I know often times in the world of philanthropy you hear about this statistic or that finding, or this study – and I always think to myself,
“What does all this mean for our sector and our clients?”
I think every statistic and finding is interesting, but no study is as interesting and comprehensive as Giving USA! Getting to know and work with the Melissa Brown at The Center on Philanthropy over this past year on the new GivingUSA 2010 web site has been an honor and I have taken away so much valuable information from her and all her team’s research in the not-for-profit sector.
When it comes specifically to Giving USA 2010, three key things stood out to me:
- 89.5% of all giving – yes ALL giving – comes from individuals and I’ll explain how in a second;
- 15% of alumni give to their alma mater annually (or should I say, ONLY 15%. . . more commentary on this to follow too); and
- Giving did not decline as much as expected, or as much as the mainstream media would have had you thinking
So what does that mean?
Well, let’s start with the fact that nearly 90% of all giving comes from individuals.
Now I know the pie chart says 75% or over $227 billion, of all giving came from individuals in 2009, but if you take this 75% and then add in the bequests – which as Melissa Brown would call “Gifts from the non-living individuals”, you get up to 83%.
But there’s a funny thing about the wedge called Foundations, as nearly half of all Foundations are “individual” or “family” foundations.
So if you add 75% from Individuals, 8% from Bequests and then an additional 6.5% from Foundations the grand total of giving by individuals is 89.5%! Wow!
This by far is one of the most compelling findings to me as these numbers have rarely changed over the past 10-15 years, so I guess my question to all of you is:
“Why do we spend so much time researching what a corporation could give to your organization and less time on establishing relationships with individuals?”
Next, only 15% of alums give to their alma mater on an annual basis – who would have ever thought that? Not me!
We work with a lot of community colleges and we’ll hear time and time again about how they want / need to better engage their alumni as this is how universities and other colleges are raising all their money. Really? Not according to the renowned research team at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University!
So where is education getting their slice of the pie? A more in-depth look at giving in the education sector can be downloaded in July via GivingUSA2010.org, via the Topical Digest page and I can’t wait to read it.
And finally, the fact that philanthropy was down only 3.6% speaks to the tremendous generosity of individuals in the United States. Even though the economy was down and you would have thought that we’d be seeing bread lines soon if you listened to the mainstream media on a daily basis, Americans dug deep and they gave!
They gave to those organizations that focused on basic human needs – housing, food and clothing – and we all thank them!
So what does all this mean for 2010 and beyond? Time will tell – but one thing is for certain, we need to continue doing a good job of cultivating relationships with individuals, and if history is an indicator, giving levels will slowly increase and should be back to where they were in 2007 in a few years.
Source: Giving USA 2010
My Dad and I spend a great deal of time talking about our landscaping. We love to go over all the details of the garden, the trees, the lawn, the shrubs, the soil, etc. Our lands
cape is a livelong passion that looks at the long term (bald cypress tree), the ongoing (fertilizer), and the short term (tomatoes). Part of what keeps us going is celebrating our successes (fruit trees) and figuring out our challenges (roses).
This year in particular the winter snow gave Dad and I a lot of time to contemplate, plan and design in our heads what we were going to do when the fertile ground eventually thawed and was ready for tilling and planting. I envision a lot of change – adding new plants, moving the garden to better sunlight, focusing on beds that were neglected last autumn. Dad is coming for a visit this weekend (it’s his 65th birthday on Saturday) and I couldn’t have planned a better weekend for he and I to walk the yard and put plans to action.
I find that many of the client conversations I have been having are incredibly similar to those with my Dad. In the fundraising world, it has been a long cold winter. We all had a lot of roses that didn’t flower last year, but fortunately I have been blessed to work with organizations that continued to fertilize and stay focused.
They see fundraising as a lifelong passion recognizing cycles and continuing to work towards the fulfillment of the grand vision. They were not chasing dollar signs, but instead maintaining relationships that are meaningful and sincere.
This requires an organization to have leaders that motivate during low points, a development team that celebrates each member and an environment that recognizes the vital role of donors and volunteers.
Some programs need to be trimmed, some team members need to be moved to a different role and we are finally back to a time where some donors are ready to bear fruit.
The only way to know how your organization/garden is succeeding is to consistently evaluate the plan and spend time at the root level.
Having a green thumb isn’t just producing good fruits and flowers, but to maintain the long-term health of the entire yard so that it provides a complimentary cycle of colors, textures, shade and harvest.
The same aspect applies to fundraising.
The entire mix of annual, 
events, campaigns, and planned giving is a comprehensive menu of areas for focus. Anytime I hear of someone complaining about how fundraising is down, I know that they are only thinking about their major gift program. By taking a walk through my garden at least every other day, I know when things are doing well and when things need a change. I also can become incredibly impatient and it’s often my Dad over the phone that reminds me to give it time.
This spring, I think the trees seem more full of blooms, the tulips colors are brighter and the grass is an incredible emerald green. It also reflects our feelings about fundraising – the economy is stable, volunteerism is up and donors are sending those signals that we have been waiting a long time to hear.
Winter is finally over and its time to get busy!
(pictures courtesy of Lori (Burr) Trumbo)
We’ve all been in one. Not a word is said. You awkwardly look at the ceilin
g, the floor, listen to your fellow elevator mates on the phone, maybe grin a little……but still do not say a word. ….you just stand in the uncomfortable silence. Well, that is not the case in my office building.
I want to thank the people who work in my office building for not being silent and starting my days off great!
You probably do not realize the positive impact you have on my attitude for the day. As I juggle my purse, my rolling brief case and of course my ever important cup of Starbucks, not a day goes by when someone doesn’t say “Hey, can I get the door for you? What floor? Thank you, Have a great day? Do you need help?” Although it may seem like “no big deal,” these kind gestures and words make a difference in my life.
Just the other day, a courier picked up items at my office to be delivered, his hands were full with my many delivery items, so I opened the door for him and he said, “thank you…..you are a kind woman.” To me, it was just the natural thing to do because my hands were empty, but to him it was a “big deal!”
Donors and volunteers are a “big deal” to non-profits. We as humans thrive on connectivity. Sometimes as fundraisers we expect donors to send us money or volunteer without connecting with them. I would be much more likely to support my elevator mates charities because we connected – multiple times and continue to do so. Our mothers taught us to say please and thank you, but do we just do it out of habit with no meaning?
As fundraisers, a large part of our jobs is to say “thank you” – which is a good habit, but how about building some new habits?
- When you have put countless hours into writing and researching a grant, think you nailed it and then receive the dreaded “no, not now” letter…..send a thank you note.
- When you go to sign the next form thank you letter, change it up and add some personality even though your recognition program says you do not have to for another month.
- Pick up the phone twice per day to just say “hey, I was thinking about you…..” to a donor or volunteer.
- Write a quick note to your volunteer’s family or boss sharing the impact they have on your organization.
What are other ways that you thank people or do a little something that could be a “big deal” to them?
Don’t be silent…….even in the elevator.
by Patti on March 23, 2010
Yep, the “P” word. It can be overused, but let’s not talk about the negative of the word rather let’s celebrate the positive.
Passion pure, simple, unadulterated can make things happen. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare, speed vs slow and steady progress? I’d argue it is an example of competition for the sake of winning vs passion for a cause greater than one’s self.
A person passionate about a cause is, most times, a sight to behold. Just talking to them you see the gleam in their eye and their vision come to life. And many times these passionate folks are like the tortoise, glad for any forward motion toward their goal.
I live in Fairfield County Ohio or as my honorary-Irish neighbor likes to say the “County of Fairfield”. We have a lot history in this mainly rural county, and through the 
generosity of people many historical sites have been donated to the Fairfield County Historical Parks Commission. The Commission – a party of one – is attempting for the 10th time to gain public funding to the development and upkeep of these treasures.
David Fey (the party of one) keeps pushing forward with his meager budget towards his passion of preserving and restoring historical treasures. Really, how much can one do with an operating budget of $181,000 overseeing 18 properties? And yet, he has managed to assemble and set aside properties opening five to the public and undergoing a major project to restore the landmark Rock Mill through volunteers.
Without the passion of this individual these sites would have continued to decline, lost to the future, and a piece of this County’s heritage.
The Parks Commission was created 29 years ago, so the forward movement is definitely tortoise-like. Who knows when the public will get behind his passion and support the cause with funding?
I’ve never met David Fey, but I’d be willing to bet he has a gleam in his eye as he describes his vision for the future and if slow and steady wins the race, I hope he gets his trophy soon!
For more information, please click here to read a recent Columbus Dispatch article.
by dawn on March 14, 2010
We always knew that we were fortunate to work with such incredible clients, but now it appears that the President is also taking notice.
On Friday, January 22nd, President Obama held a town hall meeting at Lorain County Community College and we just learned that during the President’s visit to Strongsville on Monday, March 15th a student and teacher from Entrepreneurial Preparatory Schools in Cleveland was asked to sit on stage with the President during his speech, and an E Prep graduate will be singing the national anthem.
Everyone at Cramer & Associates is honored and excited to be working with these two transformative organizations, and below is a little more about each of them:
Lorain County Community College
LCCC is one of Ohio’s fastest-growing community colleges because of the variety of learning opportunities it provides. LCCC offers an array of programs and services including:
- The only community college in the state to offer a University Partnership. The partnership enables people to earn bachelors’ and masters’ degrees from any of eight Ohio universities without leaving the LCCC campus.
- The first college in the state to build an advanced technologies center for business and industry.
- The largest provider of e-learning programs in northern Ohio.
- The first college in the state to offer podcast lectures on iTunesU.
While President Obama was at Lorain County Community College in January he toured the LCCC wind turbine lab. This Alternative Energy Technology Degree program is Ohio’s first associate’s degree credit program in the field of wind turbine power generation. The Wind Turbine major will train students to become installation and maintenance professionals.
Entrepreneurial Preparatory School
In only its fourth year of operation, E Prep School is effectively closing the achievement gap for its students. For the second consecutive year, E Prep received an “Effective” rating by the Ohio Department of Education. Out of 143 public schools in Cleveland, only 15 were rated “Effective” or “Excellent,” and of those 15, six schools were charter schools.
Although many students begin E Prep at least 2-3 grade levels behind their suburban counterparts, E Prep students are becoming proficient thanks to their persistence and the dedicated work of E Prep’s faculty and staff. Based on 2008-09 Ohio Achievement Test scores, E Prep’s 8th graders were the top readers in Cuyahoga County, outperforming Beachwood, Chagrin Falls, and Solon Middle Schools for the top spot. Additionally, E Prep’s African American students had the 3rd highest average OAT proficiency rate in the state of Ohio.
Cramer & Associates has been privileged to partner with these two organizations that do such incredible work all in the name of education. Both represent what the power of education can do for students, communities and our nation.
Well, when I heard we were going to partake in the Random Acts of Kindness of week I was thrilled! So much so that started my random acts yesterday afternoon :
While driving home in 9 inches of snow yesteday, I remembered I had to stop to pick up some things at the grocery store. While I was coming back to the car I noticed this little elderly woman trying to clear the snow off her car. I pulled up next to her and told her to go ahead and get in her car and that I would clear the snow off. She was so grateful! When I was done, she put her window down and said, “God Bless you.” and I said, “He already has.”
by dawn on February 12, 2010
Next week, February 15th – 21st – is Random Acts of Kindness week and we are challenging everyone to do some good deeds in their community and see what you get in return.
Numerous studies have shown that doing a good deed for someone else makes you “feel good” and reduces stress – and couldn’t we all use some less stress these days!
Think about it, if you challenged everyone you knew either at work, on Twitter, via Facebook or like I am on our blog to do one or two random acts of kindness next week your “world” would benefit health wise – both physically and mentally.
And when I say random, I mean little things like:
- Wave someone in when merging into traffic and smile
- Help a neighbor shovel their sidewalk/driveway
- Give blood
- Celebrate your co-workers – so often we only celebrate or acknowledge our co-workers when they’re leaving the company
- Give everyone you see the gift of your smile
- Write praising / thank you notes to your spouse, kids, boss and/or employees
- Renew an old friendship – maybe reach out to someone on Facebook
So next week, act on every single thought of generosity that arises spontaneously in your heart, and notice what happens as a consequence.
I’ll be posting the Cramer teams’ Random Acts of Kindness all next week here on our blog, on our Facebook page & via Twitter.
MJ2 Team here’s your pong, tell us what Random Acts of Kindness you do next week!
by dawn on February 10, 2010
Had an “aha” moment this weekend after reading Chris Brogan’s blog – Pursue the Goal Not the Method – This is what we encourage our clients to do every day with their fundraising efforts, yet never say it so succinctly.
How often do your fundraising efforts go “by the book”, I bet not many times. Most often you’re thrown a curve ball, i.e. your lead donor comes in at less than what you expected; the grant you were SURE to get, you didn’t; your Board was less than enthusiastic about selling tickets / tables for your recent event, etc.
Then what do you do? Do you spend countless hours or days wondering why? That “method” had worked before, what happened this time? STOP!
As Chris wrote, methods change and we all have to adapt. My favorite line from Chris’s blog was “What if you threw out EVERY method you were using before this very moment? The goals would still be there.”
That’s so true in the world of fundraising!!
Now I’m not saying that we abandon the tried and true ways of fundraising, i.e. peer-to-peer, meaningful stewardship, well rounded developed efforts, etc. what I’m saying is that when you are thrown that curve ball and your “method” isn’t working – STOP! Then adapt, learn a new technique / method and move forward in pursuit of your goal.
So what method isn’t working for you and what are you going to do to STOP so you can move forward?
by dawn on January 20, 2010
With the state of the economy in 2009, a lot of fundraisers began looking at planned giving to help support and sustain their efforts. However, I was talking to a friend of mine recently who is a planned giving officioto and it occurred to the two of us that most of the time organizations look to having conversations about planned giving only with older couples– Why? These individuals have normally worked very hard, raised children, paid for college, have vacation homes and are now enjoying themselves by spoiling their grandchildren.
The one demographic that fundraisers fail to see as potential planned giving candidates are couples who never had children and singles! These individuals normally have more discretionary income than married couples with children; yet rarely are they considered as a candidate for planned giving.
Why? Do fundraisers think they have less to give?
Au contraire! Nowadays, many singles have financial planners and plan far in advance for their retirement years.
So the next time you are looking at increasing your planned giving efforts, give a little time to focus on the single ladies . . . and men!
by dawn on January 18, 2010
On January 12th, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit outside of the capital of Haiti, causing widespread destruction to homes, hospitals, schools, government buildings, roads, and lives. Many agencies have come forth offering aid and relief services to the approximate 2 million people who call Port-Au-Price, Haiti home.
Cramer & Associates researched and found that the following five agencies are providing the most critical need relief efforts and will continue to be on the ground for months to come helping Haiti and the Haitian people recover and rebuild.
- Mercy Corps
- Partners in Health
- UNICEF
- UN World Food Programme
- Doctors Without Borders
Texting Your Donation
On Thursday, January 14th, Verizon wireless reported that $4 million had been donated through text donations to Haiti relief efforts in a 24-hour period and donations continue to come in at rate of approximately $200,000 an hour! Also, the service that provides text giving – MGive – is waiving all fees associated with text donations for Haiti relief efforts.
According to a recent article 93% of all U.S. adults have cell phones. So if we all c
ould forgo one trip to our favorite coffee shop, or one lunch at your favorite restaurant this week, together our $10 donations via texting would generate over $2 billion to help the Haitian people!
If you’d like to donate $10 via texting:
- Clinton Foundation’s Haiti Relief Fund: Text “Haiti” to “20222”
- Doctors Without Borders: Text “DOB” to “90999”
- The Red Cross Haiti Relief Efforts: Text “Haiti” to “90999”
Lessons from the Past – The Giving Institute
The Giving Institute and Giving USA Foundation have released a joint press release about how we can learn from past disasters like Hurricane Katrina & Asian tsunami to help Haiti. You can go here go to our web site – CramerFundraising.com to download the full press release.
Please join Cramer & Associates and give as generously as you can to help Haiti.
