’s facilities and he’s actually at a pretrial hearing today. Oh, and uh, so he continues to be in the news the second mile, the big organization against serving more than a hundred thousand kids. Annually is now really hurting very badly in and maybe looking at closing in trying to transfer its program so huge impact of this child sex abuse scandal where sandusky was was indicted again for sexual assaults over a period of about fifteen years. And and sadly, since our last conversation about this, joe paterno died, i was dragged into the into the scandal under criticism that he hadn’t done enough to to report what he had learned on he died just a couple of days after after you and i talked. Gene um, so what? We were at the point where we’re talking about just getting help for your for your charity, what kind of help might a charity need from the from the outside? Why? I think they’re different things, and emily may want to chime in on this, too, but i think the first thing is to respond to those allegations of the charity when you’re your responsibility is taking care of those children. And you got a count of somebody who’s responsible party that interacts with these kids, taking a shower with children or engaging in other inappropriate behavior on there’s a grand jury actually looking into it, you’ve got to conduct your own internal investigations, and if you don’t have that expertise in house, you’ve got to get outside help to help you and obviously having an independent invest investigation and be very, very important as, uh, sandusky was the founder and might have been seen to have had undue influence over the leadership inside the second mile charity. Having an independent investigator take a look at it on if they need it outside, help to create more policies to protect the kids. Those are all things that were paramount for that board for that leadership act on right away. Yeah, emily besides the independent investigation, are there other investigation you know of ah serious allegation like this? Are there other functions that are important for charity’s? Tto go in seek of outside help with absolutely so amazing to think that we’ve been using in the sector. Assad organizations, they’re not doing a good job with implementing an emergency plan or even having a number to see plan to begin with. And so that’s something you can certainly see pr for talking to other organizations that have had similar troubles, especially with something like the second miles, you know, we’ve seen, for example, boy scouts of america go through a long history of legal cases related to sexual abuse, maybe reaching out to those organizations or seeing what they have done can help inform what might be effective when you’re dealing with a bad situation as well and it’s not only in cases of crisis, right, emily, that board should be looking for outside help. That is such a good plane. I really think the starting point for months over and organizations related to governance begins before and even bad actually happened, and it really should be from the inside out. So at a basic level, looking at things like policies, looking at the way that you described your information to the public, all of that should be an ongoing thing that’s being monitored before anything bad even happens. And so that sounds like an audit function. Is that what you’re describing in a way? You know, i don’t want to pretend that good governance is easy, it’s, certainly something you have to work hard at, but there’s steps out leaders can take to lessen the risk of bad governance, and so then when bad things happened that they don’t become exacerbated or get out of control. So looking at policies, this has really been something that’s come up with the for my ninety, and i think many organizations have the misconception of looking at it in the frame of how do we avoid an irs audit? And they think the right way to look at it is to think about policies as faras their utility on, and it does serve an audit function, but it also just helps an organization run it better, and it helps some underst and the role better to and a lot of the policies are things that jean and i talked about, the last conversation we had on this topic, which was on the january twentieth show. All right, so now i think a very good point that it it’s you don’t wait for a crisis, right? Emily toe tio, have your have things in order, correct? And i think also to build on the conversation that you and she had last time, you know, the ninety references policies that are very common, but i think an organization also needs to look at their specific situation to determine what. Policies are useful, so for example, here with the second mile, where they’re working with children. You know, the nine, ninety doesn’t save you have policies related tio sexual abuse prevention, but for an organization that has a mission and know that this risk in this context, that maybe something that their donors and their thunders and the public want to see, even though the nine ninety doesn’t specifically asked for it on dh, that would be the role of the board teo, to recognize the need for policies that are specific to the organizations work. It absolutely should be a discussion that’s happening on the board level, jean, those nine nineties that emily is referring to those things that signed under penalty of perjury, right? Absolutely. Tony so, you know boardmember sze should be, in my opinion, although there’s some controversy about this, i think all board members should be taking a look at the form nine ninety before it gets submitted to the irs to make sure that it is representative of what the organization is doing and the organization’s values. Because it really is, in my opinion, again part of the board members fiduciary duties i know. Some people feel like, well, if the board members have to read the nine, ninety that they can increase their personal exposure to liability, if there’s something you know really wrong that’s reflected in the nine, ninety, and they didn’t act on it, and i think that’s a board members job anyway, so rather than just sort of e-giving this defensive legal counsel about, you know, making sure you’re not getting into any trouble wait really want to be proactive about it and say, you know, we’ve got to tell directors what their jobs are so that they can really manage or govern and provide proper oversight to make their organizations do their best work. You mentioned that there’s controversy around whether boardmember should review the nine, ninety is that right? Yeah. There’s a little bit, tony. So i’m what’s up. Some people say that maybe a few board members, a committee perhaps be charged with taking a look at the nine ninety on and they take on the responsibility of doing it because if you are going to be assigned that role and that is part of your responsibility, then you, you know, add to the exposure that you have if you blow it, so if for example, the nine nineties showing that you’re going insolvent, oh, and that you’ve got no policies in place to prevent things like whistleblowers, retaliation, then that may be something that a director that’s been assigned to look at the nine, ninety is going to be held accountable for and so that there may be some fear in terms of protecting individual directors from saying, well, if you’re not going to read this closely and carefully, then you shouldn’t be a find. This is a task that you must do so that’s a little bit of the controversy, i still think the whole board should read it from ah ah, liability perspective this is this is interesting is, is somebody better off not reading it? And then claiming that it wasn’t my job to see it or they better off seeing it and then having done a bad job and ignored things that were that were clearly on there? Good question, i love it when you see a good question, because i really don’t know what i’m talking about. So it’s really it’s it’s very uplifting. Thank you, it’s. Very good. Always want to give you that pat on the back undeserved, but i think you really have to take it into context of what is going on and what type of troubles have, you know, weren’t seen and weren’t acted upon before you can really make that decision of which is worse, but again, sort of being proactive, i really think boardmember should know what the nine ninety is saying because the nine ninety is the public document that everybody can see and maybe forming their opinions on and in the second mile case and in, in fact, and in the recent susan g komen case nine nineties, or what people will look like, including the media whenever the organization is sort of experiencing this, uh, media convergence on their practices and whether they’re doing good things or not. And if you’re nine nineties are not really helping reflector organizational values, and i think you have some issues and the board, the board oversight, which is what we’re talking about. I think part of that is making sure that you know what you’re saying to the public and the nine nineties there a good place to start and in mentioning common, you’re referring to what’s. Been in the news just the past week, with the controversy between the susan g komen for the cure and planned parenthood, whether coleman would fund or not planned parenthood’s activities. And they have decided not to as as a board, ah, board decision, and then and then reverse that decision just to let people know where we stand. Cause a lot of people listen to us. A podcast. A couple of months after the show, we’re going to take a break right now and when we return. More board oversight basics. Part two with jean takagi and emily chan. So stay with us. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Hi, i’m carol ward from the body mind wellness program. Listen to my show for ideas and information to help you live a healthier life in body, mind and spirit, you’ll hear from terrific guests who are experts in the areas of health, wellness and creativity. So join me every thursday at eleven a, m eastern standard time on talking alternative dot com professionals serving community dahna. This is tony martignetti aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent technology fund-raising compliance, social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting are you concerned about the future of your business for career? Would you like it all to just be better? Well, the way to do that is to better communication. And the best way to do that is training from the team at improving communications. This is larry sharp, host of the ivory tower radio program and director at improving communications. Does your office need better leadership? Customer service sales or maybe better writing are speaking skills? Could they be better at dealing with confrontation conflicts, touchy subjects all are covered here at improving communications. If you’re in the new york city area, stopped by one of our public classes or get your human resource is in touch with us. The website is improving communications, dot com that’s improving communications, dot com improve your professional environment. Be more effective, be happier. And make more money. Improving communications. That’s. The answer. Talking. If you have big ideas and an average budget tune. Tony martin. Any non-profit radio we dio i’m jonah helper, nari team in co founders of next-gen charity welcome back. We’re talking about board oversight basics with jean takagi and emily chan. Emily, you refer to something earlier. We’ll go a little more detail on policies that are specific to your organization because i think a lot of people just sort of copy things that they find on the web. Yes, they dio i would strongly advise and suggests that organizations put more thought into the policies that they’re going to adopt at their organization, then to just take something wholesale or not really put much thought into it in order to check yes on their nine, ninety on these policies really have a lot of utility. I think that for one, they said consistent standards on dh. They also deal with what you know for any person can be an awkward situation dealing with executive compensation, conflicts of interest. And so you really have to think about these policies in terms of how it’s going to be implemented at your organization and to your point earlier, not only how it’s going to implement it, but what around your work requires specifics? Absolutely. And again, going back to the conversation about the public information that’s out there today. You simply can’t unring a bell when it comes to the internet, and so every baby, they’re putting out there to the world, you have to understand that there’s, a variety of audiences, that r rating on our way to screw anything. Yeah, emily, i’m going to switch over to jean because your connection is getting very weird. It’s just. It just sounds kind of pulse e and echoey, very echoey. So, jean, i’m going to switch over to you and ask you, just what? What other types of charities i need to be sensitive about. They’re the way their work relates to the policies that they need besides working with children. I think it it’s reflected every charity, tony, for example, if you’ve got an environmental organization, you may want to decide what your investment policy is going to about excellent investment in everything and what happens when when others get ahold of what you’re investing in. So investing for social responsibility to be a very important thing. Teo, all charity. If you’re an arts organizations, for example, um, you may want to have some, you know, particular gift acceptance policies in terms of accepting different types of artwork does it really further the mission that you have your particular mission? And what about the carrying costs of having that art? And do you have to live up to donors restrictions? How do you deal with that all sorts of particular issues that an arts organization might have that a social services organization wouldn’t have with respect to a gift acceptance policy again, just taking things off off the web or just borrowing and other organizations policy and copping it, you lose all the benefit of really putting in your own particular circumstances in there and part of what’s really great about developing your own policies is the conversation around it? Because you’re going to be bringing up other issues that may not be reflected in your policy, but maybe reflected in your actual practices and how you do things, and all of those things can come up or emerged from discussions. You discussing different policy? And this is all very healthy for a board and it’s senior staff to be talking about, right? Yeah, exactly and isn’t really that what we want isn’t that type of activity we really expect from boards rather than to, you know, just sort of listen to report on dh, you know, just sort of possibly going through the motions. We really want them to be active about planning for the organizations in the future of providing proper oversight to make sure that things are in compliance right now. Ah, and protecting the charitable assets on behalf of all of our community. So too close, then this this two part topic and again listeners, uh, just to remind you that the first show was january twentieth. We’re talking about the subject. Just remind listener jean what’s, the what’s, the purpose of the board. I mean, what? What? What’s there roll around. Not their purpose, but what’s their role specifically around oversight. What do they need to be having front of mind? But, you know, general corporate law, if i can avoid jargon. All right, weren’t you a little cool? Watching there’s only two minutes left noted notice how he treads on drug in jail with only two men stuff, but i’ll still get you in there. I’ll get you in with thirty seconds, so don’t you’re not you’re not free the you know, the general corporate law provides that all corporate powers are to be exercised, buy or under the authority of the board in all activities of the organization are to be managed under the direction of the board. So really, the buck stops with the board everywhere and that’s why boards need tohave systems to provide appropriate oversight over their organization, and that goes everywhere. So not just responding to a scandal like the second mile, but just doing their missions effectively and efficiently. So that’s, really what board oversight is about, emily once said, you know, directors aren’t just simply warm bodies or in a boardroom or prestigious titles on a roster. Um, they really have to accept and live up to. The responsibilities that go with being a director and that’s the duty of karen duty of loyalty for the lawyers out there. Maybe that gets me into stargate jail, but they’ve got to think about how many boardmember said the organization often we have how often should they meet? What are their expectations? What consequences are they don’t meet their expectations. How did they review both financial and programmatic activities? And we touched on that before on the last show as well. On dh how did they review legal compliance and risk management structures? How did the assess the external environment for opportunities and threats? That’s all part of board over. Jean takagi is principal. And emily chan is an attorney at neo-sage non-profit exempt organizations law group in san francisco. You can find both of them on the blogged non-profit law. Blawg dot com emily gene, thank you very much for being on again. Thanks for having it. It’s. Always a pleasure. Thank you. Both. Next week we’re gonna look at consulting relationships from both sides with penelope cagney on her book non-profit consulting essentials. What non-profits and consultants need to know keep up with what’s coming up sign. Up for our insider email alerts, you could do it on the facebook page. You know where to find facebook and then it’s just the name of the show, please like us if you like the show listen, live our archive you’ve accomplished alive, but if you weren’t with us, right, this minute archive were on itunes. You find our itunes paige at non-profit radio dot net subscribed there. Listen, any time on the device of your choice on twitter, you can follow me the show’s hashtag is non-profit radio used that hashtag recklessly measuring treyz was our guest tweet guest live twitter this week, but something came up for her so i suspect we’re goingto have her back. Ah, in the not too distant future mazarene thankyou for live tweeting today we’ll get you back. I mean, we’ll get you back on the show, not get back at you that’s not what i meant show is sponsored by g grace and company. Really? I mean, if you have concerns about real estate, whether you are in a lease or you own real estate, you don’t know what to do with it. G grace and company corporate real estate services can help you was george grace has been advising non-profits on their real estate matters. Lease or own for over twenty five years, you really should be in touch with them. 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075: Revel In Real Estate & Board Oversight Basics – Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio

Tony’s guest this week:

Gene Takagi, founding partner in the Nonprofit & Exempt Organizations Law Group

Read and watch more on Tony’s blog: http://mpgadv.com

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Hello and welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent it’s me, your aptly named host for january twentieth, two thousand twelve. I hope you were with me last week when we had podcasting primer with john federico principle of the new rules talk about what podcasting is and how you get started. Are you doing video or audio? Only what’s your content and how do you distribute your podcasts? Also with me was scott koegler, our regular technology contributor and the editor of non-profit technology news, and he gave us his thoughts on twitter organization pages. Should you get in? How do you get in this week? Revel in real estate chase magnuson of george washington university and alan thomas from the american college have small and midsize non-profits in mind, as they describe howto identify prospects for real estate gif ts how to cultivate, solicit and negotiate thes gif ts and what is the due diligence that’s required to keep your charity safe from a bad gift? This is a recording from the national conference on philanthropic planning and board oversight basics. Jean takagi are regular legal contributor and principal of the non-profit and exempt organizations law firm in san francisco, defines oversight and explains how it should be executed to protect your charity and your board members. This is the first part of our conversation, which is going to continue in february between the guests on tony’s take to my blogger this week. You don’t need the fancy stuff for your plant. E-giving the most sophisticated gift’s really are not necessary to have a very successful and suitable plan giving program, and i’ll talk about that. We’re live tweeting the show as we do every week. Use hashtag non-profit radio to join the conversation on twitter. This show is supported by g grace corporate real estate services. I am grateful for their support. Thank you right now, we take a break, and when we returned, we ll talk about reveling in real estate and stay with me. Dafs you’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com way. Look forward to serving you. Is your marriage in trouble? Are you considering divorce? Hello, i’m lawrence bloom, a family law attorney in new york and new jersey. No one is happier than the day their divorce is final. My firm can help you. We take the nasty out of the divorce process and make people happy. Police call a set to one, two, nine six four three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s lawrence h bloom two, one two, nine, six, four, three five zero two. We make people happy. Oppcoll hey, are you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com. Welcome back, i hope you’re ready to revel in real estate. Here is my interview with chase magnuson and alan thomas from the national conference on philanthropic planning. Welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning. Where on the riverwalk in san antonio, texas. The topic right now is except real estate gif ts exclamation mark on my guests are chase magnuson and alan thomas chases director of gift planning for real estate at the george washington university. And alan thomas is vice president of advancement for the american college in bryn mawr, pennsylvania. Gentlemen, welcome. Thank you. Thank you. Nice to be here with you. A pleasure to have both of you. You have an exclamation mark after except real estate gift chase why’s that why’s that so important? Well, it’s important because it’s one of the largest equity opportunities for both the donors to become philanthropist as well as the charities to benefit from they’re gifts of real estate. And historically, charities have been either rejecting or not accepting real estate gifts. And i think alan and irp bringing some pretty good reasons why organisations oughta consider real estate gifts in addition. With some wonderful solutions. I i think accepting real estate gifts is a wonderful topic name. But i would make it even more emphatic and just say, take real estate. Any kind of okay? What’s the reluctance been chase. Why have we seen that? The expertise of the organization’s doesn’t lend itself well to the real estate industry? Ah, they’re two separate disciplines, and they haven’t put together teams of experts to help solve problems. And there is a great fear love liability that comes with the ownership of real estate. And i think some of the some of the issues that alan and i are going to be covering today would help solve those problems. Reduce the risk is there is risk, right? And what? We can minimize the right. Yes, indeed we can. Okay. Um, ellen let’s. Turn to you and think about how we start to talk two donors. How do we start to cultivate them around thinking about a real estate gift? Tony, great question. We we need to encourage the charities, too, reach out to the real estate community in order to promote real estate, real estate professionals, real estate attorneys would absolutely real estate. Brokers, attorneys and financial advisors who represent potential donors as well. And we need to get this message out that charities are willing to accept real estate and that there are advantages too, their donors too, to make these gifts to charities. And there are vory wonderful mechanisms that will promote this and make this viable for both the donor and the charity. Okay, what it’s actually, the charities have been standing in the door rejecting gifts that donors very generously have come to the table with because the charity’s air not set up to handle it. Over eighty percent of all gifts from donors offered to charities are rejected out of hand. Real estate. Yes, and the and the best. We can calculate the amount of real estate that’s rejected every years between sixteen and twenty billion dollars. That could be coming to charities at least some a portion of that, if the charities would go to the trouble of putting together teams of experts to help them manage the process. So it is such a wonderfully ah wonderful opportunity. Foran untapped market to really spur on the charities in a very difficult time in fund-raising. All right, so let’s, pursue that. What? What does the charity need to have in place? Chase they need to have policy, some procedures internally. They need to have a committee of people who make decisions. The plan giving officer who is the front line agent for the charities have to have a working knowledge of the types of real estate gifts and how they can be used. And here at this conference, i would venture to say ninety five to ninety eight percent of all the plan giving officers understand the technical side of it. But they need they need residential real estate agents for for personal residents. They need commercial brokers for investment properties. Farm and ranch brokers who specialize in another area and industrial brokers for corporate gifts of surplus rules state. Yet really, it really covers a gamma of about twenty six real estate specialties, and no one person can have all of that kind of expertise by themselves. So this may not be appropriate than for the smallest, some of the smaller or smallest charities. Oh, on the contrary, they ought to team up with a larger, better position charity to share in the gift. Okay, let’s talk. About that, then. So what can the small and midsize shops do that that don’t have the the board or the wherewithal? Teo hyre this expertise what in the small tony do, tony, the small charity can partner with a larger charity, and that has the expertise and has those contacts and the team sort of driven approach to accepting real estate, and they can partner and split the proceeds between when it when a property is sold? Okay, so there are ways of partnering and and helping those smaller charities our message today to this, this universe of folks here at the plant giving conference is to help them understand that there are mechanisms and ways in which to accept real estate that will insulate them from the risk that maybe inherent, and they’re all course skeptical about the real estate market today, and we need to assure them that there are ways of underwriting acceptance of gifts that should be acceptable to their boards and make them comfortable, right? And we’ll have time to get to some of those go ahead. Chase looks like it was something i was going to say that the small charities by teaming up with a larger charity don’t expose themselves to cost of managing a process or hiring new people, and it can move very, very smoothly through the process. But what what professionals like alain bring to the table is they’ve actually closed major real estate gifts. What we here at these conferences, frankly, are quite often just theories on how it’s going to be done. So for four practitioners who have closed multiple transactions on all kinds of properties, you’re looking at one of somebody that’s very unique and chase the two of us wear all admiring each other well, no, i admire your strength, no, but it but it needs to be it needs to be heard out there somebody’s actually doing it rather than just theory on a piece of it can be done well, and your title is director of gift planning for real estate. So i imagine you’re working. I mean, we’re not just sitting back, you’re earning your keep. I’d like to get a copy of that to washington. I’ll get a copy of this for my university, so they didn’t have anything to do with getting dinged. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. E-giving cubine are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam lebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping huntress people be better business people. Buy-in hi, this is psychic medium. Betsy cohen, host of the show. The power of intuition. Join me at talking alternative that come mondays at eleven a. M call in for a free psychic reading learned how to tune into your intuition to feel better and to create your optimum life. I’m here to guide you and to assist you in creating life that you deserve. Listen. Every monday at eleven a, m on talking alternative dot com. Are you feeling overwhelmed and the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed hi and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Hi, i’m kate piela, executive director of dance, new amsterdam. And you’re listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Dahna durney chase earns his keep exclamation Mark exclamation mark 3 of us, okay, now, but i want to say i want to pursue this a lot more so a small charity someone comes to them with the idea of a real estate gift, wouldn’t that charity be reluctant to go to another another charity and partner for fear of losing the donor relationship? Alan? Well, the important thing is that that small charity needs to still be the primary contact with that donor, and they need to be assured that they will be in the having that principal dialogue bringing the larger charity in as as an adviser and able to help guide the process. Chase and i talk about process because you need an infrastructure buy-in place and a process in order to be able to accept real estate gifts if you don’t have that infrastructure and process you’re going to be, i’m flailing away and and in all likelihood, probably not accepting real estate gifts when they’ve always falling into the eighty percent of jordan chase mention exactly, i would go in another direction for the small charity that’s looking at a million dollar gift, and they’re not. Capable of handling that, how dangerous does it have to be for them to lose their donor if the if the property is handled with a sister corporation and they get five hundred thousand dollars of the gift they get xero or they get five hundred thousand dollars, that doesn’t seem to be to be a very hard business decision for the small charity and whoever they’re teaming up with they’ve already vetted them, and they know who they’re dealing with. We all live in a very small community known as the non-profit world, and you simply cannot afford to to go against what you’ve told another charity you’ll dio and we really go out and say to the small charity, we’re not going to invade your relationship with your donor. This is a one off transaction that we might help with. Have you pardoned partnered at george washington with small charities? Not yet, but i’ve done it in my prior career, and we’re establishing ourselves to do exactly that. Okay, so are you reaching out to the non-profit community and some of the earlier they’re here well across the kind of nationally, okay? Yeah, and i think alan would do the same, and that will be part of our message today as well. Yes, you’re coming on dso, and it need not be in your in your respective cities, the part of the partner charity. No, there are our efforts or national in scope, and so isn’t chases. We, we will look at real estate, gets all over. The united states were actually intergalactic. With a word like intergalactic, you don’t need an exclamation. Absolutely no way that carries today. No fluctuation required the word that word is resounding in its own period. Even a semi colon that’s. Okay over does. Okay, no. But i think it’s important for the audience of this show is small and midsize. Non-profits i think it’s important for them to know that that both of your institutions are interested in talking to small or shops that that maybe offered a real estate gift and don’t have the wherewithal to manage it themselves. Absolutely, i would. I would liketo characterize us as mentors. Once we teach the smaller charity how to do it. Well, step away, and they never have to share again. Okay, but they can also use community foundations and other charities in their community that the donor might want to have an interest in rather than coming to a george washington university. All right, um, alan, you talked a little about cultivation. You starting to cultivate the gifts through the advisors. But i really should have started with identifying let’s. Let’s, uh, let’s. Identify the right donors to be proactively recommending or promoting the idea of real estate gifts how do we i d defy the right group toe promote these ideas too well in any kind of plan giving situation, the best donor that you’re going to have for your charity is one who has been involved in your charity in the past, who has a strong affinity to your mission and and has been a past giver. So first of all, you look at somebody who is invested in your charity already and would be the most likely prospect for a planned gift of any kind. And then you would want teo sort of identify those who in particular might have real estate assets above and beyond the average kind of donor and who might be a very good prospect. So that takes time to cultivate your plan giving donors and understand who those best ones are for real estate gifts and what type of real estate might they need to have? I mean, suppose they just have primary home could could could the type of donor that you described be a candidate for the type of gifts we’re talking about with just a primary home? Yes, tony, the very first example we will. Given our presentation today is called a retained life estate, and that is a gift where a donor gives they’re residents could be a primary residence or a vacation home or a ranch that they give it to a charity, and they retain a life estate to remain there through the balance of their lives. On tony martignetti non-profit radio, we have jargon jail, i’m working plan giving. I know what you mean, but let’s talk about life. Is that what i want to keep you out of jargon? Jail? Okay, otherwise i’ll throw you in. Okay? Pinstripe soup in all doesn’t matter, right? And you don’t get what is what is a life of state that life donor is retaining a life of state is when you reserve the right to stay in that property through the duration of your lifetime, and it could be one person or or joint people could be more than one. So if you have a husband and wife who are seventy five, seventy six six and they love your charity, they want to give their primary home to you, and they want to stay in that property for the balance of their lives. They transfer the deed to your charity and and reserve this life tenancy to remain in that property for the rest of their lives. So then when one of them in the first of them dies, the survivor continues to live there. Yes. And then at the survivors death? What? What happens to the property then? The charity has complete control over it. Okay? Because it is a new deed. Is that right? The deed is transferred to the charity when the retain life estate is created. Right? That’s what i meant at its creation. We’re we’re writing a new deed. Yes. Where the donor keeps the life residents like state on dh could be for more than one life. And then, at their death transferred to the check. Yes. And there there are two other benefits. Should the donors decide they want to move out of the home into a assistant living, they can rent the property and get the rental income. Or they can sell the balance of their life. A state to the charity for a lump sum. So it’s, sort of like a spic it for additional income for the donor, it’s. Wonderfully flexible it is. Wonderfully flexible, yes, i’d like to come. I’d like to come in a different direction, alice, giving you the allens, giving you the traditional explanation on how you manage and cultivate, but we’re also problem solvers. We often get donors that come to us that say we’re trier dh of managing our property, we need income, we could use some tax shoulder here’s our property, give us the alternatives so we’re like we’re really weaving a mosaic on different opportunities for lifetime income tax shoulder and to solve the property management issue, so we’re problem solvers at the same time we’re cultivating the relationship. Excellent, wonderful it’s a wonderful role to play it is the retained life estate, so we’ve been using the example singularly would baizman saying at the death of the donors don’t or donorsearch nto the remainder is to the charity, but this can be done for multiple charities then is that right? Yes. Ok. And how? How would the charity’s then work together? When the property is transferred to them? At the death of the survivor, there would be a primary charity that would take title to the property with the responsibilities to make sure it’s maintained that it’s insured and that sort of thing. And then an interlocking agreement with the donors and the other charities on how the eventual proceeds will be divided. Okay, very simple. It’s all worked out during while the donors are living. So they know how the proceeds will be distributed across the charity. Yes. And it becomes very much like a landlord tenant kind of situation because your donors remain there living in the property. Caring for it is they have been so it’s, like a landlord tenant situation and alan who’s responsible for the expenses. While the donors are living there, we typically look to have the donor take care of the expenses, the maintenance, the real estate taxes, the insurance. And so that the charity doesn’t have to make those expenditures. Okay, way. Make site inspections because we are the stewarts for the organizations that are getting the proceeds to make sure our asset is well taken care of. So how often is there a site visit? At least annual? Yes. Annually. Okay. And what if the donor chase would like to make improvements or renovations or to the property? Do they need to get the permission? Of the charities how does that work? Yes, that’s that is in the original contract for donation because additions to properties in the eye of the beholder may change the value. Heard it or do something else because uncle fred came in and decided to put a carport in but he’s, not a contractor. And when you go look at it, the carp ports on the wrong property. And here comes the litigation. Ok, so there does that we have, right? Yeah. Okay. All right. So following our course, we’re talking about identifying the right donors and cultivating chase let’s continue with how do you open this conversation with people who you think are good prospects for ah, retained life of state we were talking about? Well, i think that there’s some qualifiers such is their age. You you wouldn’t open this conversation without having several donorsearch meetings the you asked the question, what are you trying to accomplish and it’s from that point that we move forward, we can eliminate many alternatives in the gifting program of real estate because we’ve heard the donors are going in a different direction if if things like we want to live out our lives here in comfort that is the first kickoff to say, look, you could get some tax deduction, you could become your legacy can be turned into a current philanthropic recognized gift, and you can stay here and we’ll help you do that. That’s an easy conversation. You often meet the donors at their home you can look around you known awful lot about about your diet, your donor base. So i don’t. Alan, do you have if allen’s probably got a key question when he comes in the door, where’s the deal now you set him up now he better have one because you’ve set him up for god gave him time, anyone? Now, if you’d like to add more to opening that conversation, i would like to add a new additional part of the conversation, and that is that this is a holistic discussion that goes way beyond just the real estate. You need to know your donors in this situation because, for instance, you don’t want to take a retained life estate if that’s their single asset or predominantly their asset, and they don’t have any other income or assets in order to meet their future. Living living needs their medical needs, and you don’t want to find yourself in a situation where they need that the of the worth of that real estate in order to cover their future needs so that that that’s an additional part of the discussion which goes beyond just the real estate. So we is planned giving people need to have a complete, broader dahna perspective on what that donors situation is it’s very important. It’s all about the donors donor-centric donor-centric we’ve been saying about you don’t okay, all right, so then alan let’s continue. We opened the conversation, the person is willing to hear a little more do we start to bring in their advisors, their family? What? What sort of the next step? Maybe the second or third meeting about this topic, we absolutely need to bring in their advisers, and we highly recommend bring in family. Ah, the last thing you want is family to be surprised when when mom and dad have all of a sudden announced to them g i gave the homestead teo x y z charity, and we’re going to stay here for the rest of our lives. But it’s gone, so you don’t want direct, close family to be surprised in those situations, so you want the adviser of the family and we need to bring in our expertise with ah ah appraisers and conduct our due diligence to make sure that the property is valued correctly and that there aren’t any unsuspected sort of liabilities associated with it. Okay, i’m hoping we have a minute or so to get into some what some of that due diligence is, but chase, let me ask you who might some of these experts or should sorry donors advisers be that we’re asking the donors to bring into the conversation. In addition to their own family attorney, they ought to be talking to a specialist and will’s in the states. They ought to be talking to a c p a that we work closely with that professional, the plan e-giving a person should be eventually brought in on a three or four way conversation and then, depending on the type of property, the plane giving officer would reach out to a real estate specialist on on that particular kind of property to get an evaluation just a range of values, because some donors think their properties worth a million, and it may only be worth not to say only, but it could be where six hundred thousand so expectations have to be matched and that’s what alan was talking about, this is a process you don’t do it one setting, you work through it and that sort of thing. So everybody needs to be on at least the same page on what is the value of the asset we’re going to talk about today. And how do you want to use that? And do you want to share that between our organisation and others that you have historically given money to? And you could do that all in one package, and we’re here to help, okay? We have just about a minute left, gentlemen, alan let’s, talk a little about the due diligence. What? What does that do? The charity or charities working together? I need to do to make sure that this is an appropriate gift for them to accept. Chase and i have forms that we’ve actually developed form for the donor to answer three or four pages of questions, and then we have our own donor-centric list for ensuring that we’ve covered all the issues that zoning issues, title issues, environmental issues having an environmental phase one study done these are all things that need to be conducted in order to know that you’re getting a property that you’re comfortable with and you know it was free of liability and is going to be worth what you’re representing to your charity. The last thing you want to do is except a piece of real estate that later your board finds out, has evaluation drastically different than what you’ve represented and, oh, by the way, there’s some sort of environmental issue related there as well, so that part of the due diligence and that brings us really full circle in terms of minimizing the risk, there are potential risks, but we can work buy-in partner with other charities to minimize those risks we’ve been talking about except real estate gifts. Exclamation mark with chase magnuson, director of gift planning for real estate at the george washington university, and alan thomas, vice president of advancement at the american college bryn mawr, pennsylvania german one thank you very much, tony, thank you so much for this pleasure to be here. Enjoyed it as well. Tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning in san antonio, texas. As you heard my interview from that conference, we’ll take a break when we return. It’s, tony’s, take two, and then gene takagi will be with me, and we’ll be talking about board oversight. Stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed hi and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam lebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com metoo hello and welcome back. It’s, time for tony’s take two at roughly thirty two minutes into the hour. My block this week is you don’t need the fancy stuff for your plans. E-giving for small and midsize charities, having just a bequest marketing program is a perfectly respectable planned giving program. You see a lot of talk about mega gif ts and sophisticated and creative and fancy gift, and those certainly exists in all kind of trust arrangements and things that are even less typical than trust, but you don’t need them necessarily any program, irrespective of what the size of the institution is when they start playing e-giving always starts with requests because it is the most popular type of plan gift easy for charities toe promote its easy for donors to understand s o across all programs, bequests are the place to start, and they’re the most popular type of plan gift you’d expect about three quarters of of all your gift in any size program to be bequest. Um, because everybody needs a will and everybody understands what a will is and how to use it for charity. Purpose is very simple. Follow on from that, but for a lot of charities, that’s the place not only to start but also just to end because they don’t have the expertise to be more sophisticated with their donors in terms of types of terms, in terms of types of gifts, or they don’t have the money to hire the expertise necessarily. So the bottom line is you don’t have to go fancy and exotic if you’re if you’re smaller, charity think just about requests, and that is a very respectable planned e-giving program and that’s what the block is about you’ll find it at m p g a d v dot com the post is called you don’t need the fancy stuff for your plant e-giving that is tony’s take two for friday, january twentieth, the third show of two thousand twelve jean takagi is with me now jean is principal of neo, the neat non-profit and exempt organizations law group in san francisco. He also edits the popular non-profit law blawg, which you’ll find at non-profit law blawg dot com and you can follow him on twitter at g tak gt a k jean takagi, welcome back, great to be here durney hope your two thousand twelve great. Thank you. Happy new year s are our first discussion of the new year and we’re talking about the basics of board oversight. Why is board oversight even an issue so critical in these times? Tony, where non-profit organizations are really working in an environment of fewer resource, is greater competition and it’s up to the board to not only show leadership but teo exercise oversight. Teo give confidence to the public and two donors that the organization is running well, that they’re making effective and efficient use of the reason lorts teo accomplish and further their mission on dh what do we mean by oversight? What does it include, but really means about on? For most boards of directors, it means about looking over the finances of the organization, looking over the programs of the organization, looking at legal compliance and looking at the executive director’s performance. So all of those would constitute some levels of oversight to make sure that the organization is running the way it’s supposed to run. Okay. And what if the board, um, either collectively or individually, however it’s best to describe it? Um, isn’t doing proper oversight that’s where organizations could get in trouble, okay, that with some organizations, especially with the media and with the internet and public scrutiny and forms nine ninety, which are the annual information returns that charities have to file being available public to the public. Just fun. Guidestar dot com it’s, easy to see what’s going on financially programmatically it’s, easy for organizations to be scrutinized and for boards to be held accountable for what’s going on in an organization and while legal liability for boardmember is really, really remote in the charitable sectors. It can’t happen a time, but maybe more importantly, an organization, and simply get devastated by poor governance way seen examples of this with you, can i just before you go into the example, can i just remind you speak a little bit louder? Yeah, much better, thank you. Great. So we’ve seen examples of organizations that can get into trouble, and we might discuss this a little further later on. But the second mile is just one organization. There was a central asia institute that was associated with greg mortensen, who wrote the three cups of tea that was also in the news. Lately they’re a bunch of organizations over the last five or six years that have been in the news for poor governance on and ultimately that could really hurt the donors, the donation based on that could hurt the programs and the beneficiaries of these non-profit and the second mile that you referred to that was that penn state scandal crisis and on we will have some time to talk about some of the examples. What about? I mean, i hear the phrase fiduciary duty a lot, you know? But what, what, what? What are the duties that are fiduciary that board members have to the charity great? And i’ll try not to step into jargon, joey, i’ll get you don’t worry about is here. Yeah, but they’re really three separate legal duties that a board of directors or each director has that serves on the board of directors first is the duty of care, and that generally means that a director must act in a reasonable and in form manner under the given circumstances. So if they’re acting like a reasonable average person would who’s in charge of an organization, then they’re meeting their duty of care. You started you starting to fade a little bit, you have to speak a little louder part of that part of meeting the duty of care is just acting as a reasonable person would in a like position under similar circumstances, so it a person would review financials oven organization that they’re in charge of that would be considered reasonable, and all directors should be reviewing the financials. They should also be reviewing whether their programs are effectively and efficiently meeting their missions or furthering their missions. So having some sort of measurement tool or developing it, or on dh, that could be very challenging at times, but taking steps towards that that’s all reasonable ticks back from the fiduciary or director so that’s part of the duty of care, another legal duty is the duty of loyalty and that’s really acting in good faith and in the best interests of the organization, even ahead of their own interests. So when you’re in charge of an organization that the director on the board, you’ve gotta act in good faith and in the best interest of the organization, if an opportunity comes up, that would benefit you and to the detriment of the organization that’s an opportunity that you shouldn’t take. If it was produced you in in the contacts of being a director of the organization, that sounds like it flows over into conflict of interest policies exactly right? Okay? And every organization should have a conflict of interest policy, okay? We’ll get to the different policies. I know there are a lot of them, but that’s, this is interesting. Flushing out the fiduciary duties. Go ahead. I’m sorry. The duty of loyalty. Is there anything else there? Be good faith and best interest? Sure, and and it really is about managing conflicts of interest doesn’t mean that organization couldn’t take advantage of a director who’s going to provide a below cost lise to the organisation, for example, but that it would have to be done with disinterested members of the board, the board, the board director of directors or the members of the board that don’t have a financial interest in that least, teo clearly show that, yes, it is below market or no better than fair market value in favor of the other director who’s interested in that transaction. It also has to do with things like keeping things confidential if you learn of things of the director. Of the organization, including employee salaries that you’re not really supposed to share with the general public. Well, as a director, you have a duty of loyalty to keep that information confidential. The third d d that i mentioned with the duty of obedience, some face it within within the context of the duty of karen duty of loyalty, but the duty of obedience to be treated as a separate duty, you know, don’t you want to be a priest, teach the duty of obedience, right? This is not a valid, just a duty. Maybe we get it from the religious contacts, but it really has to do with obeying what the law says you have to do and obeying what your internal laws say you have to do and that maybe the provisions of your by-laws for example, and their policies that we we can talk about it means that you’re going to comply with all of those things, and you’re gonna do that reasonably. Okay, so that’s interesting internal as well as external laws correct all of the internal laws you set for yourself. You can’t just ignore that you can’t let your by-laws sit on the shelf. Without making sure that you understand and know them, then how to comply with them. Okay, now you said that there are obligations around finance programs, legal compliance and overseeing the work of the executive director or president, you know, whoever that is, whatever that title is, but how does a director who comes, how do they have all this expertise? I mean, how can they do all this? Yeah, very difficult questions. So some of the directors that that joined the board may not have the expertise. So part of what you need to do in recruitment if you’re on an existing board, is to try to get different board members who khun bring in such expertise so that they can share it with other board members. The other thing to do is to bring in consultants to help out. So if you don’t have that expertise on the board and you’re not able to recruit for it right away bringing and consultant and give lessons two to your board have been get presentations, make information available to them, and i think this is a the role of an executive director’s job as well, to make sure that their board has sufficient educational materials so that they’re able to properly support that executive director and meet their fiduciary duties. Maybe know and understand. What’s expected of you. It could really be a lot of fun. And you can find out how to really leverage your authority to help that organization do even better work. Okay, so let me see if i understand then then those three duties the duty of care and loyalty and obedience. Those air individual. But then the financial program, legal compliance and overseeing the executive director work those air collective of the board. Or is that not right? Yeah, i think that’s right. So that the three duties that we talked about right applied to each individual originally. Right? Right. Right. But the oversight process, the board, the board members all have their individual duties. But collectively is how they hold power. Directors individually, actually have no power, tony, unless they’re delegated with power by the board. So inherently they have no power individually. They only have it collectively and collectively, it’s how they have to exercise. That oversignt okay. Now we have just about a minute before the break. There’s. A lot more detail. To cover, but just in that minute or so. What if, individually a director is not meeting the one or or any of those duitz three duties? What, individually, khun b. The liability. Well, typically, liability is not going to be imposed unless it’s the worst circumstances. So unless there’s some sort of embezzlement going god or payroll taxes are not being paid to the irs that’s always a very bad thing, directors aren’t usually going to be held liable for for for little things. But if the director is not been paying any attention, not attending meetings, not reviewing financials, not participating in the decisions that the board is expected to make, they can get themselves in trouble, and part of that may be with the media, and they could be blasted by the media criticized that could do particular damage to individuals beyond what the legal liabilities are something for every director to be careful of. We’re talking about board oversight basics very interesting, very important for the protection of your charity and protection of your board members and chair and the board members protecting the charity and themselves with jean takagi are regular legal contributor, and we’re going to take a break and then we’ll return with more board oversight basic, so i hope you stay with us talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Hi, i’m carol ward from the body mind wellness program. Listen to my show for ideas and information to help you live a healthier life in body, mind and spirit. You hear from terrific guests who are experts in the areas of health, wellness and creativity. So join me every thursday at eleven a, m eastern standard time on talking alternative dot com professionals serving community. This is tony martignetti aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent technology fund-raising compliance, social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting are you concerned about the future of your business for career? Would you like it all to just be better? Well, the way to do that is to better communication. And the best way to do that is training from the team at improving communications. This is larry sharp, host of the ivory tower radio program and director at improving communications. Does your office need better leadership? Customer service sales or maybe better writing are speaking skills? Could they be better at dealing with confrontation conflicts, touchy subjects all are covered here at improving communications. If you’re in the new york city area, stop by one of our public classes or get your human resource is in touch with us. The website is improving communications, dot com that’s improving communications, dot com improve your professional environment. Be more effective, be happier. And make more money. Improving communications. That’s the talking all calm. If you have big ideas and an average budget tune, tony martignetti non-profit radio we dio i’m jonah helper, nari team in co founders of next-gen charity. Welcome back on with jean takagi. Jean takagi is with me and we’re talking about board oversight basics. You had said gene, that the the directors can khun delegate this toe to consultants or maybe i don’t know other experts, but they have to exercise their duties in hiring that the right consultant, right? That’s that’s, right. Chinese directors khun delegate all sorts of tasks out. So they made delegate learning cast. So, uh, to teo, specific individuals, the most common individuals directors are going to delegate things to they’re going to delegate management to their executive into their staff. Oh, okay. All right. Yeah, yeah, but they must do so with reasonable karen oversight. So the selection of their executive on key staff members is going to be an appropriate thing for directors that concentrate on ok. Interesting. So you’re including delegation of the day to day management from the board to the to the all the all the employees to the executive director who then hires all the employees. Okay, absolutely. For organizations that have the benefit of employees. That’s one of the most important tasks of the directors to delegate management but also exercise proper oversight over that process? Yes. And that’s, the oversight overseeing network, i guess another common example of delegation that i see is the audit function ordered ng that’s, right, tony so for many organizations, having an independent audit is really critical for directors, especially those who may not have a great understanding of howto read financial statements in great detail. All of them should have a basic understanding of that in order to meet their fiduciary duties again of providing oversight over the finances but an audit and really both educate the board and give them some comfort that they’re adequately protecting the organization’s assets if they get a clean audit. All right, so we talked a good amount there about so far about the financial side, but there’s also the programmatic side of the boards oversight, and i think that gets short shrift now, let’s not do that way. Don’t make that mistake. Yeah, and i think you know, non-profit organizations, charitable organizations don’t exist. Ultimately, for a bottom line, they exist to further their charitable mission on dh there’s, no sort of measurement or context or accountability for how well there they’re actually furthering their mission. And i think the boards are not doing their job effectively. That tough part about this is programmatic measurement of successes, and things are really difficult to do in the context of many non-profits i think that’s been ongoing issue, and i think you’ve had experts on your show before have been talking about how to how to measure program results in how to be more effective and efficient, but it’s a difficult task still one board have to embrace and try to go after rather than run away? No, most recently, i think the guest that comes to mind is ken berger is the ceo of charity navigator, talking about encouraging charities to measure impact so that that’s that’s what we’re talking about. Okay, so yeah, so we don’t want to give way don’t make the mistake of short shrift ing programmatic because you’re right, that is the reason they exist. It’s it’s you’re right, it’s not financial let’s. See what? What are you mentioned? A couple of the examples that have come out in the news lately. What what? What can we learn from these? Well, let’s focus on the most recent huge scandal that hit the jerry sandusky penn state, the second mile candle that came out and justin in real brief context on jerry sandusky was a former assistant football coach with penn state university, and he also was a founder of the second mile, which was a charity that was developed toe help kids. Unfortunately, sandusky was indicted in november, following good three year investigation into reported sexual assault of young boys over a period of about fifteen years while he was associated with both the second mile end state university. So really, uh, very troublesome and now the second mile, that charity is struggling to remain in existence right now, and they’re trying to figure out what they need to do but lots of lessons to be learned, but that ultimately we we don’t know how, you know the courts are going to try sandusky, whether he’ll be found guilty or innocent on those charges, but there are enormous amounts of westerns to be learned from that from mom for non-profit okay, well, we this is why we’re going to break the subject into two, two segments, so you’re going to be back in february weii just have about ninety seconds or so left. What do you want? To share in just that time with with the audience about what we can learn from the that second mile. Sure, i think you big comments tio make at first, okay, no free passes for the founders of the organization or for big donors or other big shots of the organization, they should be expected to do the job that they’ve been in task to do so their director on the board, they should be falling while the policies that every director has to follow. So, uh, if they’re a big donor, they don’t get special privileges to work with the organization’s programs unless it passed the test that that allow persons that are qualified to do those programs. Another lesson. If you are criticized and you’re you’re subjected to allegations of wrongdoing, i think the first thing you have to do is remember that the criticisms addressing those criticisms is more than just pr. You have to find out if there’s substantive and if there’s an investigation, that would be reasonable. You should order an investigation on dh that’s part of that oversight that we’ve been talking about. You get help when necessary. That’s really important, jean, we have to stop there, but you are going to be back to talk about this exact topic. We’re going to continue it. Jean takagi is principal of the non-profit exempt organizations law group in san francisco and yet it’s the block, which you’ll find at non-profit law blawg dot com jean, thanks very much for being on again. Great thanks pleasure. We’ll talk in a few weeks, okay? My thanks also to chase magnuson and alan thomas and the organizers of the national conference on philanthropic planning. Next week e-giving forward and back rob mitchell, ceo of atlas forgiving, will be my guest to talk about two thousand eleven’s e-giving by sector source and state, and we’ll also look ahead to predictions for this year. Keep up with what’s coming up, go to the go to the facebook page and sign up for insider email alerts on that page. If you like the show, please like the page, be grateful to have your support there as a fan. Listen, live our archive. You’ve been listening live. You can listen archive to from itunes non-profit radio dot net will take you to our itunes paige and you can listen on the device. Of your choice the time of your preference on twitter you can follow me you can follow the show’s hashtag non-profit radio the show is sponsored by g grace and company if you’re worried about the rising costs of rents for your organization or need to capitalize on real estate, you’re non-profit owns gee grayson company provides you and you’re bored with analysis, so real estate decisions are made with transparency and thoroughness. George grace has been advising non-profits on their real estate decisions for over twenty five years. You’ll find them at g grace dot com or eight eight eight seven four seven two two three, seven. Our creative producer is claire meyerhoff. Sam liebowitz is our line producer and he’s also the owner of talking alternative broadcasting social shows. 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048: Charity Navgator – Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio

Tony’s guest this week:

Ken Berger

Read and watch more on Tony’s blog: http://mpgadv.com

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Welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio i’m your aptly named host tony martignetti we’re always talking about big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent on this show. Welcome to the show. I hope you remember last week i had gail perry and fired-up fund-raising gail is the author of fired-up fund-raising turned board passion into action. She shared proven techniques to motivate your board to step up to their fund-raising responsibilities. This week, a conversation with ken berger he’s, the president and ceo of charity navigator. He has an announcement about charity navigator three point oh, we’re also going to talk about lessons learned as charity navigator has evolved from private foundation to public charity, striving to exemplify what it looks for in the fifty, five hundred charities it evaluates in what directions is charity navigator nudging charities and what gives them the authority to move the charitable sector in those directions? We’re going to talk about all of that with ken berger on tony’s take two at roughly thirty two minutes after the hour, the irs tells us what good governance means terms like transparency, accountability and governance since we talking with ken about some of those are often heard and i think rarely defined. So how does i rs to find them? I’ll talk about that at tony’s, take to roughly thirty two minutes after the hour. Right now, we take a break, and when we return, i’ll be joined by ken berger. Stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com way. Look forward to serving you. Is your marriage in trouble? Are you considering divorce? Hello, i’m lawrence bloom, a family law attorney in new york and new jersey. No one is happier than the day their divorce is final. My firm can help you. We take the nasty out of the divorce process and make people happy. Police call a set to one, two, nine six four three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s lawrence h bloom two, one two, nine, six, four, three five zero two. We make people happy. Hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. My guest today is ken berger for the hour, ken is president and chief executive officer of charity navigator. He has held leadership positions at a variety of human service and health care agencies large and small, and has operated programs serving the homeless, developmentally disabled, mentally ill substance abusers, the medically underserved and persons with hiv aids. His senior leadership positions have been in agencies such as johnny o professional service centers for the handicapped, the floating hospital volunteers of america, greater new york and the morris shelter. After nearly thirty years working in the charitable sector, ken berger joined charity navigator in two thousand eight. I’m very pleased that charity navigator’s work brings came to the studio. Welcome, kapin. Thank you, it’s. A pleasure to have you it’s great to be here. Charity navigator is ah, now a five oh one c three charity. Just like the charities that it evaluates. But it didn’t start that way. Why was it founded? And under what form? Basically, a family that was wealthy had become wealthy, wanted to give back and was looking for a place to go for objective information to make their charitable giving decisions, and they couldn’t find such a place. They were entrepreneurs, and so they decided to found this organization with the purpose of helping all donors make charitable giving decisions, and so that they incorporated in the year two thousand, and we were up and running in two thousand two, and you were originally incorporated not as a as a public charity, though well, it was a five, twenty three, but a private foundation, yes. And so for the first six years before i got there, basically the dugan family funded the organization, and then when i got there, one of my tasks was to help the organization transition to become a public charity and to have diversified funding sources and to try to walk the walk along with the organizations that we evaluate so that’s interesting, because you are now what you’re, as you said, you’re what you’re evaluating the same form of organisation, that five or one c three are there some lessons there since two thousand seven that you want to share? I won’t given my background, i brought the experience of of running public. Charities to the organization and so right away. Actually, i have been tasked with some other goals, and i said one of our goals needs to be that we need to be a role model. And so we put in place things such as terms for officers, term limits for board members, you know, they give her get policies for for board members and then just also trying to conform to every single standard that we had been holding, the charities that we evaluated, too, as well as the ones that we were in the process of developing so that we would meet all those standards. We took the thie independent sector guide, the principles of good governance and ethical practices, and we have been working over the years to meet every single one of those standards. So that’s, just a example of how we’re trying to walk the walk and to be clear, you’re in a waiting period now, right between the foundation status and the public charity status would just explain how that works, what we filed to become a public charity and two thousand seven, and at that time, the policy was there has to be a five year advanced ruling period where your transition and the purpose is that by the end of that five years, you need to show that you conform to the requirements to be a public charity, one of most significant being that at least a third of your funding comes from sources other than your primary funder. We’ve already achieved that goal, but it affects the official transition happens in november two thousand and twelve. But during this five year period, we can still receive donations and function like a public charity. Okay? And we’re talking about the charities that you evaluate, how many of those are there? And how do you select those? Those charities that charity navigator is looking closely at? We evaluate five thousand five hundred, and we select them from data we received from the irs. We get data on every charity that files with the irs, and we picked those that base. Basically, we follow the money because we’re our purpose is to be a guide to donors. And so therefore we go. We look at the places where donors give the most substantial amounts of money. And so of course, we only look at those that file a full nine ninety form, not the easy or anything else. And then we pick those that also are in each of the nine cause areas. So we also look for health. We look for education, we look for environmental, we look for religious affiliated all the different cause areas as well so that donors have a diverse choice and we have just a minute before the break. And so when we come back from the break, we’ll talk more in detail about the the how widely used charity navigator is these. But just before the break, these fifty five hundred charities that you’re evaluating represent roughly what percentage of all the all the revenue to the non-profit sector, the public charity non-profit sector, roughly fifty percent of all of the private contributions that come into the sector are within those five thousand five hundred and that’s actually very interesting, just so under six thousand charities, representing fifty percent of the fund-raising revenue of all the five twenty three out of one point two million five twenty three’s five thousand five hundred half, and there are other interesting numbers are going to talk about some of those the way the way it all shakes out after this break. This is tony martignetti non-profit radio, and after the break, can burger stays with us. So i hope you do, too e-giving attempting to bring good ending. Cubine you’re listening to the talking, alternate network, getting anything. Get in. Cubine are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s, create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight. Three backs to one to seven to one eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people be better business people. Buy-in are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed hi and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com looking to meet mr and mrs wright, but still haven’t found the one. Want to make your car relationship as fulfilling as possible? Then please join us, starting monday, may second at ten am for love in the morning with morning alison as a professional matchmaker, i’ve seen it all. Please tune in and call as we discuss dating relationship and more. Start your week off with love in the morning with marnie alison on talking alternative dot com. Talking alternative radio. Twenty four hours. Dahna welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio my guest is ken berger, ceo and president of charity navigator can right before the break, we were talking about the fifty, five hundred charities that you evaluate, and you said they represent fifty percent of the fund-raising revenue. I had a survey for listeners before the show. Most people thought that the fifty, five hundred represented between sixty one and eighty percent. So people listening overestimated the the value of those fifty, five hundred charities? Is that typical? Do what? What, what? What do people typically think of the of that bundle of fifty five hundred? Well, actually, your listeners are correct in the sense that if you just look at the sector without factoring in charity navigator thereabout three thousand charities in this country that garner about sixty percent of all the revenues that come in each year, so we we are working to rejigger than the ones that we evaluate to conform to those that get the most. So we’re a little bit part of the reason that we don’t get them all is because we’re trying to get all nine cause areas if we just did it that way. We would do all health and do all education. We might not do some of the smaller ones. I see. All right, so i mean, falsely imputing listeners the show. We’re actually right. Where? Where did the question maybe weasel mislead? Okay, so so three thousand. So you’re saying the three thousand largest public charities get sixty percent of the revenue of yes, of the roughly fund-raising revenue off the overall revenue of roughly one point five to two trillion dollars a year goes to three thousand charities out of the one, point, two million. Five o n c three. Okay. And charity navigator is not necessarily capturing those three thousand because you’re looking cross all the all the sectors. Exactly fair toe arts groups that would probably be grossly underrepresented if you just took the top three thousand or fifty five hundred. Yes. Okay. Um, you’re trying to be ah, role model for the charities that you are evaluating on. You said you using the independent sector guidelines could use a little more about what it is that charity navigator started looking at when it started its evaluation of charities. Well, that was before my time and, you know when sharon and navigators started, the goal was to try to find universal standards that every charity would could be held to. And it was difficult to say the least on the one place that they found was available for such information was the irs information that every charity of a certain size has to file. Go to the numbers first. Go to the numbers are should be universal, universally defined across all across all charities. Indeed. So as a consequence, the the initial system that was developed looked at seven variables. Having to do with the finances of the organization’s their financial health into areas one which has been defined as the financial efficiency and the other as the financial capacity of the organizations. And are those definitions that charity navigator devised or those air from somewhere else? Those phrases those are devised by charity navigator. Okay, so fair to say that that was charity navigator one point. Oh, that’s. Exactly what we’re now calling it. Okay, well done. Okay. I have a second career. No. And then you went to you announced two point. Oh, on dh today you’re here to announce three point. Oh, yes. Oh, what? Was what was what was new with charity navigator two point oh, i should clarify right away that we’re changing our terminology slightly right originally to point i was going to be the final zsystems but basically what we what we have learned from the through our research and deciding to go through a change process, we’ve kopperman that there are three dimensions, three critical dimensions we need to look at, so the second dimension brings us to see and to point out that second dimension we call it measures of accountability and transparency, and we have been working on this for a couple of years now, and this summer, within a couple of months from now, it will go live wear. We’ve been putting the information upon our site tabs of information up, but it hasn’t impacted the score the rating score of charities because we wanted to gather it on all charities before we did that. And so this summer, we’re going toe flicked the switch, if you will, and for the first time in our history, our rating system will be two dimensional. It will look at finance as well as accountability and transparency now for the donors that don’t look closely, it’s still going to look the same as it did before. If you type in the name of a chair, you’re going to see stars because the two dimensions air waded into the rating of the charity and that’s interesting waiting i want i want to get a chance to talk about that, too, because you’re measuring variables, then you have to have to wait them. They’re not all equal, okay, there’s a lot behind a couple of stars or several stars. Where do you get the data for cne? Two point. Oh, this the accountability, transparency. Where does that information come from? Well, part of it comes from the nine. Ninety, because for the first time in thirty years, you know the irs has revised the forms partly from the advocacy of the independent sector and other groups like it to have some of those thirty three standards i mentioned on the form, and so today the nine ninety form has much more information on things other than finance things having to do with what are considered best practices, good governance, the ethics of the organization, if you will. And so we are taking advantage of that? So part of the information for accountability and transparency comes from the nine, ninety four, but the other part, which is nufer us and is thie direction we’re going to continue to go in is to look to the websites of the charities because that’s, where the transparency also comes in, how open is the charity to its key stakeholders and how much information isn’t providing openly and the place we want to go is to the website of paris because we’re seeing increasingly that that’s where donors air going toe look, we have the luxury of spending an hour together, so i’d like to get into the sort of the details of some of the work that maybe you don’t get a chance to share very often. And i think, well, i don’t know if people wonder about it, i wonder about it. I mean, you see stars, but and you see a list of people in the, you know, in the about us section on the charity navigator website, what are those people doing? I mean, you’re getting incredible amounts of data from irs sources and now from fifty, five hundred websites that you have to go. Look at how does this all work in your office with zeal? You know, that’s that’s because you’re saying that because they’re all listening, right? Your offices listening. Okay, that aside now well, you know, that was something that was a real mind blower for me coming from running direct service organizations, we have a staff of nine small and so the work is done by our analysts on dh. They gather the information, you know, we have a customized software that they use, and they gather all the data on each of the variables we look at. And, ah, you know, the good news for us up till now is that because the information is fairly straightforward. You need to look at that number in this number over here and pull it in. And then the software does the calculations um, up till now up cn one point. Oh, it took about three or four hours to put up a new charity. And each year it takes about a half an hour latto update. So that’s, how we with the staff of nine, we can do it because it was a very straightforward and very relatively quick calculation to dio going forward it’s not going to be possible to do it that way. Okay? And we’re gonna be talking about the next generation shortly. So an analyst goes to a website. They’re looking for good governance, accountability, transparency what in detail are they looking for? Well, there are only five. There are eighteen variables that we’re looking at in this accountability and transparency section, and i may not be able to rattle off every single one of them. You know that one third of the way, but for the what can you tell us? But for the website, there are five out of the eighteen where we look at the website and so it includes some stuff that wouldn’t be a surprise. Do you post your nine ninety on the website? Do you post your audited financial statement on the website? Do you have your board listed on the website? Do you have your staff leadership listed on the website? Do you have a donor privacy policy stated on your website? Those air, the things that we look at those are the five variables we look at on the website and then the other and then the others are from the ninety okay, do they have to be easily found? Some some sites are a little clunky when things were there, but not so easy to navigate. Is that a factor? We have a five minute rule, okay? Lorts zoho so the notion is if if it’s if we have to go on an archaeological dig, the whole purpose of this is not for charity navigator it’s, because we think that donorsearch should be able to easily access this information as the stakeholders of the organization and if we can’t find it and where the experts said and we’ve gone to all these websites that we can’t find in five minutes, whether it’s there or not, they get a get a no, not there. Now we do have a fallback, which is where developing the capacity for the charities to provide us with links to the information if we can’t find it. So if they say, hey that’s, not fair it’s there, then they can email us the link and will give him credit even though it’s it’s a very, very right. My guest is ken berger he’s president and chief executive officer of charity navigator geever let’s see the, uh three point oh, now you wanted teo announce the next generation and we have some time now before a break. So why don’t you tell us about what’s coming next? Yeah, cn three point oh is when we have a three dimensional rating system and the third dimension is what we consider to be the most important, the most critical that we’ve been striving to develop for years. And that is the results of the work. How is the organization showing evidence that it’s meeting its mission? What? And we define results as it was developed? This term was developed by the gates foundation because the definition of it that is because, you know, people who use words like out comes an impact and effectiveness and so forth that we want to be clear. This is a very open term that includes your activities, you’re outputs as well as your outcomes, all of those things seeing evidence of that and it’s, really we’re looking at results reporting how well and clearly does the organization report its results to its stakeholders on its website? That’s what we’re looking for results versus outcomes on your website i see a little i see references to both and you mentioned both what what’s the difference and what have you settled on? One or the other term? The term we’re settled on is results. Okay? And how does that distinguish from outcomes then? Well, outcomes mean that you have you provide data that shows that you have provided meaningful and sustainable change in the community or in people’s lives. Unfortunately, the reality is in the vast majority of the nonprofit sector, we’re not there. We don’t have that kind of data available. And so we don’t want to create a rating system where we turn around and there’s nobody more there’s, just a small handful. So we want to be realistic about where the sector is today, so we need to also look at they’re outputs and their activities. And there may be some cause is like, if you’re a ballet company, that may be about as far as you’re going to get let’s say so we do aspire further down the road through data from others to tryto get outcome measurement information to actually make a judgement beyond the reporting of the charity. Beyond results reporting and saying ok, is this truly showing evidence that is meaningful and sustainable, we want to give the most credit to those that have that, but we will also want to be pragmatic about the different cause areas and what’s what’s available and that’s very just fair. How does charity navigator intend in three point oto seth results, but that’s again a very vague area, but in the end, you’re coming down to a couple of stars or several stars. How do you how do you do that kind of work? Well, mind you, everything i say now is in the testing phase, so it’s subject to change it’s not been finalized. We’ve set a goal for ourselves to try to have the first prototype of this completed by the end of this year, but again first prototype, and even when we announce it and show it to people, we will continue to tweak it, modify it as we learn and as we tested further, so basically so within that context, i don’t you know, we had we had an original seven questions that we sort of posted on our website while we’ve been testing those and we’re continuously testing and so we’re not. Going with those seven questions, there was, for example, there was a question where we asked, do you admit that you made a mistake and will give you credit? If you admit you made a mistake? We have come to the conclusion that xero point xero non-profits air going to provide that information on, and so we got rid of that one, but basically there are three things we’re looking at. One is, what is your theory of change? Can you explain clearly? What is the problem that you’re trying to solve? And do you have some logic, logic model, if you will, that walks us through how you get from where we are today to where you want to get teo is it’s your road map, if you will. And the second thing we want to see evidence of is data, what kind of data are you gathering to show that you’re on that road and that you’re getting to your destination and maybe even data that shows where we are now, what you’re using as your benchmark toe launch from right, and so and so, and remember, we’re talking data that can include outputs a swell, as on third and probably most important do you adjust? Do you assess as a result of that data? And then do you adjust your work if you are not meeting the results that you were shooting for? So so cn three point oh is based on surveys, surveys that the charity’s themselves are are providing to your emailing them or mailing them a survey and no return the data no house that we’re going ultimately that might happen for one year, what you just said, ok, but ultimately we want to see this information on the charity’s website. This is on the website also, yes. Ok, so in the first year that maybe a grace period you haven’t, i realized provoc only prototype coming by the end of this year with that caveat, though you might start just by having the charity self report, right? Because we know that most charities don’t have this on their website now, but we believe that more and more stakeholders want to see it as do we and that that’s where ultimately will end. So we might say after they give it to us the first year, great job next year, you can’t do it. That way we know you have it. Put it on the website, okay, and that’s. Interesting, because we’re starting toe approach some of the ways that charity navigator hopes to move or nudge the charitable sector, and we’ll get to those in the second half of the show on dh. What other directions those might be. This is tony martignetti non-profit radio. I’m with ken berger. Stay with us after the break, tony’s hoexter. Yeah, you’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics. Politically expressed buy-in, montgomery, taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com oppcoll are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Dahna hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com durney welcome back to the show, it’s, time for tony’s take two at roughly thirty two minutes into the hour this week, my block post irs tells us what good governance means. There are these vague phrases and notions kind of thrown around the non-profit community and actually, ken berger and i are talking about some of them, and i’m helping to keep him out of jargon jail by defining them. He doesn’t know that, but we’re talking about what they mean and that keeps him out of jargon jail. But often these phrases are not defined like transparency and accountability and good governance, conflict of interest, a document retention. I found a neiers document buried on its website that talks a good deal about what these phrases mean to the internal revenue service and so that’s the that’s what this first segment of the post is about helping you understand what i r s thinks these things mean, and there’ll be another post or two in the coming weeks, just to tease you a little bit good governance to irs, that is the broad category, and it means having in place, quote policies relating to executive compensation, conflicts of interest. Investments fund-raising documenting governance decisions, document retention and destruction and whistle blower claims. End quote. So naturally, what are all those things mean? And i did find a couple of those in this week’s post and i’ll go on and talk about more of them and to find more of them in future weeks. That’s all on my blogged at m p g a d v dot com. And that is tony’s take two for friday, the first of july, the year is the year is half over. Can you believe that? No, no. Can i didn’t bring you back out. Kim burger already doing the rhetorical question e-giving sorry. My guest is ken berger. And he does not believe like me, that the years, years half over. But it is so we were starting to talk about some of these ways. That charity navigator would like to see the sector move, one of them being sharing results on the website. What are some other ways that charity navigator would like to see the community headed in home? Well, i think you know, having done this work for a long time, my observation is that there are a tremendous amount. Of really dedicated people who, you know, give their heart and soul to the work. And and so at the same time, i have seen and lived with very closely some real scoundrels that have run non-profits and they can have beautiful staff, but there’s, some real jerks running these places. And so i actually believe that part of the importance of moving toward results and the like is that the ability for an organisation to engage in the kind of shenanigans that some of these organizations engage in will become increasingly hard for them to dio if they are held to a standard of showing evidence of results, and then the other thing is, when you talked about accountability and transparency, i also think that the notion that the more some light there is, the less you know, you know, the the rats sort of scatter, if you will, that that that that there’s a cleansing elements. So i think that part of what charity navigator has always wanted to do is to separate the wheat from the chaff to separate those that are really not in it for the mission from those that are and, you know, that’s. Probably where we get mohr attention in the media than anything else is to is to is to avoid those scams, and we hope that these directions that we’re talking about and many others are talking about the sector moving in well, garner more trust in the nonprofit sector as there’s more of this transparency and mohr organizations of providing mohr information to people about what they’re doing. I mean, that’s the basic premise and that’s very consistent with what iris is looking for. Actually, they believe that asai said in antony’s, tick to the the organizations that have these policies in place bring the sunlight in and are more likely well from irises perspective more likely to be tax compliant, but generally that organizations that are open and transparent are more likely to be run not by scoundrels and honest and charitable way. Yes, exactly right. And this all goes back to your mean the mission of charity navigator is to be a donor guide, so let’s write, i mean let’s, steer donors toward the better charities and away from those that are not so better. And then the second and i would say, almost equally important role that we try to play is to drive more money toa high performing non-profits and that ultimately what that means is that more people in the world are helped more communities are helped because every dollar is spent more wisely than it might have been otherwise, i should have said earlier that we are live and you can call on basque can a question if you like, our number is eight double seven for a tow for one two oh eight, double seven for eight xero for one to zero. If you’d like to ask a question of ken berger can one of the other questions that i asked listeners to answer before the show on, by the way, listeners you’ll you’ll find these poles on the facebook page always before each show, very usually just two or three questions never more than three takes a minute or so to answer, and i always cite the cite your responses on the on the show. One of the questions i asked was what percentage of charity navigator users rely on the site as their sole our primary source of information and our listeners were sort of evenly divided between one to twenty. Percent and forty one to sixty percent. A few about a quarter of people thought eighty one to one hundred percent. Do you? You know, you know the number. What? What is that? How many people are relying on it for their solar primary? It’s rough decision. Roughly eighty percent. And was that about what you expected when you when you polled or was that higher or lower what it was? Hyre and it was one of the catalyst for changing the rating system. Okay, say more about that. When did you pull? First? When i do this data research, it was about i would say it was about eight months ago, but it really it clarified things with the board. It made the board see this more clearly than ever that the urgency of doing this because we had always told our users that looking at the finances of an organisation is part of the puzzle of what you need to consider. And then when we saw that it was being used differently by our our users, we determined that the need to become three dimensional as quickly as we can to meet the expectations of our users was critically important to get going on even faster than we had hoped to do before. So you learned you’re even more valuable even though you were asking people toe use charity navigator and other sources, you turned out to be more valuable than you realized. I’m okay with that. Okay, well, this is the charity navigator. Not this is not a personal assessment. Wait, we have a caller on dh she’s on line one. Hello, welcome what’s. Your name heimans highlight is welcome. Hi. I’m founded organisation were called love one forty six out of new e-giving panic it. I’m sorry. So absolutely charitynavigator. We really appreciate everything you guys were doing. Tio help raise the bar with charities and wait love’s opportunity to challenge ourselves with regard to how we assess our our work. And i wanted to ask, what are some of the other integral aspect of our work that we should look at? In addition, teo impact like when assessing our program? Well, you know, i couldn’t in the brief period of time, we have really get to all of it. But you know our website we try to be transparent with everything. And if you go there there’s a tab on the top there called myth adala ji, and it lists every single thing that we’re looking at. In the financial area. It lists the accountability and transparency information. If you want to learn more about our experiments in the third dimension of results, you can also go to my block site, which is ken’s commentary dot organ, and i keep a running tally of the work that we’re doing in that area as well. Okay, so, listen, so it sounds like you can use charity navigator’s site to learn what they’re doing and sort of get us close to that and sort of pattern yourself your own work. After that loosening, that sounds okay. We’re already actually, if i’m charity navigator, but we left for me to improve ourselves. Thanks very much for calling loose. Thank you. Other callers you are welcome to call and speak to ken berger ate double seven for eight xero for one to zero. So can carry. Navigator would like to see the sector b doing things. Ah, little differently and nudging charity’s a certain way. Why do you feel that charity navigator has the authority to nudge the charitable sector? Well, there are a number of ways. Look at it. One is with the the fact that we have three point three million households in the united states that turned to us, most of whom say where? Their primary source of information, i think there’s an indicator that they want our organization to be in this role. You know, i just related to that i got to say that, you know, having run cherries for a long time. There’s something unique about charity navigator. Even if you compare it with let’s say, guidestar, some of these other groups, we really are an outsider to the sector. And i mean that in the best sense of the term, we are independent that’s why we don’t charge anybody. We don’t charge charities. We want to be a completely independent, objective third party and advocate for donors, and they were not aware of there being anybody else that’s in a comparable role at the scale that we are to try to do that. There are other groups that are linked with trade associations and that’s. Great, you know, any standards that the sector sets for itself. It’s. Great, but they’re also needs to be. And we think it really resonates with the public that there is also this independent body that tries to do these things. And and as i said before, we’re trying to model some of this on some of the standards of the independent sector, if we think they make sense, but we go beyond that, we don’t just rely upon what, what the sector itself, you know, says it should do, because we think that donors have a unique perspective and they need to be advocated for is charity navigator, the consumer reports of the charitable sector. Without violating any trademarks were comfortable being in that universe, okay? And now there are other players in there you mentioned guide star there’s, also great non-profits dot org’s, you’re doing some collaborative work with with i wonder both of those i know great non-profits that organ, you say little about that before for a break? Yeah, well, and then that gets to trying to be a role model. We agree with the authors of forces for good that collaboration is better than competition and should be mohr embraced by the sector. And so we’ve been in discussion with great non-profits and actually, in march, we launched a collaborative effort where are users can now write a review on the charity navigator website and it’s not integrated into our star system, but you can also see how users view the charity, and it aggregates all the reviews that are done anywhere on the internet. So if if somebody writes a review on guide star, you’ll see it here you’ll see the aggregated score of all the users that write a review with great non-profits tool and any other site that great non-profits works with so that’s one example of a collaborative effort that we think is going quite well with guidestar were in ongoing discussions, and we’re exploring ways that we might do some collaborative work together because they have some capacities and analytical skills that we’d love to share and hopefully meet our mutual goal of getting as much information out to teo terrible e-giving community as possible, then there are a lot of other groups that were also in discussion with in this space to keep you out of jargon jail for people who might not know great non-profits dot or ge just in the minute we have before break. And you explain what what that site is about one one way it’s been sort of described very quickly is sort of a yelp for non-profits where anybody who’s been a volunteer, a boardmember a donor, a beneficiary, a client, that’s had some association with the organization can actually write a review and rate the organization, they have a five star system, we changed it to numbers so we don’t confuse our users, but and then they aggregate so you can see the aggregated reviews of all of the people who voluntarily did this sort of crowd sourced. Information. My guest is ken berger, president and chief executive officer of charity navigator. We take a break, and after the break, ken will stay with us, and i hope you do, too. E-giving didn’t think dick tooting getting ding, ding, ding ding. You’re listening to the talking alternate network e-giving. Thank you. Cubine. Duitz looking to meet mr and mrs wright, but still haven’t found the one. Want to make your car relationship as fulfilling as possible? Then please join us starting monday, may second at ten am for love in the morning with marnie gal ilsen as a professional matchmaker, i’ve seen it all. Please tune in and call as we discuss dating relationship and more. Start your week off with love in the morning with marnie allison on talking alternative dot com. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. This is tony martignetti aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent technology fund-raising compliance, social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays, one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting do you want to enhance your company’s web presence with an eye catching and unique website design? Would you like to incorporate professional video marketing mobile marketing into your organization’s marketing campaign? Mission one on one media offers a unique marketing experience that will set you apart from your competitors, magnify your brand exposure and enhance your current marketing efforts. Their services include video production and editing, web design, graphic design photography, social media management and now introducing mobile marketing. Their motto is. We do whatever it takes to make our clients happy. Contact them today. Admission one one media dot com talking dot com. Dahna welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio my guest, ken berger, president and ceo of charity navigator, can i also asked listeners before the show how much they thought their donors rely on charity navigator and listeners were pretty well split between more than half do fewer than half do, and i don’t know the smallest percentage is only six percent. I think fewer than half don’t use charity navigator, so there seems to be some sort of prevalent use sounds good, you know? You know, one of the one of the challenges is to try to ferret that out as much as we can. You know, if if there are roughly one hundred fifty million households in the united states and we have three million, we still have a long way to go, even though we’re the largest charity rating agency in the country and possibly in the world, i don’t know we still are at the base of the mountain there’s so many people that we hope will have a change of awareness. We think that the vast majority of giving is still almost entirely emotion driven and loyalty driven way think that that emotional, that hard part. Should always be there, but we’re hoping that people will also use their heads and look at some information as well. You’re evaluating fifty, five hundred charities. Do you aspire to evaluate more of those over time? Yeah, we have a long term goal of rating twenty thousand and for the statisticians amongst us that’s eighty five, where eighty five percent of all the revenues in the nonprofit sector go to those twenty thousand over the next five years. We’re shooting for ten thousand, which is where seventy percent of the money goes. So, you know, we want to slowly build towards that. I mean, if this volunteer effort, this wiki style effort that we’re developing really takes hold, it could be, you know, depending on how many people are interested in volunteering to rade organization’s, it could be even more than that if it really catches fire. So this is another of another form of collaboration. We’re talking about collaborating with great non-profits dot org’s, but thiss crowd sourcing and using volunteers? Well, i guess it’s really more volunteers used an actual crowdsourcing, but are you soliciting volunteers? Can people offer their time to help? The short answer is yes, but we have to remember that we are literally building this thing from scratch, and the system is not at all fully up. The volunteers that were using at this point are really more sort of kicking the tires and saying, hey, you know, you should add this to your training program would be good if we have a chat room over here, and the wording on this isn’t clear. So it’s really not toe actually, you use volunteers yet to really rate the charities it’s to test the system that we’re developing. We may not be in a position to really use the volunteers and fully implement this program until sometime in the latter part of next year. So this is sort of the prototype testing face, but we’re willing to and we would love to hear from people. And if if it’s not right now will keep their name and we’ll be in touch with them once we have this ready to go, okay? And of course, the site is charitynavigator dot or ge you could potentially maybe this is your aspirations that have thousands of people doing this work for you. That’s the dream? Yes, and you know, it’s it’s also another way to empower donors and engage them in the process, which is really what so much about what social media and the internet is is giving people an opportunity, tio and the interest, the growing interest in being even more engaged involved in the process and since can mention social media, i’ll drop that you can follow him on twitter. His idea on twitter is at ken’s commentary and also you can follow charity navigator, which is at charity knave. Is that run right? Okay, those are the two twitter ideas for ken and charity navigator. Another collaboration you have is with philanthropy dea on you tell us about that philanthropy. Dea is also a rating organization that is built on the idea of expert reviews, so essentially they will take a group of experts in a cause area and asked the experts which khun b foundation program officers it can be ceos within that cause area who, who amongst your peers or who amongst those organizations you have funded foundation, do you find to be the most high performing in this cause area? They aggregate that information to give a report on let’s. Say top ten or a group of charities that they think meets that criteria. I think they’re doing other things as well. But that’s that’s the part that we were, we are most interested in those discussions. Air very preliminary. They recently were acquired by guide star. And i think guidestar also wants to use that service as a value add for their their current customers clients. Okay, on the on the negative side of charities and charitable giving, you have donorsearch advisories for non-profits that are suspect to say that maybe put it at best. What what are the what is the donor advisory, and how do you decide that one should be issued? We developed this about a year ago, and it was because we found that there are circumstances where something so significant occurs that it goes beyond any rating system. We might develop that there’s something that’s happening with the organization that raises questions about whether any of the information that we can get from them. Self reported information is accurate because so, for example, if the organization’s being investigated by a state attorney general, the organization is in a serious lawsuit where there are questions. About the leadership and, you know, financial mismanagement. What have you, those kind of situations that are so big like that? We think that giving a score doesn’t do justice on until that’s resolved, we put up a donor advisory, so if you type the name of that charity, you won’t see a star. You’ll see donorsearch vise ary and in tow link you to the information that we found about the investigation that’s going on that leads us to say the donors, our advice to you is to take a pause and hold off until we find out how this thing plays out. So you’re not drawing the conclusion for the donors, but you’re giving them all the information for them to draw their own using the primary source material that you have found that raises your suspicion, right? But we are, in a sense, making a partial decision. We have opted not to give them a star rating of any kind because we’re not confident in the information we have just a minute before the break and there’s something else that’s interesting that i’m sorry before the end of the show, really that the charity navigator does and that’s your your annual executive compensation survey. Yes. Executive compensation on irs fray catchphrase popular. What? What is the survey? We take a look at the salaries of the middle large size charities we evaluate of the ceos and we show the trends. What is the average salary on? Then we break it out by different sectors by different sizes of organizations. And then we also highlights some of the extreme out layers on that survey gets a lot of attention. People can find that on the website. Yes, there’s a whole section of studies. And you can find all of that on the website we updated every year. The site is charitynavigator dot or ge. The organization is charity navigator. Its president and ceo is ken berger kayman one. Thank you very much for being in the studio and on the show. Thank you. Thank you for having me, it’s been my pleasure. Next week we’re cultivating and motivating women donors. One of my interviews of the speakers from fund-raising day fund-raising conference here in new york city, which was just last month. I’ll plead replay that interview on cultivating and motivating women donors also in the second half. Of next week’s show, i’ll have holly hall she’s, the features editor for the chronicle of philanthropy, she’ll be with me. She was a guest two weeks ago to question some of the methodology in last year’s e-giving yusa report, and so we’re going to talk about this year’s methodology because this year’s report is out and joining me for that discussion will be representatives fromthe e-giving institute, which sponsors wth e-giving yusa report, so it’ll be holly hall and representatives fromthe e-giving institute, and we also talk about the report’s findings on two thousand ten’s fund-raising and what they mean for your fund-raising this year and beyond, as always, you can keep up with what’s coming up on the show. Sign up for our insider email alerts on the facebook page that you know where to go for facebook and then just the name of this show and you’ll find us while you’re there. Please like the show, become a fan, you can listen to tony martignetti non-profit radio any time on the device of your choice by subscribing on itunes. Listen on your computer, your smartphone, your tablet, you’ll find our itunes archive at non-profit radio dot net. Creative producer of the show is claire meyerhoff, our line producer. Today was janice, the owner of talking alternative broadcasting is sam liebowitz, and this shows social media is by regina walton of organic social media. This is tony martignetti non-profit radio. I hope you’ll join me next friday, one to two eastern here at talking alternative dot com no. Co-branding think dick tooting getting dink, dink, dink, dink. You’re listening to the talking alternate network. Get in. E-giving cubine looking to meet mr and mrs wright but still haven’t found the one want to make your current relationship as fulfilling as possible? Then please join us starting monday, may second at ten am for love in the morning with morning alison as a professional matchmaker. I’ve seen it all. Please tune in and call as we discuss dating relationship and more start your week off with love in the morning with marnie alison on talking alternative dot com. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com. We look forward to serving you. You’re listening to talking alternative network at www dot talking alt-right dot com now broadcasting twenty four hours a day. Do you want to enhance your company’s web presence with an eye catching and unique website design? Would you like to incorporate professional video marketing mobile marketing into your organization’s marketing campaign? Mission one on one media offers a unique marketing experience that will set you apart from your competitors, magnify your brand exposure and enhance your current marketing effort. Their services include video production and editing, web design, graphic design photography, social media management and now introducing mobile marketing. Their motto is we do whatever it takes to make our clients happy contact them today. Admission one one media dot com. Is your marriage in trouble? Are you considering divorce? Hello, i’m lawrence bloom, a family law attorney in new york and new jersey. No one is happier than the day their divorce is final. My firm can help you. We take the nasty out of the divorce process and make people happy police call a set to one, two nine six four three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s lawrence h bloom two one two nine six for three five zero two. We make people happy. Whillans hyre talking.

044: A Conversation with Naomi Levine & Excellent Events That Keep Audiences Awake – Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio

Tony’s guests this week:

Naomi Levine, executive director of the George Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University
Claire Meyerhoff, marketing and media specialist

Read and watch more on Tony’s blog: http://mpgadv.com

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Durney welcome to the show. I’m your aptly named host tony martignetti, and this is tony martignetti non-profit radio on friday, june third. We’re always about big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Last week we had passed the cup to corporations and fund accounting software. It was john hicks first guest he’s, the president and ceo of j c geever, and he shared techniques to develop your corporate sponsorship strategy and build relationships so you can ask for corporate support with credibility and confidence. And the second guest last week was scott koegler, our regular tech contributor, the editor of non-profit technology news, and he was here reviewing fund accounting software, which is a back office necessity. Those in the know recognize that proper accounting is critical to keeping your board and the irs and others who are looking over your shoulders, satisfied. He reviewed packages like fundez easy and accufund and quickbooks this week i have a conversation with naomi levin she’s, the executive director of the george h heimans junior center for philanthropy and fund-raising at new york university, and she’s, a special advisor to the president of n you, mrs levin shares her views on the roles and responsibilities of non-profits and their boards. Government oversight of non-profits and fund-raising as a profession, this was recorded last month at my show reception at the helmsley park lane hotel. You’ll find that mrs levine is out spoken and entertaining. Our second guest will be excellent events that keep audiences awake with claire meyerhoff she’s, a marketing and media specialist. You’re going to turn her expertise to savvy event programming that keeps your audience, is excited and awake between the guests. It’ll be tony’s. Take two, we’re giving away two ipads, and i’ll explain the contest. Details on tony’s. Take two. All of that is this week, after starting after this break, so stay with me, grantmaking think dick tooting getting ding, ding, ding ding. You’re listening to the talking alternate network e-giving no. Things. Cubine dahna. Are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Oppcoll are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics politically expressed. I am montgomery taylor, and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l, j media. Dot com. Looking to me, mr and mrs wright, but still haven’t found the one. Want to make your current relationship as fulfilling as possible? Then please join us, starting monday, may second, at ten am for love in the morning with morning alison as a professional matchmaker, i’ve seen it all. Please tune in and call as we discuss dating relationship and more. Start your week off with love in the morning with marnie alison on talking alternative dot com. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Welcome back, it’s, time now for my conversation with naomi levine, pre recorded last month at a reception that i hosted at the helmsley park lane hotel here in new york city. We’re goingto play this through without a commercial break, and so here is that interview. Naomi levine is the executive director of the george h heimans junior center for philanthropy and fund-raising at new york university. For twenty two years, she was in use, senior vice president for external affairs, and helped raise over two and a half billion dollars for the university. She is a graduate of columbia law school. She was previously the national executive director of the american jewish congress. Now she is special advisor to the president of n u, and she chairs the board of the edgar bronfman center for jewish student life and the tab center for israel studies. Please join me in welcoming mrs naomi levine. Mrs levine, what do you see as the the non-profit role for our society? Let me put this in a kind of perspective that i always use. I don’t think that most people in our society recognized the importance of the non-profit world in our civil society, if you close your eyes for one minute and look at the skyline of new york city, do you hear me? Yeah, you will see that if you took away lincoln center, the hospitals, and why you, fordham, columbia and all of the other universities, medical centers, cultural centers, theatres, dance a group, you will see that this would be a very different society, and most people really don’t think about that when they think of the way we all run. They think a government, they think of the corporate sector, and they don’t think of the non-profits but why is that? That that means non-profits are not fulfilling their work in spreading their the message of their good works? I mean, do you think the blame falls on the non-profits for people not being aware, i think i would suspect so let me lead into that as we progress in our conversation. Because the truth is i’m not really sure i know that most people don’t realize it and what they don’t realise. Moore is not one of those organizations could exist without fund-raising they require financial support, and yet do you know a shingle mother who will say to their child, you know, dear, when you grow up, i want you to be a fundraiser. Nobody says that my own mother, my own mother in the last years of her life, when she was living at a place called cat a house in the bronx, i would come to visit her and she’d say to me now remember, when we go down for lunk, if someone asks you what you do for a living, tell them you’re a lawyer, not a fundraiser. She was embarrassed at her law review daughter was raising money. People think of it as selling cookies for the girl scouts, and you ask me why it is that i must tell you i’m not sure, but one thing i am sure if you let me adjustment, just put that on the table is that unless fund-raising is viewed as a profession a legitimate profession, that is talk. Within a university, not within all kinds of organizations that provide courses, but within the university, it never will be given the kind of status that it deserves. Dentistry at one point was nothing. You went to an apprentice, yet you learnt how to pull a tooth. That was the end. Lawyers like john adams. If you read his book, you know, he was an apprentice in a law office. But once causes were given within universities and got to stamp a university academical provable, they became professions. And the reason i created the heimans center is that i really want to see people take courses, learn and make this area a profession that even my mother would be proud off. So that’s hard to do. Let me tell you and you make a very good point that i don’t know any fundraisers who? It’s. For whom? It’s. The first career? No, no, no. In my office, we had a big staff and we had people who were from every discipline around. They were from journalism, from archaeology, from everything in the world. Nobody studied. And yet if you think about it, i know that i learned on our no. Doremus amount during those twenty five years and every time i prepare for a class, i learned more, i confess to you, i never spent time with my staff talking about ethics. What did we talk about? We talked about what? Your goal, how much money where’s the money, etcetera. Yet when i started to prepare the course on ethics and red doug white’s book on charities on trial and a few other things, i said, you know, that’s, a very important area, and i should learn about it, because if you don’t know the law and you don’t know the ethical component and you don’t know board governance and fiduciary relationship, you’re going to get trouble that’s perfect. And doug white was a guest on my show, talking about his book about ethics, but so now we’re talking about the fundraiser and fund raisers, and you’ve just made a great transition. How about the role of the trustees? What? What are they? Trustees? They’re not really fully aware of their roles, don’t you think with respect to the organization, trustees are also fund-raising if you sit on a board because it’s a nice, prestigious thing to do and it looks good in your obituary in the times, it is a wrong reason to be on a board boards have responsibility. They have the responsibility to keep their organization financially shaky. Sure, that means board members have to be fundraisers also, you know, larry tisch usedto have he was the chairman of gnu during the time that i was vice president, and he had a very simple and crash way. I assume of running his board. He used to say to me, look, we’re not harvey, we’re not princeton. When i put someone on the board, they not only have to be dedicated, decent people committed toe hyre read, but they have tai run my board by the three g’s that people have to give money, they’re not a big amount, but gives something to show their commitment so they have to help get money. And if they can’t do that, they should get off the board because boards have responsibilities. And when you talk about a boardmember they have to be, they have to understand their responsibilities fiduciary, legal, come to meetings to read an order to report readable what your report? There are a whole list of things. If this was a class that i could list for you, that boards have to do so. The relationship between the fundraiser and a boardmember is really a very close one. What was number three? You said he had three, three, three requirements. Get money where you get off the moca or get off the board. That was number three, not in a harsh way. I’m not suggesting you tell your board that i’m telling you, you have to try to persuade them to give and then had people onto your board that will set an example. I never suggested minto fund-raising they come in and get rid of that board members, you’ll be in trouble. On the other hand, you have tohave board training of the sharp pains. Actually, the corporation board i have been instructed to do that is to close are instructed to give bored training, training aboard and what their responsibilities are. Doug and i and ruth ellen reuben is here. We go around to different boards were invited to talk to them about their obligations under the law. Federal law. State law. I venture to say if i went around this room today and most of your fundraisers, air sit on board. You would not know a ll the laws that are involved in fund-raising state and federal. I learned that on lee when i started to teach i did know i know that when i was raising money don’t you think the trend also is that this is only gonna get worse at the booth state and federal level? That oversight from those levels of government is going to just increase among among non-profits i don’t like the fact that you used the word worse in my book, i would say that’s better, more, more. I know you advocate for even greater oversight. I know you do far more oversight and far more regulation. It is an area that everybody thinks so. We don’t have to regulate the nun. Profits are all very good people. The red crossed of good things university how dare we suggest that they be regulated more. Let me tell you that there is a cz much mismanagement, excessive salaries, all kinds of conflict of interest area occur in the nonprofit world that a car in a profit within the nonprofit sector fights your advocacy of deeper oversight. The non-profit schecter no it’s, not eager tohave. More regulation. I will confess to you on my staff in french. No, this for seven years i have gone up to albany fighting for one lousy bill. One bill that would say that if you’re hired as a professional fundraiser, you should take one course in the course of your entire career in law, ethics and board governance. I think you should do that. And every year it gets through the senate and assembly up in albany and then the non-profits come up and they argue against it in their mind. It’s a slippery slope. You’re going to start regulating your going to stock with more rules. We don’t want that. And the governance who don’t want to start up with such good organizations as the heart association of the red cross they vito and it drives me insane. Ken berger is going to be a guest on my show in in july. I think. It’s a july first show, the executive director of charity navigator. What you see is the role of charity navigator and similar rankings ratings of charities. Well, i think that anything that helps a donor get on understanding. Of an organisation is a good thing. I’m not in a position to discuss the details of those organization, but i know if their organizations around that help it donor-centric steam or been dealing more accountability, all those words and now on the table, when i started in fund-raising i’m a very old person of eighty eight years, so i have lived through different parts and different segments off fund-raising the fund-raising world, and in the beginning, you never heard such words. I never heard such words, but now you hear it more and more. So what canonizations like that play a role onda, of course, it’s controversial because the role that they play helps define what people decide to look at. And of course, donors now are more into is it in looking at outcomes, and that becomes very difficult. Teo measure donors are also interested in percentage of budget that goes to program versus administration, but for some charities, it could be very legitimate toe have a very high percentage going to administration because they’re doing things in, but if they’re going abroad and doing things on the ground in, you know, in other continents, i have always been very conservative, i believe that when a person gives money not more than thirty five percent maximum should go for overhead and the russian gulf of the program. Now there may be exceptions, and you may be right, but by and large, i think that people should feel comfortable in knowing that the book of their money goes to the project that they want to support. Now there are exceptions, and i think that when you sit down with the donor like we used to have to sit down with someone who gave us two million dollars for a chair, we had to explain that some of that would go for the over head of that school, you’ll have to be able to explain it, but we never never spent mohr than thirty five cents of thirty five percent that was maximum mr tisch required even less on you’ll have to be very open and honest about that thie audience for the show is small and midsize non-profits the tagline is big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent, what would you like to leave small and midsize charities? With what message? So small shops the lessons are not different, because how you raise money for a big organization and how you raise a trish more fundamentally are not different when we teach courses in our heimans center way, my approach is that the principles of generic and they involve developing relationships if you know your fund-raising you know that last year, out of the three hundred three billion dollars it was raised about eighty three percent when you include request come from individuals and individuals will give to small groups, and i’ll give to big groups, so the rules on how you raise that money, the art of the ass is the same in a little group, you use the same technique to get twenty five dollars, as you will use to get a million dollars, it is developing a relationship, knowing howto ask knowing how to divide your mission statement, knowing the process and the rules and fund-raising knowing what you’re bored should do and that should be and knowing the ethical issues, whether you’re dealing with a little group or a big road, which harder with a little good bye don’t knock it you also, perhaps will you social medium or with a little girl? I’m not sure i’m no expert on social media we brought on to our staff of the heimans center last year marchenese vanik she’s, an expert, and she has tried to persuade me that things like facebook and twitter and all that stuff have some value. I am totally illiterate there, but i respect the fact that the coming generations will use it more, particularly the small organizations, and i tell the small organizations, don’t ignore your financial status. Be sure if you can’t afford an audit, at least have very strict rules on how your money is handled. Doug white’s book has a whole list of cases in which organizations big and small got into terrible trouble because they weren’t careful and how they handle their finances. And that is true in little groups as well as bigger pond. That doug white book is charity on trial, but that but that goes back to the trustees, relationship and trustees obligations even for us, even for a small shop, there’s a board and maybe a board of only three or four people, but they have the obligation to be aware of the things that you’re talking about under the law. Whether you’re a big organization or a little, the charity’s bureau, which is the hand of the attorney general in the state of new york, will look atyou and look atyou carefully and don’t make mistake. I’m not here selling doug’s book i couldn’t give any i’m not interested in that. The only reason i pointed out is that it has in it the cases that are very imp fortune for you to understand, and you have to know all the people that got in trouble. Let me give you one example. The american red cross during the nine eleven tragedy, they got in a lot of money and they used a whole bunch of it for the purpose that nine eleven required. They had a little bit of money left over the director of the red cross, one of the most terrific people in the field use that money for the blood drive. She didn’t put it in her pocket, she was fired. Why was she fired? Because the law says if i take money from you for a and i use it for b you’re wrong. I have to use that money for a unless i write to you and i say to you, do you mind if i use it, etcetera? So they’re a little things like that that if you were a fundraiser in this room or a boardmember you have to be very sensitive to whether you’re a little group or a big group, we have just a minute or two left. What is it that concerns you most about the charitable sector over the next couple of years? One to two years? Where? What do you think about most what keeps you up at night? Xero well, i think that competition is very it’s going even increase and the government are cutting back drastically and so on the shoulders of the non-profits we have to provide for the help that the poor need, the abused women are the st joseph’s, full kitchens and all the social services that keep our society going. There’s a book that somebody called claire got eonni road that has wonderful chapters on how capitalism could not exist in this country, unregulated capitalism without the help of the non-profits we provide the helpful the people that fall between the cracks in our society and i worry that with the government cutting back and the competition the way it is it’s going to be hard and hard and harder also. Europe, which never was here before, is now facing the situation where their governments are cutting back. They never had a non-profit sector, they relied entirely on government support. Every university in europe is supported by the government. Oxford cambridge is so bone, everyone now ox it hasn’t office in new york, cambridge has an office in new york and everyone overseas we have more people in our class is now trying tto learn fund-raising from europe, asia, china every place that’s going to give you a great deal of competition and so i don’t spend nights worrying about it. I am certainly concerned about it and i would hope find may end that i’m too old to see the end of it. But i would like to see fund-raising fundraisers, given the recognition that they deserve, and each of you in this room have that obligation. I could be proud of what you’re doing to make certain that when you work in any agency, people know that without you, that agency is going to close that this is a dignified profession, and you have to carry that flag. Naomi levine is the executive director of the george heimans center junior junior center for philanthropy and fund-raising at new york university. Thank you very much, mrs living. Do we have time for where i think you have time for maybe just one or two is your question? Go ahead. Carol weaver, please just shout it out. I’ll repeat it. Go ahead, have a great fan of what you think about. It fundrasing coming together to create a voting bloc we are. Your economy. As i’m told, hyre grayce counting together issues. We could be a voice in albany for your force, which, of course, i’m very. And for other things, like maybe creating a bank. Non-profits jim, i think it’s the syrian say once you make a finger together, you make of this. If we have concerns go ross the industry, could we not consider and i can’t think of a better well, but there are s o the question is generally about how the non-profit sector could organize to be a more cohesive voting bloc now, but their organization, like independent sector, you know, so there’s that what else would you like to sell? Well, i can say is most of those organizations are run by their executives, as most organizations are in the average member plays a very minimal role in your right. If the average member played a bigger role and then insistent, i’m sure nothing. Then you would have more effective involvement in albany and other places, but you have the organizations around there’s, a million of them it’s just sort of my book there, not doing anything, uh, along the lines. And i think that should be done. Yeah. Does independent sector is that one of the groups that opposes broader on government oversight? So nobody should fortuny chelation hearts of then that would be a yes, doug white does, even though you panned his book, doug white support, sir, we’re gonna have dug it up for rebuttal after this. Is there another? Is there one more question way have time before mrs levin leaves. All right, please join me in thanking her again. Naomi living. That’s my interview with naomi levine, recorded last month at the reception that i hosted for the show at the helmsley park lane hotel. We take a break now and after the break. It’s, tony’s, take two, and then we’ll return. After that, with claire meyerhoff talking about excellent events to keep your audience is awake. Stay with me. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Do you love movies, then join me and share your pains about them on the radio. This is mike, a movie fan like you, starting may tenth. Join me every tuesday night at six pm for my new show movie time on talking alternative dot com. Call me live or email me at movie time radio. At gmail dot com. We’ll talk about all the blockbusters whose the best director and which movies air overrated, among many other topics. Join me for movie time. Tuesdays at six on talking alternative dot com. Duitz looking to meet mr and mrs wright, but still haven’t found the one. Want to make your car relationship as fulfilling as possible? Then please join us, starting monday, may second at ten am for love in the morning with morning alison as a professional matchmaker, i’ve seen it all. Please tune in and call as we discuss dating relationship and more. Start your week off with love in the morning with marnie alison on talking alternative dot com. This is tony martignetti aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent technology fund-raising compliance, social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio friday’s one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting do you want to enhance your company’s web presence with an eye catching and unique website design? Would you like to incorporate professional video marketing mobile marketing into your organization’s marketing campaign? Mission one on one media offers a unique marketing experience that will set you apart from your competitors, magnify your brand exposure and enhance your current marketing effort. Their services include video production and editing, web design, graphic design photography, social media management and now introducing mobile market. Their motto is, we do whatever it takes to make our clients happy. Contact them today. Admission one one media dot com. Talking. No. Welcome back, it’s, time for today’s edition of tony’s take two, i’m giving away two ipads to fans of the show and you can get details about this contest on my blog’s at m p g a d v dot com the first of the two is going to the first three hundred and thirteen people who liked the show that was those were the people who liked it before a certain date. It was may twenty third when we announced the beginning of the contest, so those three hundred thirteen people are automatically entered in the first drawing and that’s my way of saying thanks for being one of our early fans. If you want one of the first three hundred thirteen, then you can still win because we’re giving away the second ipad and the details of how tow enter the contest if you’re not already in from the first three thirteen, asai said, is on my blogged m p g a d v dot com. The contest drawing is going to be next thursday. Sorry. Next friday, june tenth, that’s at the association for fund-raising professionals new york city chapter there event is fund-raising day and as i’ve said previously on the show, we are a media sponsor for fund-raising day we’re going to be on the exhibit floor, i’ll be doing interviews for future broadcasts on this show of the interviewing, the seminar speakers or as many of them as we can schedule. There are something like seventy five or eighty seminar speakers can’t do them all in an eight hour day, but we’re gonna get a bunch of them and at the end of that day i’ll be drawing the two winners for the ipads. So join the contest, learning about it on the blogged and we’ll be making those. I’ll be doing those drawings on friday, june tenth at fund-raising day next friday, that is tony’s take two for friday, june third. Now i have a pre recorded discussion with claire meyerhoff about smart event planning howto program events to keep your audience is engaged and awake here’s that interview? I’m now joined by claire meyerhoff. Claire is a marketing specialist for non-profits we’re going to be talking about your five minute program, super streamlined events that keep your audiences informed, engaged and awake. Clare is a marketing specialist who works with fundraisers and nonprofit organizations she’s, a former broadcast journalist with lots of acronym big acronyms, cbs radio, x m and cnn and during those stints she covered lots of events either covered or attended hundreds of non-profit events, she combines that experience with her production skills to help non-profits design and execute programs that are entertaining, informative and concise. And we’re going to talking a lot about concise because the topic is your five minute program. I’m very glad that claire’s work brings her to the show today. Claire, welcome. Thanks, tony, thanks so much for having me, because this is a great forum to share with the non-profit audience about events which are so so important. Yes, i’m pleased to have you back clears a repeat guest and also the creative producer for tony martignetti non-profit radio clear, i think organizations don’t pay enough attention to planning their their events, their program. What advice do you have? Well, i think that in my in my little a world where i where i come up with little acronyms for things, the little names for things i’ve just come up with this is i was waiting to come on and that’s that i think the event and specifically the program portion of the event is the final frontier of fund-raising you could see that you can see why claire is the creative producer of this show, she’s waiting on hold to join the show and she comes up with final frontier fund-raising please go ahead. Elaborate. Sorry, it’s it’s, the final frontier of fund-raising is what’s what’s. The first step of fund-raising is just is just the ask the simple. Ask, you know your son is raising money for jump rope for hard, and he goes to the next door neighbor, and says, would you support me and that’s an easy one, right? Because that’s the neighbour, and not for very much money so that’s that’s a pretty easy ask so that’s, sort of the first frontier of fund-raising and then we go, you know, down the line for very sophisticated asked, and even, you know, planned getting and thank you she she mentions plan giving say so dear to my heart. Yes, the more sophisticated you know that’s sort of a deep frontier of fund-raising it’s a long time before you get that donor to the point where they’re goingto do a bequest a charitable gift, a new innovation so there’s, all these different levels of the ask and fund-raising and when you put on a fundraising event, that is the time of year where you’re celebrating your organization, you’re having fun with it. You’re inviting all these different people to come. They bought a ticket for thirty dollars, seventy five dollars, one hundred fifty dollars, six hundred dollars, depending on where you are and how fancy your event is. So now these people have come and they’re all dressed up spent a lot of time on the food and the orders and the decorations and we have balloons or should we have four kids? And what should the place look like? Should we have strolling singers and acrobats running around our event hall? So it’s it’s very events are very labor intensive. Start my clear greenlee labor intensive and then when i found from working with non profit organisations, is that the program part of the event is almost an afterthought. It’s something that happens maybe the week before or even i’ve seen it the day before where they say okay, well, who’s going to get up and speak and what? Are we going to say and who’s going to say what? And the program is really one of the most is more important than the little shrimp order bs that you serve? Or if you’re going to have caviar or little tiny hot dogs? It’s much more important what you actually say to your donor’s while you’re up, they’re on a stage and you have their undivided, hopefully attention. So that’s, why it’s so very important this is an opportunity for you to speak to donors, whether they’re long time dedicated donors or they are that donor’s guest at the event. So let’s say you have someone they’ve been coming to your event for ten years, and they are very good supporters. They’re in your hair in your special circle, they give you twenty, five hundred dollars a year and they are very important donors to you, and they have brought their friend, their neighbor, who they would like to introduce to your organization. So this is your chance to speak can not only your dedicated donors, but also your your new donors, your potential donors, potential friends of your organization so it’s really, really important? It’s almost more important to me than just about anything else, except perhaps the auction if you’re going to have an auction. Okay, so that’s really important. So so clearly now the program of those people you are on stage, you’re on the air, you know, let’s say your, you know, a newscaster, and you have five minutes or ten minutes to talk to your audience. What do you tell them? You tell them the most important news of the day or things that you think your particular audience is interested in learning about so that they don’t shut you off or turn you off. So think about your guests as viewers that are watching your little show about your organization, and so you’re recommending claire the five the five minute programmes you want, you want the program to be more important than whether the bunting matches the flowers clearly and you have the really the five minute program tell us about what buy-in organization should be doing at this gala in just five minutes. Well, there’s, a lot that you could do in five minutes and you have these people and they’re usually sitting there right there, the round tables in this big room at the d’hotel and they’re sitting there. And what i like to say is that your guess? Our donors and guests and friends, they’re not hostages, they’re not a hostage for the next five minutes ten minutes a half hour to your speakers and your program, they’re your guests and they could just get up and leave, but they’re much, much too polite to do that. So your goal is to keep them engaged and keep them informed and keep them entertained. And i think that that’s the perfect way say it and so what’s, your first step is you want to, you know, welcome that you want to greet them. That’s easy to do, you don’t have to say a whole lot to greet them. You don’t have to go on and on with the greeting. You just simply you know, thank everybody for being there. So that’s, the most important part is to thank everyone several times. Justus, you would thank a donor several different ways of very you know of a good donor. You would thank um, several different ways you’d call them you send them a note? You didn’t fight them to a little event. You thank them in a lot of different ways, whereas whereas we’re as we’re developing the program, who should be the key speaker who should be the first one up to say thank you? Well, the first one option to say thank you should be really quote the host of the event, whoever that person is that was kind of the most important person in bringing all these people together. So let’s just say this particular year you have a local person who’s very well loved. Maybe you have the local weathercaster from the tv station whose daughter has really benefited from your after school program that you’ve been running for years, and she’s decided this year to step up from doing something kind of simple to being the chair of the event. So let’s, just say she has been very, you know, she’s been key in planning this event and that’s why people are there, she should be the person that should get up and thank everybody, not the executive director of the organization, so it should be that key person that people are going toe really appreciate them getting up and saying thank you, so think, really think about and not just go to the default like, oh, we should have, you know, our event chair. Or we should have our executive director get up and speak so it could be, you know, anybody that you think is that person that everybody that’s in the room would be interested in having them thank them. So come up, come up with who that person is, and and that person kind of plays the role of the host and that is a simple little roll of just keeping keeping things moving along because it is a little program it’s a little show, just like when you watch jay leno, he is the host. He keeps the show moving along. Yes, the band plays. Yes, the guests come on and talk. Yes, there’s. Some other there’s a singer performing or something like that that jay leno was the host that he keeps things moving, so appoint someone the host i can think of another host isn’t isn’t there another host you might like to use as an example? Most of ah, a radio show, perhaps, who keeps things moving along and has guests and they come in and is there possibly? Another example besides jay leno. Oh, what a coincidence. Oh, thanks, carrie grayce non-profit radio show on the planet. As far as i know, i didn’t ask you to say that part. Thank tony keep things moving along and he decides what the show is going to be like, and he can keep things moving along and makes people feel welcome. And most importantly, tony martignetti is a radio host. What he wants to do is keep people entertained and engaged and informed and staying on. Dh claire, i have to tell you, just clear to my role we just have about ninety seconds before the break and you had just explained who the the first guests should be. The main host should be thanking everybody in just a ninety seconds til we have before a break what should come after that person in your five minute program? Well, in my five minute program, i could probably do that. I’ll run the whole program down for you in ninety seconds, and i’ll do it head into the brakes. So your first thing is someone greet, greet the crowd. The next thing is they tell them why they’re they’re so tell them something important about what’s going on right now that they might not know about. So you know you’re here because because this year we’re launching this major endeavor where we wantto, you know, we serve fifteen schools now, and by this time next year we hope to be in every school in the county and that that takes a lot to do that. So tell them something very important give them some news about why they’re there and why it’s important then the next thing that you khun dio is is simply give someone a gift and that’s my favorite way tio, to build a program around the gift. So say it’s an after school program and you have a teacher in the program who’s really done fantastically she’s done wonderfully. And her dream is tio, you know, take the kids, ice skating or something and do these different things for the kids. But she needs a certain amount of money to do it that’s outside of the normal budget. So this is a great way to honor this person. Plus explain a little bit more about your mission so you can say, you know, we have our guest. Of honor tonight is, you know, mary katherine stewart, and she is the director of such a program and she’s been here for twenty years and she’s done extraordinary work and we would like to say thank you to her tonight. Then she comes up and you say, and we have a gift for you, mary, catherine and it’s, something that she doesn’t know about. You know, we know that you’ve been dying to take the kids to the brand new skating rink, so here is a gift certificate from the skating rink. They’ve agreed to do this and that and the other thing, and claire, we have to leave it there. We have to leave it there. We’re gonna take a break and we’ll pick it up after giving a gift. This’s, you didn’t run a few more than ninety seconds. My guest is clear meyerhoff taking over the show she’s, a marketing specialist for non-profits. Please stay with us getting anything, ending the ending you’re listening to the talking alternate network e-giving duitz cubine dahna. Are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping huntress people be better business people. Buy-in are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed hi and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com looking to meet mr and mrs wright, but still haven’t found the one. Want to make your current relationship as fulfilling as possible? Then please join us, starting monday, may second at ten am for love in the morning morning, alison. As a professional matchmaker, i’ve seen it all. Please tune in and call as we discuss dating relationship and more. Start your week off with love in the morning with marnie alison on talking alternative dot com. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Dahna welcome back. We’re in the midst of the five minute program with my guest, claire meyerhoff of marketing specialist for non-profits and claire, we were so far have covered the greeting, why we’re gathered, give a gift what are the other elements? Just briefly of your five minute program and they will dive into a little detail? Well, the other elements of the five minute program are basically what you feel like you absolutely have to include so that’s where, you know, you’ve decided that well, we have our board chair is retiring this year. We need to honor him or we have a new director. We need to have him speak. He has to speak. If he doesn’t speak, you know the world will collapse. And that’s that’s what’s really important with the program is to completely tryto limit the number of people that are getting up in speaking. And then the next challenge is to limit the amount of time that they are speaking. So if you could give people something to do rather than just give them this open ended, we would like you to speak that’s your first step in in controlling on and that’s something. To do was probably give a gift. Let’s, let’s, explore that. There are two things i definitely want to dive into e-giving the gift and sharing your timeline, but let’s talk e-giving the gift. What do you mean by that? Well, in the giving the gift is this is a way for you to do it numerous things with one simple gesture, one simple action, and that is you can have the, you know, the giver of the gift could be an important person. So let’s, just say you have a new executive director and it’s important to introduce him to your crowd, but you don’t really want him to speak for ten minutes and give his resume and his vision for the future because you’re going to bore your audience with that. Yes, so instead you can have your new executive director give that gift to the woman that has done a great job for your after school program for the last twenty years. So this is where you if you have an honoree, in other words, you’re saying this is this would be a great opportunity to honor that honoree by having that the special person give a gift to the honoree is that what you’re talking about? Exactly? It gives everybody like something to do, as opposed to just an open end, and we would like you to speak or we’re going to, you know, give you this award, so please get up and speak for a half an hour, and boris altum also tears. So if you have this honoree that’s, a way to introduce them, so you let’s just say it’s, the new executive director, and and she has come from, you know, let’s, just say you’re in st louis and she’s come from new york city, and she used to run some big organization, and now she’s with you and and you want to let people know that so that you introduce her? You say we’d like to introduce our very new executive director she’s part of all our exciting plans for the future and she’s come from new york and and she’s done this and she’s done that and it’s a better way should do it rather than have the person talk about the selves, because when people talk about themselves, it’s one of two things it’s either they you know, go on. And on and on to tell you how great they are or their humble like hopefully most people are, and they don’t like talking about themselves. A lot of people have said to be really don’t like talking about myself, so let someone else do it. And in this case, it’s your host of your event so they could say we have our new executive director. I’d like you to introduce her to you, she’s come from new york where she ran this, that and the other thing, and we’re so excited to have you we could not possibly dream of ever having a wonderful person like this here in st louis helping our organization. And we’re gonna we’re gonna put her right to work by announcing who our honoree is this year. So then your your first honoree, really? Your new executive director gets up and then they know all they have to do is say, oh, thanks saying that night so happy to be here in st louis. I love it here already and there’s so many great people here, and i’m going to tell you about one of them right now. And that’s mary katherine stewart who? Is our executive, you know, our director of our programs and is doing it for twenty years done such a great job, we have a gift for you, it’s exciting, you know, trip, you can take your kids on whatever it is you give her, and then the executive director gives the gift to your other honored person. Now all your other honored person has to do is say thank you for the gift you have to say anything else and look at the things you’ve done now in a very short period of time for your audience, your donors, you’re dedicated donors and your potential donors, your new friends, they see that you have great people working for you. They see that you’re very generous and that you have your act together, that you went out and got a gift for this person, that you could afford to do that, that you’re not dying in this economy, like so many people are cutting back, you actually went out and got a gift for this person. Perhaps the gift has something to do with another sponsor. So in this case, i’ve come up with this skating rink where thie person the honoree is going to take her kids from her program, and so now that skate rink gets a nice big thank you in front of the whole crowd of people. So you’ve now brought in another spot, sir, and you’ve, you’ve highlighted somebody else. We have a right and a small amount of time. Thank you. And you’ve also explained a little bit more about your mission e-giving should have something to do with way have to move on to the next topic i want you to share your ideas on, and that is you alluded to it the value of the timeline, but we just have about thirty seconds. Claire what’s what’s the value of the timeline and who should we be sharing it with? Well, a value of the timeline is that it keeps everybody on schedule, so someone needs to be appointed a producer of an event, and that should be someone with experience doing something like that. They don’t have to be a professional producer, but just someone that knows how to make the trains run on time and everybody knows somebody like that and you say we have five minutes. How are we going? To fill that up and they come, they just do a little run down timeline. What happened? You know, from the you know, the first minutes of the second minute, second minute of the third, fourth, fifth boom and if you try to make it five minutes on paper in reality it might be about ten minutes long. We have to wait. We have to stop there. I’m sure there’s also value in sharing that timeline with the people who are going to speak so that they see you speak for one minute you’re on for two minutes and all of this adds up to your five minute program super streamlined events. My guest has been clear meyerhoff marketing specialist for non-profits you can contact claire through my for the facebook page on the website because she’s, the creative producer, and that’s the way to reach her if you’d like more information on her five minute program. That was my pre recorded interview with clear meyerhoff, who has so many good ideas that she was challenging my own timeline for this show that week. I want to thank naomi levine for being a special guest at the shows reception last month and being the guest on today’s show and also clear meyerhoff next week is going to be a show from the archive, but i don’t know which one, so when i make that decision, the best way for you to hear about it is to keep up with what’s coming up and sign up for our insider email alerts. You could do that on the facebook page, just the name of the show on facebook dot com and you can sign up there to get weekly alerts and you’ll be the first to know what next week’s show is going to be. Well, you’ll be second, i’ll be first, then we’ll be third first to me, then i tell sam liebowitz the producer he has to know and then he’ll bu but it’s early, you’re still number three is not bad, its much quicker than waiting until next friday to find out much, much quicker what the show is always on itunes you khun subscribe. Listen, any time on the device of your choice, you’ll find our itunes paige at non-profit radio dot net the creative producer of the show is claire meyerhoff and the show’s line producer as well, as the owner of talking alternative broadcasting is sam liebowitz on our social media is by regina walton of organic social media. Next week, we will be at the a f p fund-raising day conference live doing. I’ll be doing live interviews for later broadcast, so that’s, why next week will be a re broadcast, and then after that, you’ll hear the interviews that i’ll be doing next friday. I hope you’ll be with me next friday, one o’clock eastern here on talking alternative dot com. Durney duitz e-giving thing to do. You’re listening to the talking alternative network waiting to get in. Duitz things. You could are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com. We look forward to serving you. Do you love movies, then join me and share your opinions about them on the radio. This is mike, a movie fan like you, starting made tenth. Join me every tuesday night at six pm for my new show movie time on talking alternative dot com. Call me live or email me at movie time radio. At gmail dot com. We’ll talk about all the blockbusters whose the best director and which movies air overrated, among many other topics. Join me for movie time. Tuesdays at six on talking alternative dot com. Is your marriage in trouble? Are you considering divorce? Hello, i’m lawrence bloom, a family law attorney in new york and new jersey. No one is happier than the day their divorce is final. My firm can help you. We take the nasty out of the divorce process and make people happy. Police call a set to one, two, nine six four three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s lawrence h bloom two, one two, nine, six, four, three five zero two. We make people happy. Do you want to enhance your company’s web presence with an eye catching and unique website design? Would you like to incorporate professional video marketing or mobile marketing into your organization’s marketing campaign? 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007: Failures & Accounting & Board Security – Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio

Tony’s guests this week:

Stephanie Strom, reporter for The New York Times

Ken Cerini, managing partner at Cerini & Associates

Gene Takagi, partner at the Nonprofit & Exempt Organizations Law Group

Read and watch more on Tony’s blog: http://mpgadv.com