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My best friend Maya has a Masters degree in Business
Administration. I have a Masters degree in Public Administration. We both
attended the best high schools, colleges and masters programs, excelled at
every level, yet she earns twice as much as I do. Why? I chose to work for
a cause, she chose to work in the for-profit sector.
A viable nonprofit sector depends on a strong support base - the staff. Overworked
and underpaid staff leads to a burned out foundation that is prone to
constant renovation - large turnover. Creating an attractive sector does not
only depend on selling the notion of "doing good" but also on showing
the value of one's work via compensation. Nonprofit wages must compete with that of the for-profit sector if we are to continue to attract and retain a talented pool of diverse millenials with a goal to lead the sector and "do good."
Key Findings:
• National research has shown that counseling can help troubled homeowners. Urban Institute analysis of the first year of the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program indicated that homeowners working with a counselor were 60 percent more likely to cure an existing foreclosure than those who navigated the system alone. For homeowners who obtained loan modifications, counselors helped reduce monthly payments by an additional $454, on average.
In the Greater Washington Region:
o In December 2009, more than 148,000 mortgages (12 percent of all loans) in the Washington metropolitan area were in foreclosure or delinquent. About 25 percent of mortgages in Prince George’s County were past due or facing a foreclosure sale.
o According to a new survey of housing counseling organizations, the average foreclosure prevention counseling caseload per organization increased from 287 to 423 clients between 2007 and 2009.
o The number of housing counselors is dwarfed by the number of homeowners needing assistance. The lack of counselors is particularly severe in Northern Virginia and Prince George’s County.
o The majority of those seeking assistance from counselors are from non-elderly minority households.
o Government is currently the major funder of foreclosure prevention counseling. Only one third of the survey respondents named a private foundation as one of their top three funders.
Center for Inspired Teaching Enters "Moving Your Message" Contest
Written by Malcolm Furgol, on June 18, 2010
Through a
critical Washington Post article, the Center for Inspired Teaching gained tons
of visibility.The article, “What Makes
a Teacher Great? ” not only attracted volunteers and students who wanted to work
with the Center, but it also won the Center an interview on WAMU 88.5!
How has
earned media helped your non-profit make a difference?
"Moving Your Message" Submission: Legal Counsel for the Elderly Uses Social Media to Spread the Word
Written by Malcolm Furgol, on June 18, 2010
Legal
Counsel for the Elderly (LCE) has been around for thirty-five years, but is
still keeping up with today’s social media. Through Twitter and Facebook, LCE
attracts further media attention and becomes more exposed.In fact, one reporter ended up quoting LCE in
her Washington City Paper column , inspired by a Tweet!
How has your
non-profit taken advantage of social media?
Loudoun Cares Enters "Moving Your Message", Makes a Difference with Roundtable's Help
Written by Malcolm Furgol, on June 17, 2010
The Roundtable’s Think Twice Before You Slicecampaign helped Loudoun Cares turn 15% in projected budget cuts to a 10% increase in funding! Through the Roundtable’s advice on how to influence legislators, Loudoun Cares swayed several elected officials and showed them the value of supporting their county’s nonprofits.
Has the Roundtable helped yournonprofit make a difference?
"Moving Your Message" Submission: Tahirih's Media Attention Leads to New Law
Written by Malcolm Furgol, on June 17, 2010
Tahirih Justice Center has benefited from earned media to raise awareness around the plight of women and girls fleeing human rights abuses. In 2004, Tahirih won the first lawsuit in the U.S. against a mail order bride agency, receiving attention from FOX, CNN, NPR, and Newsweek. This led Congress to pass the first law EVER regulating the mail order bride industry!
How does yournonprofit make a difference through earned media?
