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/
New Year’s Resolution: Create A Plan to Execute Your Resolutions
Posted by tmurray in Capacity Building, Donor Cultivation, Organizational & Personal Development, Stewardship on December 28th, 2009
As 2009 ends, many people contemplate resolutions for the New Year. Often the list includes; Exercise more, spend more time with family and friends, stop smoking, or lose that pesky 15 pounds. Good intentions usher in the year. But, sadly, much of the resolute is forgotten by the time the Super Bowl rolls around. Part of the problem is that thinking about a change is one thing; creating a plan and allocating the time to execute the chanage is something entirely different.
At Jeffrey Byrne & Associates we firmly believe that development activities need to become integrated into the daily operations of an organization. As nonprofits plan for the upcoming year—budget, staffing and facility needs—we urge them to also layout their yearly development calendar. This plan needs to be a component of the organization’s overall strategy for success.
Development is about creating meaningful relationships. It is about telling your story and demonstrating your organization’s deep commitment to its mission. It is an opportunity to both brag about successes and communicate your vision for the future.
Start planning now. Take a calendar and mark off when your newsletters or email communications will go out to your key stakeholders—clients, friends, current contributors and potential donors. Additionally, take note of all of your fundraising and/or donor cultivation events. Now on a blank sheet of paper write down all of the other opportunities that might be helpful in developing new relationships. Decide Who, What, Where, When, Why and How these opportunities will be actualized and schedule them Now. The time is now. Before you know it will be the 4th of July.
Rolling Over an IRA: A Terrific Year-end Opportunity
Posted by John Marshall in Donor Cultivation, Legal, Legislative & Tax, Stewardship on December 17th, 2009
I recently returned from a visit with a client in New Hampshire where I was informed that a donor had recently made a second gift to the capital campaign for $50,000 and did so through an IRA Rollover. You may still have time to share this terrific opportunity with a select group of your prospects and generate a lovely gift for your organization.
As you may have heard, The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 included a provision that extended the availability of the IRA Rollover through December 31, 2009. This inclusion, included in the Pension Protection Act of 2006, had previously expired at the end of 2007 but was extended by then President Bush.
Here are the details
The IRA Rollover allows individuals who are at least 70-1/2 to make tax-free distributions of up to $100,000 from an IRA to their favorite charity, subject to the following qualifications:
- The donor must be 70-1/2 or older at the time of distribution.
- Limited to $100,000 per taxpayer, per year. A married couple can donate up to $200,000 provided each spouse owns at least one IRA and can make a qualified charitable distribution of $100,000 from their plans.
- Gifts must be outright. The contributions cannot be used to fund gift annuities or charitable remainder trusts
- Applies only to IRA’s, not other forms of retirement plans such as 401(k), 403(b), etc.
- Gifts cannot be made to donor advised funds and supporting organizations, including most private foundations.
- Gifts must be made directly from the IRA to the charity.
JBA Campaign Client in the News
Posted by JBA in JBA News & Notes on November 10th, 2009
JBA’s own Judy Keller is quoted in this article about Lawrence, Kan., institution, Ecumenical Christian Ministries and its capital campaign that is successfully rolling ahead (even in these beleaguered economic times). The campaign, for which JBA is a consultant, is about one-third of the way to its fundraising goal.
This Lawrence Journal-World article describes how the ECM building has been an important part of the University of Kansas campus and Lawrence community for 50 years. Recently designated a National Historic Landmark, the ECM building is scheduled for much-needed capital maintenance and upgrades to help it last another 50 years.
Go to Sacred landmark: Capital campaign drives changes at ECM in its 50th year at KU
Religious Fundraising
Posted by Judy Keller in Donor Cultivation, Faith-Based Giving, Technology on October 12th, 2009
Here’s an excellent article for anyone involved in fundraising for a faith-based organization:
www.nptimes.com/instantfund/09Oct/IF-091008-1.html