Nonprofits
4
Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina
A monetary distinction
Duke University President Nannerl
Keohane ranked 6th on a roster of the 13
highest-paid female nonprofit executives
listed in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Keohane earns $290,500 annually.
November 1996
Savings available
Nonprofit postal rates offer savings
Changes in postal regulations cov- j
ering mailing prices for nonprof- [
its took effect in October.
By Ashley Peay
Nonprofits must physically pre
pare more of their own mailings
under new postal regulations that
took effect Oct. 6 - and can save up to
6.4 percent of the cost of standard
third-class mailings and up to 12.5
percent of oversized mailings such as
periodicals.
REGULATION
The new regulations are designed
to cut costs for the U.S. Postal Service
and pass on the savings to customers
in the form of discounts, says Brian
Hummell, assistant director for the
Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers in
Washington.
Labor costs consume 82 percent
of income to the postal service.
“Postal discounts have been
around for a while and people have
been sitting on the sideline,”
Hummell says. “Now’s the time to get
New postal regulations will cut labor costs for the postal service and will be passed on to customers in
the form of discounts. To receive discounts, nonprofits must presort mail
before delivering it to postal facilities.
in the game.”
The new mail classification proce
dures spell out about 30 sorting
options for mail to be ehgihle lor
reduced rates. Generally speaking, to
earn discounts, mail must be must he
labeled with barcodes that designate
zip codes, presorted according to
mail routes and zip codes and physi
cally taken to local postal facilities.
Nonprofit organizations that don’t
comply with new regulations will face
mcreases.
Under previous regulations, non
profits paid 12.4 cents per piece of
standard mall and - 20.8 cents for
each piece of second-class, or period
ical, mall that was not presorted.
Under the new regulations, loose,
standard mail costs 13.2 cents a
piece, and loose second-class, period
icals cost 21.6 cents a piece.
Trisha Lester, assistant director
of the North Carolina Center for
Nonprofits, says that larger nonprof
its that use madhouse services
should depend on the madhouse to
comply with postal regulations.
Smaller nonprofits, of course, are
going to have to deal with the new
regulations themselves.
Numerous software products are
avadable to help smader nonprofits
reduce mading rates. Hummed says.
Nonprofit customers of Postalsoft
Inc. in LaCrosse, Wise., for example,
have reported 15.5 percent drops in
postal rates since they have been
using the software, says Lori Bush-
Ziebel, the company’s public rela
tions speciadst.
For information, cad the alliance
at (202) 462-5132.
Joining forces
South Carolina center in works
The Palmetto state will soon have
its own statewide nonprofit
association.
By Ashley Peay
Columbia
For the past year, 16 nonprofit
leaders in South Carodna have been
working to form a statewide nonprof
it resource center.
The South Carodna nonprofit cen
ter should be operating and accept
ing memberships by the end of 1997,
says Mac Bennett, executive director
for Central Carolina Community
Foundation in Columbia and chair
man of the steering committe that is
organizing the center.
Steering committee members
include the executive director of
Independent Colleges and
Universities of South Carolina, a
statewide association, and members
who work with South Carolina Fhir
Share, a consumer advocacy group
that deals with civd ri^ts issues,
says Bennett.
The committee is now stroking
with the task of locating ad nonprof
its in the state and promoting ideas
for a resource center. One problem
RESOURCES
the group has experienced is the lack
of any inclusive list or central infor
mation point from which to communi
cate to the state’s nonprofits.
“Businesses can go to the
Chamber of Commerce with issues,
but nonprofits don’t have anywhere
to go for information and concerns
and we’re missing out on a lot
because we make up a significant
part of the workforce in the state,”
Bennett says.
Bennett says that the South
Carolina steering committee is trying
to develop a model for a statewide
center by looking at nonprofit
resource centers in other states,
including North Carolina and
Georgia. But the committee also real
izes that South Carolina does not
have the presence of numerous
wealthy private foundations like
those in other southern states.
For this reason, funding for the
South Carolina center wid be more
dependent on membership fees, con
ference fees and service fees than
foundation grants.
Statewide nonprofit resource cen
ters already exist in 30 states, six of
which are in the Southeast;
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Mississippi, North Carolina and
Tennessee.
In planning a possible statewide
center over the past few years, sever
al South Carolina groups have visited
the N.C. Center for Nonprofits.
Jane Kendad, the center’s execu
tive director, says planners of a South
Carodna center should focus on their
state’s primary needs and involve as
many people as possible in the plan
ning process.
“Broad interest - grassroots orga
nizations as wed as larger state-wide
organizations - are important and
essential in this process. South
Carolina has this diversity, but you
don’t want two or three [resource
centers] forming in one state.”
The separate South Carolina
group's have since convened to form a
steering committee. They have incor
porated, put together by-laws and are
fding for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status,
says Bennett of the community foun
dation in Columbia.
For information about the South
Carolina center, contact Bennett at
(803) 254-5601.
Civic renewal
Commission to study
community solutions
A new commission is studying
community-based alternatives
to government support of social
services.
By Todd Cohen
Washington, D.C.
The Bradley Foundation in
Mdwaukee has created a National
Commission on Philanthropy and
Civic Renewal that it hopes will
spearhead efforts to strengthen pri
vate charity in the face of govern
ment’s reduced role in dedvering and
funding social services.
The commission, which wid make
recommendations next spring, is
chaired by Lamar Alexander, a for
mer governor of Tennessee and for
mer U.S. secretary of education who
was an unsuccessful candidate this
year for the Republican nomination
for president.
Bruno Manno, the commission’s
executive director, says the commis
sion was created to advise the
Bradley Foundation on its future pro
gram and plans. Its purpose, he says,
is “to demonstrate the general princi
ple that less from government, more
Lamar Alexander
from ourselves, is ready the correct
principle to
renew commu
nities .”
Referring to
the tridions of
dollars now
being trans
ferred from the I
generation that
came of age in
the Depression [
to the Baby
Boom genera
tion, Manno says the commission
hopes to answer questions about how
that wealth wdl be directed.
Sara Melendez, president of
Independent Sector in Washington, a
national coalition of nonprofits, says
she welcomes discussion about
improving giving and civic life in the
United States. And whfle the non
profit sector remains dedicated to
providing needed human and social
services, she says, the sector “can
not, nor is it possible to ever take
over the job of government in seeing
to these needs.”
For information, cad the comms-
sion at (202) 463-1460.
Decision on NAACP
head delayed
The board of the national
NAACP has delayed a deci
sion on the suspension of
Kelly Alexander Jr., president
of the North Carolina
Conference. Alexander was
suspended earlier this year
after complaints about
NAACP finances. He has
denied any wrongdoing.
Arts Center to make
church home
The North Carolina Arts and
Entertainment Center in
Wilmington plans to rehabili
tate Holy Trinity Church, a
condemned historic property,
as its new home. The project
is getting $150,000 from W.
Douglas Foster of Charlotte
and $86,000 from the city.
Publisher offers
online resource
Newsletter publisher Capitol
Publications in Alexandria,
Va., has produced "The
Grantseeker's Handbook to
Essential Internet Sites." It
reviews more than 240 sites
on the global computer net
work, including foundations,
associations, corporations
and other funding sources.
Call (800) 655-5597.
Institute funds study of
block grants
The Aspen institute's
Nonprofit Sector Research
Fund has awarded a
$10,000 challenge grant to
Gisele Crawford of the N.C.
Client and Community
Development Center and
Daniel Gerlach of the N.C.
Budget and Tax Center, both
in Raleigh, to study the effect
of government block grants
on nonprofits.
Library offers
resources
The Nonprofit Resource
Center at Glenwood Library
in Greensboro offers a grow
ing collection of nonprofit-
related books, periodicals,
CD-ROMs and audio visual
materials. Call (910) 297-
5000 or send email to
glenwoocl@nr.info.
net.
Sunshares reports
recycling up in region
SunShares, a nonprofit that
helps communities recycle
and conserve resources, recy
cled 16,006 tons of materials
from July 1, 1995, to June
30, 1996. The nonprofit
serves Durham and Orange
counties and the town of
Cary.