TCG Bulletin

December 2007, Volume 30, Issue 12

MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH

Call for Submissions: Censorship and Theatre

For a forthcoming issue on "Censorship and Theatre," Theater magazine is compiling a section of short reports of incidents of censorship and intimidation of live theatre around the world since 2001. These may include official government or state censorship; public protest; threats to playwrights, directors or other theater makers; funding controversies; and instances of self-censorship. The magazine is seeking brief submissions describing local incidents from around the world.

Submissions will ideally be written by those with first-hand knowledge of the event in question—the artists or producers involved—or by observers with direct knowledge or a local connection to the event. Submissions should be 250–500 words. Theater is published three times each year by the Yale School of Drama and Duke University Press.

Action: The submission deadline is February 1, 2008. Submissions should be sent to Miriam Felton-Dansky at theater.magazine@yale.edu. Please be sure to include an email address or other author contact information with your submission.

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Panel on the Nonprofit Sector Releases Governance Report

The Panel on the Nonprofit Sector has released Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice: A Guide for Charities and Foundations. The Guide represents the first time that charities and foundations reflecting a broad cross-section of the American not-for-profit community have come together to develop principles of ethical conduct, accountability and transparency that they aspire to and encourage all organizations to follow.

The Guide outlines 33 practices designed to support board members and staff leaders of every charitable organization as they work to improve their own operations. The Panel encourages these leaders to examine the Principles carefully and determine how best they should be applied to their own operations.

Action: Visit the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector website to download the report as a PDF.

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Good News on Future Postal Rates

On November 15, the Postal Service Governors announced that the next adjusted postal rates will be done according to a new ratemaking system that was issued by the Postal Regulatory Commission last month. This system caps future increases at the rate of inflation. Although the Governors had the option to file another rate case under regulations used since 1971, they voted to proceed under the new pricing regulations.

Action: Visit the Postal Regulatory Commission website for complete details on the new pricing regulations.

Source: American Symphony Orchestra League Government Affairs Update, November 20, 2007

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Study: Trustees Don't Do Enough to Raise Money

Board members of not-for-profit organizations aren't doing enough to raise money for their groups, according to Nonprofit Governance Index 2007, a new report that surveyed chief executives and board members from more than 1,100 organizations.

Only 40 percent of charity board members feel comfortable asking other people to donate to their organizations, and on average, only about three-quarters of board members donate money themselves, according to the report by BoardSource, a Washington not-for-profit group that provides governance training to not-for-profit groups and their trustees.

Among other key findings in the report:

  • Nearly half of chief executives (49 percent) said their boards weren't diverse enough, according to the report. The majority of board members were white (86 percent) and male (57 percent). About half were 50 to 64 years old.
  • Nearly half of chief executives (49 percent) say they plan to leave their positions within the next five years, but fewer than a third of the board members surveyed (30 percent) said they expect their executives to change jobs.
  • The ideal board size appears to be 15–22 members, according to the report. Chief executives whose boards had more than 22 members said they were too big, while those with fewer than 15 members said their boards weren't big enough.

Action: Visit the BoardSource website to download the report as a PDF.

Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy, November 8, 2007

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Trends in Corporate Philanthropy Report Released

The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy recently released Giving in Numbers 2007 Edition, a new resource on corporate giving trends and benchmarking data. The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the latest trends impacting the field of corporate giving.

The findings are drawn from an in-depth study of 136 prominent companies, including 55 of the Fortune 100 and accounting for $11.2 billion in corporate giving data. Giving in Numbers 2007 Edition addresses questions like:

  • Why did some companies increase their year-over-year giving from 2005 to 2006 while others decreased it?
  • Which sectors are expanding their international programs?
  • How does giving as a percentage of pre-tax profit vary by industry?
  • How are companies incorporating direct cash grants, non-cash contributions, volunteerism, matching gifts and other efforts into a balanced giving portfolio?

Action: Visit the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy website to download the report as a PDF.

Source: PNNOnline, October 22, 2007

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The Best Companies Supporting the Arts

THE BCA TEN: Best Companies Supporting the Arts in America, sponsored by the Business Committee for the Arts, Inc. (BCA) and Forbes Magazine, were presented on October 16 in New York City. This national list—the first of its kind created by a not-for-profit organization—was initiated by BCA in 2005 to recognize ten companies each year for their exceptional support of the arts in the United States. TCG is especially pleased that Shugoll Research has been honored this year, as the company's CEO, Mark Shugoll, serves on TCG's board of directors.

The companies on THE BCA TEN for 2007 include:

  • The Boeing Company (Chicago, IL)
  • The Boldt Company (Appleton, WI)
  • Deutsche Bank (New York, NY)
  • Gibson Guitar Corp. (Nashville, TN)
  • Masco Corporation (Taylor, MI)
  • McQuiddy Printing Company (Nashville, TN)
  • Qualcomm Incorporated (San Diego, CA)
  • Shell Exploration & Production Company (Houston, TX)
  • Shugoll Research (Bethesda, MD)
  • The Travelers Companies, Inc. (St. Paul, MN)

Action: Visit the BCA website for more information on THE BCA TEN.

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Next Section: Resources

Copyright 2007 Theatre Communications Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Information appearing in the TCG Bulletin may not be reprinted without permission.