Phone: 401-397-2534
Fax: 401-397-6793
E-mail: spjoyaux@aol.com
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Go grassroots to attract Latino donors. Latinos don't follow typical American donation patterns. In Latin America, there is no formal charity sector, and no tax incentives for giving. So Latinos giving tends to be more grassroots. They give money privately to support needy families or friends. Even wealthy Latinos tend to give this way.
Latinos are also more likely to give to organized charities if approached in person by someone they know. Preferred causes: family, religion and education.
[Source: "For Latinos, Charity Truly Does Begin at Home," Los Angeles Times, April 6, 1999.]
Some not-for-profits have joined together to attract corporate partners. For example, a group of seven aquariums signed a joint marketing deal with the Internet search site Yahoo.
For more information, request a free copy of the survey on joint marketing from IEG Inc., 640 North LaSalle, Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60610-3777; 800-834-4850; e-mail: ieg@sponsorship.com.
[Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 25, 1999. P.O. Box 1989, Marion, OH 43305; 800-728-2819; fax 202-223-6292.]
Making this case helped arts groups win $1.16 billion in corporate and foundation funding in 1997—an all-time high. A strong economy also helped boost grant making.
For more information, see the Business Committee for the Arts report, "National Survey of Business Support to the Arts 1998," available for $65 (full report; summary is $8) from BCA Publications, 1755 Broadway, Suite 510, New York, NY 10019-1942; 212-664-0600. Also, see "Arts Funding: An Update on Foundation Trends," $19.95 plus $4.50 shipping from the Foundation Center, Dept. NM24, 79 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003-3076; 212-807-3690.
[Source: "Studies Find Big Rise in Contributions to the Arts by Corporations and Foundations," Debra E. Blum, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, December 17, 1998. P.O. Box 1989, Marion, OH 43305; 800-728-2819; fax 202-223-6292.]
For example, a Minnesota not-for-profit had two local bankers advise the board's finance committee. They gave valuable advice on how accounts were handled, how jobs were bid, and how staff expenses should be reimbursed.
[Source: "Community members can play a valuable role on board committees," Board & Administrator, March 1999. Aspen Publishers, Inc., 7201 McKinney Circle, Frederic, MD 21704; 800-638-8437.]
Not-for-profits that require board members to make donations fare far better than those who make board giving voluntary. Boards with a policy on personal giving in place received an average of $29,198 in board donations. Those with no policy received an average of $11,710.
Board-member giving also was promoted by establishing a development committee. The average giving my members of boards with a development committee was $23,533, compared to $10,332 for boards with no standing fund-raising committee.
Other factors in increasing board giving: board size, and the gender of the board administrator (those with male administrators significantly outgive those with female administrators).
[Source: "These fund raising data might spark a change in your board's giving," Board & Administrator, March 1999. Aspen Publishers, Inc., 7201 McKinney Circle, Frederick, MD 21704; 800-638-8437.]
Educate nominating committees about their job, too. Recruiting members who have prior board experience increases board knowledge and prevents problems.
[Source: "Follow these four steps to a board that understands its role," Board & Administrator, February 1999. Aspen Publishers, Inc., 7201 McKinney Circle, Frederick, MD 21704; 800-638-8437.]
On average, executive directors got a 6% raise; the value of benefits packages also increased sharply, and now accounts for 17% of the total compensation package. The salary-to-budget ratio--the amount of the program head's salary compared to the program budget—also increased for programs of most sizes.
[Source: "1999 Report on Executive Director Compensation," Board & Administrator Special Report. Aspen Publishers, Inc., 7201 McKinney Circle, Frederick, MD 21704; 800-638-8437.]
Entrepreneurial givers won't appear in reference books. Instead, check the management roster of companies that have recently gone public. And don't expect them to come to galas, serve on boards, listen to long-winded presentations, or participate in donor clubs. They're too busy.
They will, however, make donations--if the money is treated as an investment that will help your group become a field leader. [Source: "Where the Action Isn't," Holly Hall, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, May 6, 1999. P.O. Box 1989, Marion, OH 43305; 800-728-2819; fax 202-223-6292.]
Some charities have established special singles' groups in order to attract volunteers. Groups can work on projects, or run events to raise money for the charity. Just beware of letting socialization get in the way of getting work done.
Singles represent a huge pool of potential volunteers: 40% of U.S. adults are single. Volunteer groups for singles have proven popular: sign-ups--often posted online--fill up quickly. Groups maintain a 50-50 male-female ratio on projects.
[Source: "Volunteer Here Often?," Meg Sommerfield, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, May 6, 1999. P.O. Box 1989, Marion, OH 43305; 800-728-2819; fax 202-223-6292.]
[Source: University of Michigan press release, March 2, 1999.]
Lobbying is defined as activities intended to influence legislation, including communications with members, legislators or staff, government officials, or the general public.
Your organization can do all of the following--this is not lobbying:
However, charities may not, under any circumstance, actively support or oppose a political candidate.
For more information, download IRS Form 5768 from the agency's web site (http://www.irs.gov), or contact MontiCPA, 387 Charles St., Providence, RI 02904; 401-521-1080.
[Source: "How much lobbying will cause a loss of exempt status?" Perspectives on Not-for-Profit Organizations, Winter 1999. MontiCPA, 387 Charles St., Providence, RI 02904; 401-521-1080.]
[Source: "The Donor Profile," April Gower, Fund Raising Management, December 1998. 224 Seventh St., Garden City, NY 11530-5570; 516-746-6700.]
Foundations formed from hospital conversions award $700 million annually. Grants typically go to health-related projects, from literacy promotion to violence prevention. Giving is mostly local.
For more information, request a free copy of the report, "Coming of Age," from Grantmakers in Health, 1100 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20036; 202-452-8331.
[The Chronicle of Philanthropy, April 8, 1999. P.O. Box 1989, Marion, OH 43305; 800-728-2819; fax 202-223-6292.]
But some property has hidden environmental problems. Charities have run afoul of the IRS, too. And zoning problems and the cost of repairs can make accepting property more trouble than it's worth.
Not-for-profits should establish guidelines about the type of property they will accept. Base policies on the property's value, location, debt amount. Use detailed checklists to ensure that steps such as environmental inspections are completed prior to taking title. If the deal has too many problems, walk away.
Seek pro-bono or paid help from real-estate and tax consultants. Information on determining the value of donated property (Publication 561) is available online from the IRS (http://www.irs.gov). And consulant James E. Connell provides free checklists and information on charitable gift annuities for real estate: e-mail to jec42644@aol.com.
[Source: "Property Rights--and Wrongs," Holly Hall, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, January 28, 1999. P.O. Box 1989, Marion, OH 43305; 800-728-2819; fax 202-223-6292.]
Minorities also give more than is commonly believed. Black women, for instance, are more likely to donate to charity than white women. Minorities generally are more likely to give if asked—but are asked less often than whites.
Myths pervade giving patterns, too. Most Americans think children and the poor should receive more donations than women. But women represent more than 50 percent of the poor. And while most people believe that a great deal of giving targets women and girls, only 5.7% of foundation funding targets these specific populations.
For more information, see the web site for the PBS program "To the Contrary": http://www.pbs.org/ttc/hottopics/philanthropy.html.
[Source: Press release, May 7, 1999. Poll by Celinda Lake and Linda DiVall, commissioned by PBS' "To the Contrary."]
[Source: Ahern to Bousquet, Marketing & Employee Communications, 10 Johnson Road, Foster, RI 02825; 401-397-8104.]
Why should you care about Y2K? Even small networks and individual PCs and software can be hurt by the Y2K bug. The flaw could cause malfunctions when computer dates change from Dec. 31, 1999 to Jan. 1, 2000.
How does Y2K affect you? For more information, check out these Internet sites on Y2K:
http://www.CY2KR.com
http://www.millenia-bcs.com
Questions about advocacy? Here are some web sites with answers:
Fund-Raising and the Nonprofit Board Member. Describes board members' fund-raising responsibilities. Also includes a fund-raising checklist for members to use. $8 for members ($12 for non-members) plus $4 postage from the National Center on Nonprofit Boards, 2000 L St., Suite 510, Washington, DC 20036-4907; 202-452-6262; 800-956-7739; fax 202-452-6299.
The NSFRE Fund-Raising Dictionary. Defines more than 1,400 terms used in fund raising and not-for-profit activities. Cross-referenced, with bibliography, appendixes on fund-raising principles, "Donor's Bill of Rights," accountability. $29.95 from John Wiley & Sons, 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset, NJ 08875; 800-225-5945; fax 800-597-3299.
Phone: 401-397-2534
Fax: 401-397-6793
E-mail: spjoyaux@aol.com
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Jon Harrison
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