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Giving USA event in Kansas City July 22
Posted by JBA in Giving USA, Workshops & Learning Opportunities on June 15th, 2010
Hear more about the latest Giving USA findings
from one of the report’s lead collaborators!
from one of the report’s lead collaborators!
Brought to you by
July 22, 2010
8:30 – 11:00 a.m.
UMKC Pierson Auditorium
Presentedy by
Patrick M. Rooney, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University
Admission is free, but space is limited.
Giving USA Foundation and its research partner, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, recently announced that estimated charitable contributions in 2009 fell to $303.75 billion, down from $315.08 billion for 2008 – a 3.2 percent drop in current dollars.
- Why are these numbers encouraging?
- How are donors changing the way they view their role?
- What lessons can Kansas City nonprofits draw from the report?
Get answers to these questions and more from Giving USA Foundation members Jeffrey Byrne & Associates at this FREE workshop. Learn what’s behind Giving USA 2010 report highlights and how to use this information to strengthen your fundraising in 2010 and beyond.
- The inflation-adjusted drop of 3.2 percent is not as severe as the decline in 1974-75, when giving fell by 5.5 percent or in 2008 when the drop was 5.7 percent.
- Corporate giving rose to an estimated $14.1 billion, up 5.5 percent adjusted for inflation, taking corporate giving to within 1 percent of pre-recession levels.
- While overall giving declined, many donors made special efforts in 2009 to respond to humanitarian needs.
“Given that 2009 represented the worst recession since the Great Depression, the stock market’s biggest drop in many years, 10 percent unemployment, two wars, the housing market bottoming out and the political uncertainty of healthcare reform, the fact that giving fell only a few percentage points is very strong testament to Americans’ willingness to give.
When you serve a mission and that mission has a need, you simply can’t wait for better times.Successful fundraising continues under all economic conditions.”
~Jeffrey Byrne, President
Jeffrey Byrne & Associates
Giving USA 2010 Report Findings Released Today
Posted by JBA in Giving USA on June 9th, 2010
Findings from Giving USA, the annual report on philanthropy in the United States researched and released each year by the Giving USA Foundation™ and its research partner, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University today, were announced today for the year 2009.
The top finding was that estimated total charitable contributions from American individuals, corporations and foundations fell to $303.75 billion in 2009, down from a revised total of $315.08 billion for 2008. The 2009 drop represents a fall of 3.6 percent in current dollars. In 2009 the overall economy saw slight price deflation, which makes the adjusted change in giving year-over-year a decline of 3.2 percent.
While a fall in total giving may be disheartening news to some, 2009 did represent the third year that giving exceeded $300 billion. And amid a year notorious for economic trouble and job loss, the level of giving could have been much lower. But, it seems, people responded to a perceived increase in need among social services organizations.
You can read the entire Giving USA release and more key findings at our website.
If you are in the Kansas City area, or just interested in local perspective on giving in 2009, the Kansas City Star interviewed JBA’s Jennifer Furla and other area nonprofit leaders for a local angle on the the report, which was officially released today.
The full report is available for purchase at GivingUSA2010.org
Photos from the Erie, PA workshop
Posted by JBA in JBA News & Notes, Uncategorized on April 28th, 2010
JBA held another fundraising workshop, this time in Erie, PA at the Penn state Behrend campus, where Tom Murray, Gary Rick, and Jeffrey Byrne presented to 23 participants. Thanks to all who attended!
Want to attend one near you? Visit our website for a list of upcoming workshops.
JB&A’ Jennifer Furla quoted in article about donations to Haiti
Posted by JBA in Fundraising in a Recession, JBA News & Notes, Uncategorized on January 25th, 2010
JB&A’s Jennifer Furla was quoted in last Friday’s Kansas City Star. “American generosity yields outpouring of donations for Haitian quake relief,” by Debra Skodack, examines Americans’ rapid outpouring of generosity in the wake of the devastating Haitian earthquake. Philanthropic professionals are amazed at the response, which matches donations after the 2005 Asian tsunami, when the U.S. economy was more robust than it is now.
Also noted in the article is a measure which passed congress last week allowing taxpayers to write off donations made to Haitian relief on their 2009 taxes.
Katrina, Tsunami Lessons Can Drive Haiti Fundraising
Posted by JBA in Giving USA, JBA News & Notes on January 19th, 2010
The following is a recent news release from the Giving Institute and the GivingUSA Foundation. We are sharing it here because it is of interest to our community – both as professionals in fund raising and as compassionate individuals. JB&A is a member of the Giving Institute, and our own Jennifer Furla serves secretary of the board of the GivingUSA Foundation.
Glenview, IL (Jan. 20, 2010) – How much will Americans end up donating to the Haitian earthquake relief efforts? If past disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami provide guidance for today’s efforts, the result is likely to be in the billions.
In 2006, for example, Giving USA Foundation reported that American individuals, corporations and foundations donated $7.37 billion in 2005 for disaster relief in the aftermaths of the hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast of the United States, the Asian tsunami and an earthquake in Pakistan. An additional $1.17 billion was raised for hurricane relief in 2006.
Giving USA Foundation and Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits, urge citizens to give wisely, yet cautiously. The two organizations, headquartered in Glenview, Ill., have been tracking charitable contributions since 1954, and also provide advice to non-profit organizations around the world. The emotionally draining images being broadcast are riveting and striking, and bolster the natural desire of Americans to respond to need; they donated an estimated $307.65 billion to charity in 2008.
Facts are hard to come by right now from the island nation of Haiti, and they keep changing hour-by-hour as the world tries to come to grips with the devastation suffered there in the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake last Tuesday. Americans—generous by nature–are looking for the best ways to aid those who need it most.
Looking to lessons learned in the aftermath of recent disasters, Foundation Chair Edith H. Falk, CFRE, and Institute Chair Nancy L. Raybin, speaking on behalf of the 35 member firms of Giving Institute and the board of the Foundation, offer advice to both non-profits working in the trenches of relief efforts and to Americans who want to help.
First, for relief organizations, don’t overlook corporate partners. Corporations donated $1.38 billion in 2005 for disaster relief efforts. While, as always, the bulk of donations came from individuals ($5.83 billion in 2005), companies can have a role to play in this most-recent crisis.
If past is, indeed, prologue, then the bulk of the donations will go to human service organizations providing for basic needs, such as the Red Cross. For smaller organizations that do not have the same high profile as the Red Cross, getting your message out to donors will be difficult, but not impossible. With this crisis, electronic communications such as text messaging, Facebook, Twitter and email seem to be driving the appeals process; use these tools to alert potential donors of the work you do, and provide back-up information on your website. Make it easy for potential donors to feel comfortable that their contribution is going to be used responsibly.
For individuals looking to do the most good with their dollars, the two groups provide the following advice:
- Check out the charity through groups such as Guidestar, www.guidestar.org, and the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org, to ensure it is legitimate
- Donate to reputable organizations that are known for their expertise in times of disaster and for making sure that money gets to the right places
- Investigate how a charity intends to spend the dollars raised and who will cover the administrative costs
- Read the guidelines published by the White House at http://www.whitehouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake to find out the best ways to help victims and groups that are helping those affected by the hurricane
- Resist the urge to go to the damaged area to provide help; watch for news of requests for volunteers. At this time, volunteers are being actively discouraged from trying to travel to Haiti
- Those looking to donate time, supplies or funds should contact the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) at 703/276-1914, or visit them online at http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/