Fluxx | Philanthropy and nonprofit technology news.

Most people think of philanthropy as a niche, feel-good space supported by simple donations rather than the massive global market that it is. A market that continues to affect policy and change millions of lives worldwide. The nonprofit space currently encompasses an impressive 2.1 percent of the total U.S. GDP, mobilizing over 1.5 million nonprofit and funder organizations, and $410 billion of investments in the social sector.

Fluxx is a community-focused organization. In fact, one of the reasons many funders come to Fluxx for their grants management solution needs is that our thriving community site acts as a meeting place where hundreds of funders worldwide can convene and share their tips and tricks for streamlining their work. 

Giving Tuesday is different this year – there are two events and more opportunities to assist than ever before. The first is #GivingTuesdayNow, taking place this May 5 – it’s an emergency response to the unprecedented need for help caused by COVID-19. 

The sharp rise of coronavirus has thrown our world into unprecedented new territory. Cities have enacted shelter in place regulations – including San Francisco where our Fluxx headquarters are housed. Many of us are currently working from home and therefore adjusting to a new normal. We’re defining new boundaries for ourselves, new dedicated workspaces, and tweaking our schedules. For all you work from home warriors looking for something to brighten your day, I have something new to share. 

An important philanthropic project was just announced. It’s an extension of a movement that’s been discussed for years, bandied about with varying degrees of success, and is now implemented by some foundations, including the Day One Families Fund – Jeff Bezos official entry into philanthropy. This movement plays a key part in the Fluxx mission, and we hope to see this employed more often. We’re talking of course about the recently announced Trust-Based Philanthropy Project. 

Say it with us, Giving Tuesday is the best thing to happen to Thanksgiving since the Thanksgiving Day Parade became televised. And this year, we’re planning to pay it forward in three major ways. So keep reading to learn more about where you can find our team this Giving Tuesday! 

August 17th is National Nonprofit Day – a day of acknowledgment established so that people may take a moment to appreciate the incredible impact that nonprofits have around the world. Not only are nonprofits the premier drivers of social good, but they’re also a huge benefit to our economy, accounting for millions of employees and volunteers, and countless funds being poured back into communities.

Earth Day is a double-edged sword in the philanthropy space. On the one hand, it’s a time to celebrate and honor our planet and the incredible ecosystems it houses. On the other hand, it’s a sobering time to reflect on the continuously mounting work we all need to do – collectively – to save our environment. Each one of us has a unique role to play and we may find ourselves drawn to one struggle (renewable energy, clean water, endangered species, etc.) more than another. At Fluxx, we enable a variety of giving strategies through our Grantmaker solution, two of which we will examine today. But no matter what the focus, Earth Day is about coming together to spread awareness and help save our planet!

For the past 110 years, March 8th has been a time to assemble and work toward equality on International Women’s Day (IWD). And while IWD is historically a time for women to make their voices heard and encourage a worldwide dialogue – this year’s #BalanceforBetter theme is a rallying cry for all people and organizations to focus on equality rather than inequality.

Charity Navigator ranks nonprofits based on their overhead ratio (as in the amount of money spent on operations versus the mission), but as a recent study from North Carolina State University shows, a low overhead ratio is not always an effective way to measure a nonprofit's efficiency. Accordingly, funders, volunteers, and the general public often have the pervasive idea that all of a nonprofits funds should flow directly to the cause. This can lead to the dreaded Starvation Cycle: A state in which a nonprofit consistently keeps overhead costs so low that it impedes their current and future impact potential.