ColoradoGives.org

By Bryce Wilkinson, Senior Online Giving Specialist Summer. A time for running through sprinklers, riding bikes, vacations and the many other activities long days with sunshine afford. At our house, as I’m sure is also the case for many of you, we typically have friends and family stay with us at various points throughout the summer. Before our guests come, we always tidy up a bit, so everything is in order and looks good when they arrive. This same concept of getting your house ready for guests applies to your ColoradoGives.org profile. Each year you are required to complete the entire Profile Update Process . The Profile Update Process is a way to make sure you have reviewed the profile, updated information as necessary, checked for accuracy and uploaded current required documents. It is important to complete the entire Profile Update Process for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it is a requirement for your profile to remain on ColoradoGives.org, to participat...

By Samantha Barlow, Communications Coordinator Susie Davis presents on Eagle County Gives' strategies for helping local nonprofits work with businesses to maximize donations. In June, seven current and prospective Regional Champions gathered at Community First Foundation’s  Meeting Space  to build community, share ideas and learn about new programs, website enhancements and ways to help nonprofits better steward donors. ColoradoGives Regional Champions  partner with us to increase online giving in regions beyond metro Denver. They extend the “Give Where You Live” message by providing support, outreach and awareness to the local nonprofits in their communities. We interviewed Susie Davis with Eagle County Gives to get an insider’s view of our day in June: Q. How long have you been involved with ColoradoGives as a Regional Champion? A. Eagle County Gives was an early adopter. Through the collective efforts of several Eagle County nonprofits over the pas...

By Lisa Lujan, Online Giving Coordinator Should we be on Instagram? I’ve heard that Snapchat is the latest, can you get us on that? Is Google+ still relevant? Why aren’t we on YouTube? If you’re like me, not only have you heard some of these questions before, you’ve asked them of yourself. The truth is there are a LOT of ways to use social media to engage with your audience today. It seems like I can’t get through a week without hearing about “the latest and greatest” new platform we HAVE to be on. It can definitely feel a little overwhelming at times. So how do you know if your organization should be on a specific social media platform or not? To help answer this question, I’ve come up with a few tips I’ve learned over the years to help you narrow down which platform(s) might be best for your organization. The first tip is… Know your audience . It’s an old adage, but, unlike the constantly changing tech environment we live in, it remains consistently true. If your aud...

By Dana Rinderknecht, Director of Online Giving Tuesday, May 3, was Give Local America Day 2016. This giving day allows communities around the country to do something similar to Colorado Gives Day. This year there was a technology glitch in most of the communities causing the online fundraising platform, Kimbia, to go down for almost 10 hours in the middle of the day. I was asked by Beth Kanter to write a blog about our crisis planning process for Colorado Gives Day, and we thought Colorado Nonprofits might find this informative. Lessons from Give Local America Day On Give Local America Day community foundations across the country rally to support local nonprofits in what is marketed as the largest community-driven crowdfunding event of the year. As a self-proclaimed Gives Day Junkie, I love giving days. We have not participated in Give Local America Day, but ColoradoGives.org has completed six gives days and over the course of these we have raised over $111 million dollars fo...

By Angela Bevacqua, Senior Communications Specialist We’re back with the second half of our discussion about how to read Form 990. Our first blog explained the purpose and value of Form 990 and how the summary page can give us a quick snapshot of a nonprofit’s financial health. Now we learn how to dig a little deeper. Q: Beyond the Form 990 summary page, what other sections can help a donor evaluate a nonprofit’s financial health? The most common areas that are relevant to donors are: Part VI: Governance, Management & Disclosure Sections A & B. These sections are a series of questions about a nonprofit’s board of directors and its policies. Section A discloses how the nonprofit is managed and governed. Section B discloses the policies the board has adopted. Many of the policies referenced, such as a Conflict of Interest policy, are considered best practices for nonprofits operations. Part VIII: Statement of Revenue Types of Funding. This secti...

By Angela Bevacqua, Senior Communications Specialist Have you ever been advised to look at a nonprofit’s Form 990 before making a donation? Then you look at it and wonder how to make sense of it all? If you aren’t an accountant or nonprofit administrator, you may avoid the daunting task. On our online giving website ColoradoGives.org, we require nonprofits to provide several documents, including the Form 990 as appropriate, to encourage transparency about their programs and finances. We don’t evaluate nonprofits on the website; we require nonprofits to share information to help donors make informed decisions about giving. I asked Community First Foundation’s finance department to help us interpret this useful document. We will do this in two blogs: Blog 1 shares the basics of Form 990 and Blog 2 delves deeper.  Q: What exactly is the Form 990? Form 990, called the Return of Organizations Exempt From Income Tax, must be filed with the IRS each year by charitable organiza...

Would a change of scenery inject new life into your planning meetings and retreats? Is your office lacking the space and technology you need to conduct an effective training session? Is the cost of renting a meeting room just too prohibitive?   Community First Foundation recently built a spacious, beautiful new meeting area specifically for nonprofit needs like this. By offering the space free of charge , we are delivering on one of our strategic priorities to strengthen nonprofits. Features of New Meeting Space One of Five Complimentary Meeting Room Options Available to Nonprofits Five room options  The largest space accommodates up to 56 people and is ideal for trainings and breakout sessions. Brand new facility   Attractive furnishings and everything in working order means you will make a great impression. Latest technology Polycom conferencing phones and audio conferencing accommodate off-site participants. Numerous windows Natural light brightens t...