April 18, 2012 | AUTHOR: Erin Hower

The Challenges of Disaster Giving

This spring marks the one-year anniversaries of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated many parts of Japan and the deadliest tornadoes in the U.S. in nearly 60 years. A number of challenges still face the local communities in Japan and the Midwestern U.S., and their respective local and national governments, as they continue to rebuild.

In the first part of a two-part interview, our Assistant Vice President of Grantmaking Services, Andrea Rush, explains some of the challenges that face grantmaking organizations in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and how long-term commitments to the affected communities are just as critical.

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November 03, 2011 | AUTHOR: Eileen R. Heisman

Good Pitching Requires Balance

Last week, I was one of four judges for the 2011 Social Innovation Fast Pitch competition. Sponsored by Los Angeles Social Venture Partners, this event was the final step in a process designed to help nonprofits tell their story more powerfully and succinctly.

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September 09, 2011 | AUTHOR: Eileen R. Heisman

Remembering the September 11th Children’s Fund

As we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11, I want to share the story of the September 11th Children’s Fund, which NPT managed for many years.The Hasbro Children’s Foundation of Hasbro Toys started the September 11th Children’s Fund at NPT in the weeks after the tragedy with an initial gift of $250,000. Hasbro covered all the Fund’s overhead expenses so every dollar collected would support the children who were affected.

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June 28, 2011 | AUTHOR: Andrea Rush

In a down economy, individual donors keep innovative research alive

Several years before she passed away, Marian S. Ware and her family set up a $6 million program at the University of Pennsylvania to help fund cutting-edge clinical research on drug discovery and patient care related to Alzheimer’s Disease. This program continued with a second large gift recommended by the Ware family to NPT.  And its impact is described in a recent Penn Gazette article titled “Untangling Alzheimer’s.”

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March 03, 2011 | AUTHOR: Andrea Rush

The Complexities of Crisis Response

Last week, I was at a conference on global philanthropy in New York City and a representative with an international humanitarian relief agency was speaking about how her organization handles the huge influx of donations they receive in a crisis relief situation. And then, this morning, I read a great blog post that talks about the complexity of responding to an emergency.

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