Expansion continues: partnerships are driving nonprofit growth.

The nation's largest nonprofits expanded during fiscal year 2005, by and large, as they found new revenue streams and donors responded when asked after some of the largest natural disasters since lava covered the Earth and made dinosaurs extinct.

Despite the heated spew bubbling out of Washington, D.C., and flowing in the direction of charities, threatening the sector's survival, nonprofits have actually expanded their role in society.

Americans turned to charities when it was clear that federal and state governments could not provide basic services during Hurricane Katrina. Revenue from gifts-in-kind broke all records for NPT 100 organizations. (See the stories beginning on page 29.)

America's corporations came up big for charities and the people they serve. But now care must be taken. Partnerships between the nonprofit and for-profit worlds are beginning to proliferate, often blurring the line between charity and profit.

In the early days of television, celebrities hyped products on variety shows, such as smoking a certain brand of cigarette. As the promotion became even more blatant, there was such a backlash that even soft drink cans shown on-screen had to be generic.

Product placement was the next step, a more subtle approach to marketing. Now there are reality shows that are nothing more than infomercials. And while viewers don't seem to mind the fact that Flavor Flav is pouring a certain brand of champagne for the bevy of babes competing for his attention, it is clear that donors expect a more pure approach. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is entertaining to watch, but it is little more than advertising for the firms that would probably spend tens of thousands more to advertise.

It's terrific that Corporate America has stepped up. But, charity executives must emphasize that their clients are not for promotional sale to the highest bidder or charities will surely face a backlash from donors.

On the homefront

Just as the nonprofit sector expands, so does NPT Publishing Group, parent of The NonProfit Times. We recently had a "soft launch" of our new Web site. That's an "industry term" for let's get it up there and working before we tell anyone to go test drive it.

Along with all of the content posted, hopefully you'll find the site easier to navigate. We have also added features, such as a book store and expanded NPTJobs, the jobs board that nearly 10,000 executives check every week to assess the pulse of the job market, either seeking qualified managers or secretly looking for that new gig for themselves.

Also launching is NPT TechnoBuzz, a new e-letter that joins the stable with NPT Weekly, NPT Instant Fundraising and NPTJobs. All organizations are confronted with new technologies that promise more efficient solutions. Often, however, the benefits can seem unclear or elusive to decision makers. Many organizations have a range of executives involved in the purchase of new technology, from CIOs, IT Directors or Webmasters to CFOs and Development Directors. That's NPT TechnoBuzz's target audience.

Each issue will have something both technical and development people will find useful. The issues will also include information for those who are technologically faint of heart and those who are on the soft shoulder of the Information Super Highway.

Please take a minute to sign up for NPT TechnoBuzz on our improved Web site, www.nptimes.com.

With one foot in cyberspace and the other on the backbone NPT print edition, readership continues to grow. Thousands of readers have opted-in to an electronic version of the complete issue of The NonProfit Times. The number of executives requesting a paper version has increased, as well. We're undergoing our annual audit right now. We've been telling people our circulation is 34,000. It's going to be significantly more than that guarantee. We'll keep you posted on the final numbers when the independent auditors conclude their work.