Nonprofit Literature Blog

International Giving by U.S. Foundations

Learn more about giving for international programs with the new report, International Grantmaking IV: An Update on U.S. Foundation Trends. The report indicates that from 2002 to 2007, international giving rose by more than 50 percent after inflation, versus a 22.3 percent increase in overall giving. International giving by foundations in 2008 is expected to surpass the record of $5.7 billion set last year.

The report was produced by the Foundation Center in cooperation with the Council on Foundations. More information and highlights are available for download at the Foundation Center’s web site.

New Report on Community Foundations Around the World

After reading Local Mission–Global Vision: Community Foundations in the 21st Century, you might be interested in learning more about community foundations in other counties. You can find additional data and trends in the 2008 Community Foundation Global Status Report, published by Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS). The report documents new developments and even includes brief country profiles that contain sections for facts and figures, history, and the philanthropic environment.

Click here to access the entire report.

Foundations: The European Experience

If you are interested in expanding your knowledge of civil society and would like to look beyond the strategies used by American foundations, there is a new book from the Alliance Publishing Trust that may suit your needs. Philanthropy in Europe: A Rich Past, A Promising Future contains 13 in-depth foundation profiles to help you understand the history and programs of each grantmaker. In addition, six essays by leading experts explore issues facing European foundations. The volume concludes with an analysis of why the European Union needs foundation laws that facilitate international activities.

Philanthropy in Europe was edited by Norine MacDonald, president of the Gabriel Foundation, and Luc Tayart de Borms, managing director of the King Baudouin Foundation.

The Fundraising Landscape for International NGOs

If you are interested in learning about the fundraising environment outside the U.S., ask our staff for the May 2008 issue of FundRaising Success magazine. The issue contains a special report, “Fundraising Around the World,” that describes some of the challenges faced by nongovernmental organizations and elaborates on the techniques they have developed. You will find several brief articles, including:

“The Dynamic Growth in Continental Europe” by Daryl Upsall
(Describes fundraising in Italy and Spain)

“Fundraising in Emerging Markets: Challenges and Opportunities” by Simon Collings
(Covers Latin America and Asia)

You can also read these articles by browsing the past issues at the Fundraising Success web site.

Search the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature to find additional readings on fundraising outside the U.S.

Civil Society: A Collection of Country Reports

What does civil society, the social arena beyond the government and the market, look like in different countries? To answer this question, you can start with the CIVICUS Global Survey of the State of Civil Society (Kumarian Press 2007).

Volume 1 contains brief profiles for 44 countries, including Argentina, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Uganda and others. Each profile contains a historical overview of civil society in the country, and examines four specific dimensions related to civil society: size and composition; the social, political and economic environment; principles and values; and the measured impact. The findings and recommendations in the volume are based on the work of researchers and civil society experts around the world who collaborated on the Civil Society Index project.

To examine more detailed reports of each country, visit the Civil Society Index web site.