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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.
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Contact Jim Eskin at:
10410 Pelican Oak Drive
San Antonio, TX 78254-6727
210-523-8499 (H)
210-415-3748 (C)
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ANSWERS TO THIS MONTH'S QUIZ
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Answers: 1=e, 2=c, 3=b, 4=d, 5=a
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Americans have never been so generous!
Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2017
reinforces that historic spirit of generosity.
Powered by a booming stock market and a strong economy, charitable giving by American individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations to U.S. charities surged to an estimated $410.02 billion in 2017. Giving exceeded $400 billion in a single year for the first time, increasing 5.2% (3% adjusted for inflation) over the revised total of $389.64 contributed in 2016. Giving from all four sources and giving to all but one of the major types of recipient organizations grew in 2017. Giving by individuals represented 70% of total giving. When bequests and gifts from family foundations are factored in, the share from individuals is an astonishing 87%.
Overall giving tracked with the U.S. economy at about 2.1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), consistent with the past several years. This is the 4th consecutive year giving has increased.
While policy developments may have played some role in charitable giving in 2017, most of the effects of the tax policy changes adopted in late December 2017 likely will affect giving in 2018 and beyond. Giving USA, the longest-running and most comprehensive report of its kind in America, is published by Giving USA Foundation, a public service initiative of The Giving Institute. It is researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI.
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Digging into the findings of the Giving USA report cries out
that opportunity indeed is knocking. Professional and volunteers can and should take the findings to heart. When properly cultivated, Americans will respond and donate generously. It's up to non-profits to tell their stories, nurture relationships and without fear, anxiety or hesitation -- ask for support. Here's the article I published on LinkedIn on 10 take-aways from the rich Giving USA data.
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One year ago, Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos, now worth about $140 billion, tweeted a
request for philanthropy ideas from the public, saying he wanted to find ways to give that provided an immediate impact. That tweet got about 49,000 responses. Bezos recently offered a quick update on his plans. He tweeted that he "settled on two areas" and will announce what they are by the end of the summer. "If I'm lucky, I may be able to announce some hiring then too," he wrote.
So far, Bezos's biggest philanthropic effort has been a $33 million donation that he and his wife, novelist and anti-bullying campaigner MacKenzie Bezos,
made earlier this year to a non-profit called TheDream.us. The organization gives college scholarships and support to so-called Dreamers -- people who came to the U.S. as undocumented child immigrants.
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| Microsoft Non-Profit Empowerment Series |
We're off and running! An overflow audience of passionate professionals and volunteers attended our inaugural workshop on June 20. The series positions me to do what I enjoy doing most -- work with people who want to develop more resources and elevate the impact of their respective organizations in improving the quality of life. The first session addressed
10 common sense lessons in applying the art and science of effective fundraising. My goal is not for attendees to leave thinking how much I know but rather confident that they can go out and raise money. The series will continuethroughout the summer at Microsoft-San Antonio. The next session will feature Harvey Najim, who has made personal and family foundation gifts of $100 million, talking about his approach to philanthropic decision-making. My sincere thanks to Microsoft, aptly respected for its leadership in corporate responsibility and citizenship, for being such a wonderful partner.
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Fundraising Isn't Complicated
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Even if fundraising isn't hard, that doesn't mean it won't require commitment and a lot of work, but I truly believe it can and
should be a labor of love. For sure, I love teaching, training and coaching people on the principles and best practices, and I want participants to enjoy my workshops and training classes so that they will approach fundraising with a genuine sense of adventure and joy. They're already fueled and energized by the nobility of their good causes. Their organizations deserve the best.
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Sea Change Strategies just launched the 2018 follow-up study to Missing Middle: Neglecting Middle Donors is Costing You Millions. Mid-level fundraising has evolved dramatically in four
years. Based on detailed data and personal interviews with fundraisers from 20 different organizations including ACLU, Amnesty International, Nature Conservancy, Friends of the Earth, WWF, Mercy Corps and others, the study shows a transformation in how many organizations are talking about, prioritizing and, ultimately investing in mid-level donors.
Highlights:
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In 2014, few organizations had even one full-time staffer dedicated to mid-level donors. Study participants now report having on average three full-time mid-level fundraisers.
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In 2018 we're seeing a giant leap in coordination between membership and major gifts. The tactical and cultural gap between direct marketers and major gifts officers has shrunk exponentially.
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Tailored metrics including velocity -- the measure of how quickly and by how much a donor is upgrading their giving -- are key elements of segmentation and upgrade strategies.
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Laurene Powell Jobs is quietly creating a new landscape of philanthropy. One of the world's
richest women, worth an estimated $20 billion, the 54-year-old Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, is a philanthropist, entrepreneur and president of the Emerson Collective, whose mission includes "removing barriers to opportunity so people can live to their full potential." In an expansive profile of both Powell jobs and her philanthropic effort, The Washington Post calls the collective "the most influential product of Silicon Valley that you've never heard of." That's on purpose. Powell Jobs once wrote an essay on the importance of anonymous giving and handed it out to employees.
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* Institutional philanthropy has a global reach, with more than 260,000 foundations in 39 countries.
* Foundations are highly concentrated globally, with 60% of the total in Europe and 35% in North America.
* The sector is notable for its youth and recent growth. Nearly three-quarters of identified foundations were established in the last 25 years.
* Over 90% of identified foundations are independent, but there are strong regional variations. Independent foundations are the predominant model in the United States (96%) and in Europe (87%); corporate foundations are significant in Latin America (50%); government-linked foundations are common in China (38%) and the UAE (73%); and family foundations are prevalent in Africa (35%).
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UBS Investor Watch highlights that
there needs to be much more to
giving
than checkbook
philanthropy.
America's "giving gene" remains very much intact: Ninety-one percent of millionaires have donated money or time within the last year. Everybody gives, but we don't all feel the same about it. Key findings:
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Most millionaires give without much foresight. They respond to requests. As a result of this "checkbook philanthropy," only 20% rate their efforts as highly effective.
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Yet, planning improves confidence and satisfaction by almost 50%.
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Satisfaction with giving shoots up when millionaires donate time, especially if they volunteer with friends and family.
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Generations give differently. Boomers support traditional institutions, e.g., religious organizations and the arts. Millennials support causes with practical outcomes, such as fighting diseases and kids' programs.
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Expanding programs is on the two-year horizon for nearly half of non-profits, yet many organizations may lack the financial strength to fuel sustainable growth. This is among
the top findings of Non-Profit Standards, a benchmarking survey designed to give non-profits a useful barometer to measure performance across a variety of areas including strategic planning, human resources, operations, scope and impact, and governance matters. Released by BDO Institute for Non-Profit Excellence, the second annual benchmarking survey reveals that non-profits' hearts may be bigger than their wallets. Managing growth registers as a concern for 2 in 5 non-profits, but the sector overall could be underestimating the road ahead.
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A Rideau Hall Foundation study says that the long-term viability of Canada's charitable sector
depends on higher donation rates among younger and new Canadians. The landmark report, 30 Years of Giving in Canada, examines charitable donations and giving patterns from 1985 to 2014.
It finds donors aged 50 and older account for nearly three quarters (74% of all donations), while those 70 and older make up 30% of gifts. The research also reveals donations are declining across all age categories and the pool of older Canadians giving higher donations is shrinking.
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George Peabody is considered "the father of modern philanthropy." He was born in 1795 in
Massachusetts to a poor family. He left school at age 11 and years later opened a general store. His experience in the business led to working in international trade in London in 1837. He then became a banker, and in that role became very wealthy. His experience in American and English business made him well known. Peabody became very active in public causes, with a focus on educational initiatives, and in 1867 he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal after donating $2 million for the advancement of education. It's believed that Peabody gifted over $8 million during his lifetime, about half of his $16 million fortune.
Google
saluted Peabody with the Doodle shown above.
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Asking Styles: Revolutionize Your Fundraising by
Brian Saber makes the powerful case that
fundraisers must be themselves to be successful and shows fundraisers how to use their Asking Style throughout the fundraising process. Whether choosing people to solicit, figuring out how to approach them, or developing one's personal story, Asking Styles guides fundraisers in using their unique personality every step of the way. Committed to the notion that one size doesn't fit all, Saber is one of the non-profit sector's leading voices on asking for gifts face-to-face and runs Asking Matters, the largest on-line resource on asking. Through online and in-person training, more than 100,000 non-profit staff and volunteers have found their Asking Style and can now use it to make face-to-face asks more comfortably and effectively. With the overwhelming majority of charitable gifts coming from individuals, and the biggest gifts coming from asking face-to-face, no non-profit can succeed without soliciting their best donors face-to-face.
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The whole world watched as Prince Harry,
who is sixth in line to the British throne
, and Meghan
Markle tied the knot. Maybe not as well-known is that the Royal Couple asked that in lieu of gifts donations be made to charities advancing social change, empowerment of women, conservation, help for HIV sufferers and other causes they have backed. More specifically, they designated seven charitable organizations: CHIVA (Children's HIV Association); Crisis; the Myna Mahila Foundation; Scotty's Little Soldiers -- a charity for bereaved Armed Forces children; Street Games; Surfers Against Sewage; and The Wilderness Foundation UK.
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Quiz: Presidential Nicknames
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If you're like me, you can't enough Presidential trivia. A feature from the Saturday Evening Post really caught my attention with presidential nicknames I never heard of. Match the following Commanders-in-Chief with their respective nicknames to answer this quiz.
Answers are shown in the green box at the bottom of the left column. Until next month...
1. Chester A. Arthur a. Grand Wrestler
2. Benjamin Harrison b. Great Humanitarian
3. Herbert Hoover c. Human Iceberg
4. LBJ d. Light Bulb
5. Lincoln e. The Dude
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