Author Archive
Giving USA 2011
Posted by JBA in Events, Giving USA on June 27th, 2011
What will the numbers tell us about giving and donors in 2010?
What lessons can Kansas City-area nonprofits draw from the report?
Get answers to these questions and more.
Tues., July 26
8:30 to 11 a.m.
at the Kauffman Foundaton Conference Center
4801 Rockhill Rd
Kansas City, MO 64110
Presented byPatrick M. Rooney, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University
Sponsored by: Jeffrey Byrne & Associates and Nonprofit Connect
While this is a FREE seminar, pre-registration is required.
Thanks Mr. Lewis – You Taught Us How To Give
It was a brief headline on msn.com, but compelled me to take note. Jerry Lewis recently announced that he is retiring from his Labor Day telethon, returning this year for only a brief stint to perform his trademark “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
I was part of a generation glued to the set each Labor Day weekend to watch Jerry and His Kids, cheering on their victories over Muscular Dystrophy, having fun at camp, eyes peeled for the next celebrity who would perform and, ultimately, moved to call the 800 number in the waning hours of the telecast to make my own gift of $5.00, $10.00, or whatever I could muster as a pledge from my weekly allowance.
Reflecting back, I say thanks to Mr. Lewis, who broke ground as a celebrity spokesperson, bravely taking on a cause that devastated so many families, and a pioneer to model what – for so many – would become an accepted and lucrative way of fundraising. But, moreso, I wonder, what did Jerry teach us “kids” who grew up in an era of tele-philanthropy, learning to respond and give to a call for need?
That first Telethon in 1966 raised a whopping $1 million. Last year, in 2010, Labor Day fundraising brought in more than $1 million per major market, generating a total of nearly $59 million for research and programs to find a cure for Muscular Dystrophy and ALS (or, Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
I would say: The Telethon taught an entire generation to give. It came into our homes in a way no message before could and tugged at out heartstrings, telling real-life stories of human suffering and need. It allowed us to join and be connected with strangers from afar, giving the sense that we were are part of a community; that Our Gift Makes a Difference every time the toteboard would roll. For me – like so many of us – a philosophy of giving was shaped by The Telethon, by placing dimes in the cards for the Mother’s March of Dimes, for the little boxes to collect for UNICEF at Halloween, by community endeavors — small and large — for causes popular and less-known.
In recent years, we have seen the power of the press and social media in giving to disasters – Katrina, Rita, Haitian Relief, and the Tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan. Americans marvel – and should be proud – of how they responded with gifts that raised the bar, increasing giving, according to GivingUSA, by reaching into their pockets ever deeper, evermore generously.
But is this a phenomenon? I would say no. It’s the logical extension of awareness of human need, brought into our homes by television, radio and the print media.
So, rather than a new wave of giving, aren’t just we following lessons learned years ago? I submit that we are. For that, I say, thanks Mr. Lewis, for teaching us compassion and care, and a way to respond to a call for need. And, Mr. Lewis, for that, I say “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
The Fundraising Climate And Donor Warming
Posted by JBA in Fundraising in a Recession, Major Gift Solicitation on May 2nd, 2011
The following article was written by Jeffrey D. Byrne, President and CEO of Jeffrey Byrne & Associates, Inc.
Since the fall of 2008, nonprofit organizations, fundraisers and donors alike have kept a watchful eye on the economy. I’d go so far as to say that I’ve had few fundraising conversations where the state of the economy didn’t come into play. More often than not, people are trying to get an accurate prediction for the future. It’s completely understandable. However, fundraisers are not psychics.
Fundraisers have been forced to don financial analyst hats over the past 2½ years. As we transition into the “new normal” of our economy, our clients expect us to be able to overcome economic uncertainty among their donor ranks. Psychic ability aside, this takes meeting donors where they are and supplying them with hard facts. Not to do so is not doing our job.
Good or bad, we have to own the economy. Of course, meeting campaign goals is easier in a good economy. But the needs of nonprofits and charitable organizations wait for no economic upswing. They intensify. Couple spiking need with a collective insecurity in consumer confidence and you could end up with an uphill campaign battle in which doom and gloom overshadows the spirit of generosity.
Blackbaud’s 2010 State of the Nonprofit Industry Survey reports, “A majority (more than 70 percent) of respondents reported they expect demand for their organization’s services to increase this year [2010] and next year. Approximately a quarter expects demand to stay the same.”[1]
Parallel to a growing need for services is an expected increase in all types of funding. The current fundraising climate is improving. And donor warming is evident. According to Blackbaud’s survey, respondents receive funding from a variety of sources. Funding sources cited most frequently by respondents are total individual donations (98 percent), individual donations from major giving (92 percent), memberships (89 percent), government grants (88 percent), individual donations from recurring giving (86 percent), individual donations from planned giving/bequests (86 percent), and so on.
When asked about expected changes in funding sources, respondents reported, “The sources most likely to increase in 2010 are total individual donations (55 percent), individual donations from major gifts (45 percent), special events (42 percent), and individual donations from recurring giving (37 percent).” We’ll soon discover whether or not these expectations were accurate when The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University’s publishes its Giving USA 2011 report in June.
But even if statistics swing the other way, it is still possible to run a successful fundraising drive. One area it takes is to surround the campaign with smart, motivated, forward-thinking individuals who aren’t afraid to take responsibility for addressing what is on the donors’ minds. Right now, what’s foremost on their minds is an excruciatingly slow economic rebound and uncertain future.
Given that we fundraisers are pros at wearing a variety of hats, financial analyst being just one of them, we must arm ourselves with facts and sources to ease donor anxiety.
The Center on Philanthropy, which will release Giving USA 2011 in June, is regarded as the primary leader in philanthropic study and research. The Center’s research finds that short-term, mid-year stock market volatility is not indicative of what happens to overall giving. Change in the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index at the end of a year is one of several predictors of giving (others include change in personal income, tax rate changes, and recent changes in actual itemized deductions).[2]
For total giving, Giving USA estimates have fallen “within 2 percent of the final numbers once the actual data are available for all years since 2001 except 2005, when the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act inspired additional giving. The relationships between charitable giving and broader economic trends are less certain when people change their giving because of an infrequent event—such as a tax law change, very high rates of mortgage foreclosures, or a natural disaster.”[3]
Dropping unemployment rates and a rising stock market are reported across the media. It’s encouraging news like this that Rich Bailey, Director of Philanthropy, Nature Conservancy, Kansas Chapter, intends to call to his donors’ attention.
Bailey explains, “We’re anticipating a smaller 2- to 3-year bridge campaign to fill the gap between our last and next major fundraiser. We’re cautiously optimistic because the stock market has bounced back and unemployment is down. Though we’ve stayed in touch with our donor base, raising $5 million for conservation in Kansas is going to require addressing economic concerns and financial uncertainty. Along with pointing out the rising stock marketing and dropping unemployment, we’re offering flexible donation options: delaying and extending pledge periods.”
The economy dictates the fundraising climate like no other factor does. Fundraisers and organizations have absolutely no control over the economy. But we can use the resulting climate to bring about donor warming. All it takes is accepting the fact that we are not only fundraisers, we’re also financial analysts for the time being. Our contribution to donor warming should be redirecting our expertise in making sense of our clients’ organizations’ facts and figures to putting donors at ease with the larger economic trends and statistics, which are available from resources readily available to us. You just have to know where to look.
[1] Blackbaud. (n.d.) 2010 State of the Nonprofit Industry Survey. Retrieved from http://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/Research_SONI_NorthAmericanResults.pdf.
[2] The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Retrieved from http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/Research/GivingAndEconomy.aspx.
[3] Retrieved from http://www.jeffreybyrneandassociates.com/docs/2010GivingUSAMediaKit.pdf.
“Why Don’t Board Members Do What They Are Supposed To Do?”
Posted by JBA in Boards & Leadership, Campaign Planning & Management, Workshops & Learning Opportunities on March 14th, 2011
Gary Rick and Jeffrey Byrne of JB&A will be facilitating a FREE workshop for nonprofit executive staff and their board members in Erie, PA on Monday, April 11th from 9 – 11:30 am at the Bel-Aire Clarion Conference Center, 2800 West 8th St., Erie. It is hosted by the Erie Nonprofit Partnership.
The topic is one of the comments often heard in relation to nonprofit fundraising. Before we lay blame for our fundraising shortfalls, we will review organizational best practices and some real-life positive strategies and examples in engaging board members. One of the unique features of this workshop is a panel discussion featuring three local nonprofit directors, each accompanied by a member of their Board. The focus of this workshop is on sharing best practices in creating a path to take unengaged board members and move them from a fear of fundraising to an enthusiasm for your case for support. You will learn that fundraising is not just about the money! The workshop is targeted for Executive Directors, CEOs, Development Directors and Board Chairs or other Board Leaders.
Article on NPR Regarding Proposed Changes in Charitable Deductions
Posted by JBA in Legal, Legislative & Tax on March 3rd, 2011
I am passing along this article, which was brought to my attention by another fundraising consultant in our firm. The story, written by Elizabeth Blair, appeared February 17, 2011 on the NPR iPhone Application. Charitable Deduction Limit: Bad For Art Nonprofits?
As professional fundraising consultants it is important for us to stay ahead of the curve so we can assist our clients in helping to assess the fundraising environment. Our firm’s involvement as a member of the Giving Institute helps provide additional value to our clients. We feel that it is important for nonprofit leaders to realize the significance of this legislation, so they can meet and voice their opinons with their local representatives of Congress. . In an effort to reduce the deficit, President Obama hopes to limit the charitable deduction for the top income bracket. That is, wealthy donors who itemize would not be able to deduct as much from their income to owe less in taxes. Charities — which are already hurting from the economic downturn — are worried this will discourage potential donors.