Yesterday, the 2010 Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy was released. Produced by Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, this is the third edition of the study, which was also issued in 2008 and 2006. High-net-worth households are defined as those with annual incomes of $200,000 or more,… Read more »
In our effort to help nonprofits incorporate social media into their fundraising programs, last Thursday three of us Curtis Group staffers attended a Chronicle of Philanthropy webinar on the topic. First, we learned that because social media campaigns are still so new, determining the best way to use them is more art than science, as… Read more »
Fundraisers who aren’t paying attention to women may be losing out on a huge source of donations, according to a study published yesterday by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Women at virtually every income level are more likely to give to charity and to give more money on average than their male counterparts,… Read more »
You may have read or heard panic-inducing news reports this week about an 11 percent drop in charitable giving last year, the worst decline in two decades, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. What wasn’t reported are vital facts about the Chronicle’s survey that will affect how you interpret it. Also unreported by mass media… Read more »
A recent Newsweek article, “Helping Out with a Text,“ may have some nonprofit staff and board members wondering if it’s time to implement a mobile giving program. While I think it has potential in the future, keep in mind that based on total U.S. giving, text giving is still minuscule. With a maximum contribution of… Read more »
This morning while conducting an interview with a CEO for a campaign planning study, I was reminded of the importance of developing the next generation of fundraisers now. We at The Curtis Group view our overriding role as promoting philanthropy, so we do all we can to help our clients develop their “bench”—their next generation… Read more »
Last week Nonprofit Finance Fund issued a report about the successful results of NFF Capital Partners’ efforts to help nine charities around the nation raise philanthropic equity. Philanthropic equity, according to Nonprofit Finance Fund, is money a nonprofit uses to build its capacity to deliver services, as well as the business operations that will make… Read more »
In Tuesday’s post, Keith mentioned that I attended a BoardSource webinar this week on the roles and responsibilities of board members. Here’s a quick summary of the material. A nonprofit board has three main roles. The first is to establish organizational direction. This covers setting the mission, as well as determining the board’s role in… Read more »
Development professionals should be sure to review The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s helpful summary of how tax proposals being considered by Congress will affect donors. For example, if the income-tax rate goes up for wealthy Americans, people who now pay 33 percent of their income in taxes would pay 36 percent, and those who now pay 35 percent… Read more »
Last week while making a presentation, I asked the group if the members of their boards were hesitant to make calls asking for gifts. When many attendees said yes, I assumed that a big reason was the current economy. Instead, I learned that the problem was much more basic. What it boiled down to was that… Read more »
