 |
|
|
Stratagems
is published monthly by Jim Eskin, External Affairs Counsel, who has more than 30 years of leadership experience in institutional advancement, fundraising, public affairs, and communications. His consulting practice helps people and organizations with philanthropy, advocacy, and image so they can more effectively touch lives and improve the world. He welcomes the opportunity to hear about your funding and institutional advancement needs as a first step in designing a strategy and effective plan toward building a stronger future.
|
Contact Jim Eskin at:
10410 Pelican Oak Drive
San Antonio, TX 78254-6727
210-523-8499 (H)
210-415-3748 (C)
|
ANSWERS TO THIS MONTH'S QUIZ
|
Answers: 1=a, 2=e, 3=b, 4=c, 5=d
|
|
|
T-Minus 75 days and counting! On June 1st, I begin a new
venture that also marks a life-change as I depart from the traditional workplace and start a new career as an independent non-profit consultant. I appreciate the wise feedback and advice and counsel I'm receiving from a lifetime of friends and contacts. Keep it coming!
The services I'll offer will include:
* Training non-profit board members, volunteers and staff in the art and science fundraising and overcoming the fear of asking for a gift.
* Following up on prospects identified by board members and volunteers.
* Crafting donor communications.
* Prepping and coaching board members and staff on making the most from ask opportunities.
A website is in development to introduce the featured services.
Here's a
LinkedIn column
I recently wrote on transitioning to the gig economy.
There is a boundless variety of non-profits fueled by passionate volunteers and staff. I welcome opportunities to partner with them and add value to their respective missions to improve the world.
|
Donor-advised funds are frequently identified as one of the
fastest-growing vehicles for charitable giving, but the question of where those donor-advised fund grant dollars go has remained largely unanswered until now. A new report is the first to uncover these answers. Among other findings, it identifies education, religion and public-society benefit organizations as the types of non-profits that attracted the most donor-advised fund grant dollars, based on a sample of donor-advised fund sponsoring organizations from 2012 to 2015. It was researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI with support from Giving USA Foundation™ and the Fidelity Charitable Trustees' Initiative. Compared to the distribution of total U.S. giving as identified by Giving USA, grants from donor-advised funds give a greater share to education and less to religion. Giving to education comprised 28% of giving from donor-advised funds from 2012 to 2015. For the same time period, giving to education in Giving USA comprised only 15% of total giving. In contrast, grants to the religion subsector represented 14% of giving from the donor-advised fund sample, while giving to the religion subsector represented 32% of total giving in Giving USA. The distribution patterns by donor-advised funds track more closely with the trends of high-net-worth donors, who tend to give a larger share to education than to religion, a trend that was echoed in the study.
|
|
|
|
When rich people have free time, they have the means for extravagant hobbies, whether it's
collecting classic cars or jet-setting across the globe. But the most common hobby they pursue isn't a gaudy display of wealth -- it's philanthropy.
In a new report from Wealth-X, a market research firm that focuses on ultra-high net worth (UHNW) individuals, we get a peek at the top passions, interests, and hobbies of people with $30 million or more in assets. Philanthropy proved the most popular hobby, with more than one-third of the world's wealthiest people pursuing charitable activities. This generosity comes as no surprise, though, thanks to the rise in recognition of endeavors such as The Giving Pledge, a promise started by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to commit more than half of their wealth to philanthropic causes during their lifetime. The second most popular interest among this group is watching, playing, and investing in sports, including tennis, golf, skiing, American football, and most of all, soccer.
|
I know of no other group that has such a good time doing good as Sembradores of San Antonio Educational Foundation. Formed in 1961,
they've awarded close to $2 million to support endowed scholarships at colleges and universities throughout the San Antonio area. Any time you attend their events, you truly feel the warmth of family. They have two stellar fundraising events -- a fashion show in the Spring and a Masquerade Ball in the Fall. It was a delight to work with board members recently to discuss the application of fundraising best practices so they can develop more resources for their noble mission. A key assignment is for each board member to reach out to contacts in their personal and professional networks who they identified to ask for their support.
|
In addition to her legendary country hits and breakup ballads, Dolly Parton has also been using
her star power for good the past 20 years by donating books to children in need. Parton's non-profit, called Imagination Library, donates books to families in need once a month, from their birth until they go to kindergarten. Last month, Parton donated her 100 millionth book. "It's so important to me because if you can teach children to read they can dream and if you dream you can be successful." And what book could be more fitting to commemorate the Imagination Library's 100 millionth than one written by Parton herself. "Coat of Many Colors" is a picture book featuring the lyrics of Parton's song of the same name with illustrations by Brooke Boynton-Hughes.
|
A Marts & Lundy report finds gifts of at least $10 million to institutions of higher education were
up 6% in number and 25 percent in total value in 2017. Based on data from the Chronicle of Philanthropy's online database of large gifts as well as gift announcements on Twitter, the report concludes that Americans made 204 gifts of at least $10 million totaling $7.72 billion in 2017, up from 194 gifts totaling $6.16 billion in 2016. According to the analysis, the increase is due entirely to a jump in gifts of at least $50 million, which increased 70% in number, 47% in total value, and accounted for 19% of gifts of $10 million or more but 60% of the total value of those gifts. The report also finds that 74% of all gifts of at least $10 million in 2017 went to higher education, up from 66% in each of the previous three years and matching the level recorded in 2013. The share of $10 million-plus gifts for arts, culture, and the environment (which are treated as a single category in the report) held steady at 10%, down from 19% in 2015, while gifts to health organizations fell from 15% in 2016 to 9%. For the 4th consecutive year, just 1% of gifts of at least $10 million went to K-12 schools.
|
New research from psychologists at Purdue University and the University of Virginia shows that
worldwide, money can buy happiness -- at least based on how people rate their lives and their emotional well-being. But there is a limit to the happiness that money can buy. The study, based on Gallup World Poll surveys in 164 countries, shows that there is a "satiation point" at which higher household incomes don't generate any more happiness. These points vary depending on where people live, but globally, the researchers find that satiation occurs at $95,000 household income for life evaluations and $60,000 for positive emotions (happiness, enjoyment, smiling/laughing) and $75,000 for negative emotions (stress, worry, sadness). These findings are based on interviews with more than 1.7 million adults aged 15 and older. Using data from the broader World Poll data set, they found that satiation happens worldwide, but it varies considerably depending on the type of subjective well-being (life evaluations or emotional well-being), world region and education level attained. For example, they found satiation occurs at higher income levels in wealthier nations.
|
Robin Cabral's career started about 25 years ago as a young social justice community
organizer whose duties required door-to-door canvassing. Over the years, she worked in some small to mid-sized non-profits gaining increasingly more sophisticated fundraising skills, and later she found a passion for religious fund development. In 2008, she applied for and received Certified Fund Raising (CFRE) designation (the highest credentials in the fundraising profession) and, in 2013, she was awarded a Masters in Philanthropy and Fund Development from St. Mary's University of Minnesota. Based in New Bedford, Mass., she now owns a consultancy focused on providing outsourced and interim fund development options and capital campaigns for small to mid-sized non-profits located in the northeastern U.S. Her passion is major gifts. She has enjoyed successfully establishing major gift program offices, soliciting major gifts personally, and training hundreds on how to make the "ask." She notes that a lot has stayed the same in major gift work. The essential principles that advance major gift work remain about qualifying prospective donors, building relationships, and inspiriting their giving. All this is still best done by meeting face-to-face. She views what she does for others as a vocation, not as a job. For those considering entering the development profession, she says it's all about making miracles possible and creating a better world. Look at it as a vocation, your opportunity to make a significant difference in our world today. How much more noble can you get?
|
Robert F. Smith is a 55-year-old private equity billionaire, who according to 2018 Forbes
World's Richest is worth $4.4 billion, making him the richest African American, surpassing Oprah Winfrey. Smith's philanthropy has been growing, too. His giving really kicked into high gear in 2016 when he announced a $50 million gift to his alma mater Cornell, establishing a fellowship program and supporting Black and female students at Cornell's College of Engineering. Smith also announced that he would foot the education bill for 24 Chibok girls, including the 21 who were released by Boko Haram. In addition to personal contributions, Smith moves philanthropy through his Fund II Foundation, which he established in 2014. The foundation focuses on areas like human rights, music education and "preserving the African American experience." Smith is a major donor to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, giving $20 million and supporting a digitization program to preserve the family histories of Black Americans as well as community outreach.
|
A New Hampshire woman holding a January 6, 2018 $559.7 million Powerball ticket -- but who
has been fighting to both receive the money and keep her identity a secret -- has received her post-tax winnings of $264 million by way of her lawyers. Her plan, the lawyers say, is to "give $150,000 to Girls Inc. and $33,000 apiece to three chapters of End 68 Hours of Hunger in the state. It is the first of what her lawyers said would be donations over the years of between $25 million to $50 million during her lifetime. Her fight to keep her identity from becoming public is proving to be a challenge. She already signed the back of the ticket, though she argues she was following instructions posted on the ticket and on the state lottery website before consulting with a lawyer. New Hampshire's lottery rules require the winner's name, town and the winning amount to be made public.
|
Charities that promote teams in their events have an annual average growth of 28%, according
to DonorDrive. Their 2018 State of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Report indicates that on average, each team raises 10 times as much as an individual participant. The report provides annual trends and statistics from thousands of events, over a million participants and hundreds of millions of dollars raised. Among several key findings was the importance of retention, as it is for every type of fundraising. Returning participants raise 2.5 times as much as new participants, meaning for every 100 participants your event loses, you'll need 250 new ones to make up the revenue. The research also shows that supporter participants want options in how they raise money, and this is evidenced by the growth of DIY (Do-It-Yourself fundraising). The number of organizations adding DIY campaigns to their fundraising through DonorDrive grew by 125% over the past two years.
|
My uncle, Seymour Sheinkopf, celebrated his milestone 100th birthday on March 10th in
Rockville, Maryland. Not only has he lived long, but he has lived incredibly well. His remarkable story includes numerous points of pride: MIT, Chemical Engineer, Class of 1939, and served as Alumni Class President for several years. After serving in the military during World War II, he joined my grandfather as owner of Reliable Hardware in Boston, specializing in industrial hardware supplies. (I had numerous relatives in the hardware business.) He was active in Scouts and was a Cub Scouts Pack Leader in Brookline, Mass. for many years. He just received recognition as a 70-year qualifier as a Master Mason in the Masonic Lodge. He retired from mentoring when he was 90 and at the time was the oldest educator in Montgomery County, Maryland. He was an avid RVer, traveling with my aunt Sylvia in their camper to more than 46 states and 7 provinces in Canada, and also over England and Scotland. He joined the Jewish Genealogy Society of Washington, D.C. about 30 years ago and began researching his own ancestors. He has compiled over 1,919 names of Sheinkopfs around the world and set into motion joyous family reunions. Finally, he's been an extraordinary Boston Celtics fan, having had season tickets since the mid-1960s, at the famed Boston Garden. He and my cousins Mark and Paul have made it a point to make trips from the Washington, D.C. area to cheer for the Celtics. Of course, he cherished his 73-year marriage to my late aunt Sylvia. To our knowledge he is the first family member to reach 100, hopefully to be followed by many more.
|
|
|
In 1975, Ray Dalio founded an investment firm, Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-
bedroom apartment in New York City. Forty years later, Bridgewater has made more money for its clients than any other hedge fund in history and grown into the fifth most important private company in the U.S., according to Fortune magazine. In Principles, Dalio shares what he's learned over the course of his remarkable career. He argues that life, management, economics, and investing can all be systemized into rules and understood like machines. The book's hundreds of practical lessons, which are built around his cornerstones of "radical truth" and "radical transparency," include Dalio laying out the most effective ways for individuals and organizations to make decisions, approach challenges, and build strong teams. He also describes the innovative tools the firm uses to bring an idea meritocracy to life, such as creating "baseball cards" for all employees that distill their strengths and weaknesses, and employing computerized decision-making systems to make believability-weighted decisions. While the book brims with novel ideas for organizations and institutions, Principles also offers a clear, straightforward approach to decision-making that Dalio believes anyone can apply, no matter what they're seeking to achieve.
|
It's time for a new baseball season, and for fans of all different teams hope springs eternal. This
statistic ranks the most popular teams in Major League Baseball, by the number of fans on Facebook as of December 2017. With 8.57 million fans, the New York Yankees -- with 18 division titles, 40 American League pennants and 27 World Series championships -- all Major League Baseball records -- have the most followed MLB team account on Facebook, followed by the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs. The Facebook presence of MLB itself has gotten approximately 6.9 million fans on the site. In 2017, the teams in Major League Baseball were valued at an average of 1.54 billion U.S. dollars. Total MLB league revenue in 2016 amounted to 9.03 billion U.S. dollars, the highest ever. But guess what? The New York Yankees are also the country's most-hated baseball team in a FiveThirtyEight survey. Among the top most-hated teams in baseball, the Yankees earned a resounding 27% of the vote, followed by the Boston Red Sox with 10%, the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, tied with 5% each, and the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals, with 4% each. I can't resist: Go Red Sox!
|
Some states shine in health care. Some soar in education. Some excel in both -- or in some instances, much more. The U.S. News & World Report Best States ranking draws on thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing for their citizens. In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state's economy, the opportunity and quality of life it offers people, its roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety and the fiscal stability of state government. Match the following states with their respective rankings to answer this question.
Answers are shown in the green box at the bottom of the left column. Until next month ...
1. Iowa a. #1
2. Louisiana b. #8
3. Massachusetts c. #19
4. New Jersey d. #36
5. Texas e. #50
|
|
|
|
|
|
