John Jambor was born in 1902, near Kosice in what is now Slovakia, and came to Canada in the ’20s, working in a paper mill and as a steam ship agent to save up enough money for his wife, Joan, to be able to join him. His philosophy was to “work hard, live well, give back.”

Nearly a century later, and more than 20 years after his death in 1991, Jambor’s approach to life is still alive and well with his grandson William McCarthy – particularly the “give back” part.

McCarthy, the creator and executor of Jambor’s estate plan, recently arranged the bequest of a $21.4 million gift to the B.C. Cancer Foundation, through the Jambor-McCarthy legacy.

It is the largest charitable bequest to a single beneficiary in B.C. history.

Full article text is available via Burnaby Now, 5/30/2012.

To a greater degree than before, the Annenberg Foundation is requiring accountability from the Philadelphia Orchestra in exchange for the $50 million gift the foundation made in 2003.

That grant was the largest in the orchestra’s history. But even after it was paid out, its use and destiny were never entirely left to the orchestra. The foundation reserved the right to recall the gift and any accumulated investment income if the orchestra ever filed for bankruptcy.

Although the philanthropy, now based in Los Angeles, did not exercise that right when the orchestra filed for Chapter 11 in April 2011, a new and more controlling donor agreement has been crafted as part of the reorganization plan filed last week by the orchestra in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Full article text is available via the Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/30/2012.

Tulane environmental health faculty, in collaboration with the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics, will establish a network of environmental health experts to provide peer consultation and educational resources for primary care physicians in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Full article text is available via Tulane University, 5/25/2012.

The Evans Foundation grant will fund five research labs over five years, including three labs at UK, one at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and one at the University of Arkansas. The $1.25 million gift, given to UK through the Markey Cancer Foundation by an anonymous donor, will also fund the laboratories.

Full article text is available via the University of Kentucky, 5/22/2012.

Include videos, pictures, and other media on your giving sites to keep donor’s going through the process.

An increasing number of nonprofit organizations are beefing up their online and social media strategies for fundraising. As well they should be, since a growing mountain of evidence tells us that online donors have more money and give bigger gifts than offline donors. We see brilliantly designed Facebook pages, clever Twitter campaigns, beautiful blogs, and a host of other attractive websites. So why then, do we also see so many bland online giving forms? The online giving form or process is one of your most important websites. So build it to be beautiful and effective!

Tell a story with your online giving website - Step one is envisioning your online giving pages not as the end of the trip, but a part of the journey. After all, you’ve done so much to get the donor to this point, don’t lose them now. One way to avoid “buyer’s remorse” among donors is by providing quality content on all your giving pages. Videos, pictures, links to success stories, and testimonials from the recipients of your work all help keep the donor engaged and moving through the giving process.

Forget “giving” make a “gaming” page – Autism Speaks has turned their online giving page into an interactive game or puzzle, to be more specific. At the Autism Speaks giving site, users can “buy” a puzzle piece for $10 with that money going to support the organization. Users are also invited to upload their pictures to create a puzzle of their own. Oh, and it’s easy to join* … just sign in using your Facebook account.

*For any online community, allow users to login with the social media accounts they already have. Creating a new account can be a major hurdle, but nearly every donor has either a Facebook, Twitter, or Google account – let them use it to connect with you!

Make your giving site “social” – Another clever way of engaging donors through your giving website is by making it look nothing like a traditional giving website. Have a look at the online giving site/social network “MiddSTART” run by Middlebury College. MiddSTART looks more like a social network than a giving site and it operates like one too. For each fund, a student or volunteer is in charge of raising awareness and gaining support for their fund by way of sharing news about the fund online. Once a donor makes a gift, they can add their name to the donor roll for each fund and connect with other donors, many of whom they might already know. Then, of course, it’s easy to share the news of your gift via the various social networks. MiddSTART is fun, interactive, puts the donor in control, and – most importantly – is highly effective. In the first couple months alone, MiddSTART brought in six-figure online fundraising totals for Middlebury.

No matter it’s purpose, if you have control over a digital space use it to tell your nonprofit’s story. This applies to email, websites, e-newsletters, online giving forms, and every other digit tool your donor might come across. Like every member of your staff, these electronic media are representing your organization. Help them help you tell your story.

For more on how you might improve your online giving process, visit BWF.com.

According to The Chronicle’s biennial survey of 126 large donor-advised funds, assets at the biggest funds were 10 percent higher than they were in 2007, just as the economy began to sour. What’s more, signs of growth continue in 2012: Total assets of the top 10 largest funds are up 16 percent, led by a 25-percent increase in assets at the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund. Other indicators, such as the number of funds, gifts, and grants as well as the value of gifts and grants, show that most donor-advised funds in this top group are on par to match or surpass the growth seen last year.

Full article text is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 5/27/2012.

Fast forward a few months to today and to some of the worst customer service I have ever received….

Flying for your commute can be interesting. Today it involved switching concourses and airlines and checking through security twice (and a five hour delay). Awesome! As a savvy, frequent traveler (about 200,000 miles a year), I was able to switch airlines, but I couldn’t seem to confirm my seat by phone. Because I had a first class seat on Delta, I queued up (with one person in front of me and one behind) in American Airline’s first class lane. The check-in helper was quick to point out I had to stand in line elsewhere, even though I was willing to pay for a first class ticket. (No wonder I avoid American.) To solve my problem, I moved to an electronic kiosk, secured my seat, etc. Round two of American Airline’s awful customer service involved their business club gate keeper who also immediately treated me like a burden.

Here is the message: I am a prospect for American Airlines. In fact, statistically, I suspect I’m the equivalent to a deca-millionaire prospect for Fundraising. There just aren’t too many people like me who fly so much as a potential client/donor. American Airlines–and all of us in the constituent relationship business–should strive to deliver outstanding service in the hopes that the right people are stewarded.

So, before, I come off sounding overly self important (which is not my intent) or too petty toward American Airlines (which sort of is my intent), let’s confirm the message. This little parable can come in handy as you think about the way you look at your prospects. Give them a little more time and attention. View every touch as a chance to deeper relationships, not just speed up processes. Don’t let just simple criteria rule out what could be great parters. And, while you’re at it, you might want to avoid American Airlines.

In honor of the extraordinary commitment of Herbert and Marion Sandler and the Sandler Foundation to UCSF and the Department of Neurology, the new neurosciences building, opening this month at the UCSF Mission Bay campus, will be named the Sandler Neurosciences Center.  To meet the challenge, the university will endeavor to match the gift dollar-for-dollar with additional donations in support of the facility and programs headquartered in the building.

Full article text is available via the University of California, San Francisco, 5/24/2012.

The organization, founded by former coach Jerry Sandusky, announced on Friday that it wants to transfer its programs and about $2 million in cash and other assets to Arrow Child & Family Ministries Inc., a Houston nonprofit. Like the Second Mile, Arrow helps at-risk children and their families.

Second Mile submitted a petition in the Court of Common Pleas of Centre County, Orphans’ Court Division, outlining the proposed transfer of programs and dissolution of local charity.

Full article text is available via The Los Angeles Times, 5/25/2012.

The university announced Tuesday that its offensive coordinator position has been endowed by a “very generous gift” from an anonymous donor in honor of the graduating quarterback. The position will now officially be called the Andrew Luck Director of Offense.

Full article text is available via The Washington Post, 5/23/2012.