NPO salaries up in 2004

According to the Annual Foundation Center Salary & Benefits Report, "last year, grantmakers received a median pay raise of 4 percent and chief executives at all types of foundations received a median salary of $110,000." The data used in the survey was gathered from 6,480 full-time employees and 808 foundations and giving programs.

Steve Murdock on Demographic Trends

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting with Steve Murdock, our Lutcher Brown Distinguished Chair in Management Science and Statistics here at UTSA in San Antonio. Apparently, there is so much new information we need to look at.

Murdock said all the statistics are changing more rapidly than expected. We have diversified faster, and by 2003, Anglos were less than 50 percent of the population but they were still a larger proportion of the total population than are Hispanics.

You see, when the economy declined, our domestic migration decreased while at the same time, international migration increased. Combine these two factors with the fact that we have natural increases in Hispanic polulation - our demographics are changing rapidly.

So - what do we need to think about? Education & health - we have got to proactively put into place the tools to take care of low income families so they can participate in their communities.

Another intersting note from Murdock - The US comprises just 4-4 1/2% of the worlds population - Europe is just a tad bit ahead. And listen - statistics say that by 2020 India will be larger than China! India and China will hold most of the world's population soon.

New Association of Donor Relations Professionals

Kay Simpson of the Nature Conservancy suggests we go to see a website belonging to a new organization - http://adrp.net/. The new group is called the Association of Donor Relations Professionals and Kay, who is a Donor Relations Manager, is a charter member. "I think this is interesting, because it shows that there is a trend to acknowledge and appreciate the people who provide stewardship to donors. I guess nonprofit organizations are beginning to recognize that this is an important position, in and of itself.," said Kay.

And to echo Kay - take care of your donors and your donors will take care of you.

Nonprofits That Lobby....

An IRS letter has made it very plain that foundations may indeed fund nonprofits that lobby - take a look at the letter and learn some valuable tips on language to use at http://newswire.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20050125.135539&time=14%2041%20PST&year=2005&public=0.

New Guidelines to Good Health

2005 guidelines to good health tell us that we need to exercize at leat 60 minutes EACH DAY to maintain our weight - and 90 mintues to lose pounds! We need to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish! Lets start a trend of conscious healthy behavior and we will save lives!

US Aid for Tsunami Victims Huge

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, American relief charities have raised in excess of $597-million to aid victims of the earthquake and tsunamis in Asia. That amount now far exceeds the $350-million pledged by the United States government. So much money has come in that relief organizations have stopped actively raising money for relief efforts.

Music is Strumming Along in Texas

Austin has the Texas Music Museum, and has plans to build a Texas Hall of Fame to the tune of $25M, what a fundrasing campaign that will be!

Houston has been working toward raising money for a music museum to be called the Museum of Amercian Music History for 5 years. With $30 million in pledges, they are well on their way.

Now Dallas group Texas Music has signed on with the Dallas City Council to build The Texas Hall of Fame in Fair Park - a place that will focus on Texas artists with an emphasis onNorth Texas.

Stay tuned for more...:-)