Year-End Appeals: Seeking Gifts in Uncertain Times

Many charities are entering the most crucial months of the fund-raising year at the same time that many donors are dealing with the most uncertain economic circumstances of their lifetimes.

What should fund raisers do to encourage donors to support their causes? What approaches turn people off? What kind of results are realistic to expect?

Full-text transcript of Bruce Flessner's conversation with Peter Panepento via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 10.14.08. [Subscription required.]

Worst Week Ever: Dow, S& P Each Fall 18%

Cloaked in the fear of a global recession, U.S. stocks limped to the end of a brutal week of trading yesterday, ending their worst week in history.

Full-text article by Renae Merle is available via the Washington Post, 10.11.08.

High-Net-Worth Families Cutting Back on Giving, Study Finds

A new report from private wealth-research firm Prince & Associates suggests that the sputtering economy and financial meltdown on Wall Street are beginning to pinch the affluent, who are responding by cutting back on their charitable giving, Forbes reports.

Full-text article is available via the Philanthropy News Digest, 10.6.08.

On Eve of Philanthropy Forum, Clinton Worries About Economy

Preparing to open his annual philanthropy gathering here against the backdrop of historic upheaval on Wall Street, former president Bill Clinton expressed concern Monday that the economic downturn could undermine major charitable investments around the world just when help is particularly needed.

Full-text article by Philip Rucker is available via the Washington Post, 9.23.08.

Wall Street's Perfect Storm

Investors deal with a Lehman bankruptcy, the sale of Merrill Lynch to BofA, and a possible AIG restructuring.

Full-text article by David Henry is available via BusinessWeek, 9.15.08.

Charity Buoyed by Resilience of Wealthy Donors

The economic slump is already causing financially stretched middle-income Americans to curtail their charitable donations, but philanthropic giving by the wealthy is likely to remain strong – if not quite as generous – throughout the rest of the year.

The timing of big gifts could be affected, too, as most large donations tend to be driven by events such as the selling of a piece of appreciated real estate, or liquidating a family business – occasions that could be delayed by volatility in the stock market.

Full-text article by Rebecca Knight is available via the Financial Times, 8.19.08.

The Impact of the Housing Crash on Family Wealth

“The Impact of the Housing Crash on Family Wealth,” analyzes the wealth holdings of families in all age cohorts in 2004 and projected the wealth of these families in 2009. The findings are presented by income quintile under three scenarios- real house prices remain at current levels, real house prices fall by an additional 10 percent, or real house prices fall by an additional 20 percent. In all three scenarios, the vast majority of these families will have little or no housing wealth in 2009.

Full-text study is available by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

8 Reasons You Should Not Expect an Inheritance

Costs are rising, retirement income is less secure and the golden years are lasting longer, leaving older people less to bequeath to their heirs.

Full-text article by Ron Lieber is available via the New York Times, 6.21.08.

You Think Flying Is Bad Now...

Something has to give as airlines adjust to $130 oil and brace for a record yearly loss. Not all of the majors will survive in this economy.

Full-text article by Dean Faust and Justin Bachman is available via Business Week, 5.28.08.

Gala Auction Feels a Chill From Wall Street’s Slump

At the 2008 Robin Hood Foundation benefit this week, auctiongoers donated that much money to charity. But many of the market wizards are making less these days — and they are giving away less, too.

Full-text article by Jenny Anderson is available via the New York Times, 5.29.08.

Corporate Giving in Uncertain Times

As the national economy sinks deeper into recession, the nonprofit sector is starting to feel the same anxiety that has beset the financial, housing and retail sectors.

Nonprofit groups fear that companies forced to tighten their budgets will start by reducing or eliminating their philanthropic programs. While corporate giving constitutes only about 5 percent of all donations nationwide, any cuts could have significant impact on programs and organizations.

Full-text article by Clay Holtzman is available via MSNBC.com, 5.11.08.

Struggling Communities Turn to Colleges

In economically troubled areas, small private colleges help generate development projects in large part as a matter of survival.

Full-text article by Karin Fischer is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 5.16.08. [Subscription required.]

How the Economy Impacts Capital Campaigns

Fund raisers across the country say that individuals, corporations, and foundations they expected to make big gifts to capital campaigns this year have refused to do so, while others say that donors are making smaller-than-expected contributions.

Full-text article by Holly Hall is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 5.15.08. [Subscription required.]

Smartlink.org Creates Blueprint for Effective Philanthropy in Tough Economic Times

At a time when many in the community are feeling the effects of a possible recession, Smartlink.org – a nonprofit online resource of Community Giving Resource (CGR) that helps individual donors and small foundations explore issues and give strategically within communities – released guidelines for leveraging philanthropy to build stronger communities. Smartlink.org’s guidelines address the growing need for reliable information for donors, driven by a sharp increase in family philanthropy, the inter-generational transfer of wealth, and the growing interest of maturing Baby Boomers to give back.

Full-text press release is available via BusinessWire.com, 5.6.08.

Americans Rank Health Care Near Top of Their Economic Woes, New Poll Finds

Healthcare costs rank among Americans’ top personal economic problems, and their struggles to deal with those costs have affected both their financial well-being and their family’s health care, a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds.

Survey Brief: Economic Problems Facing Families

Colleges Step Up Fund-Raising Efforts to Support Student Aid

Under pressure to be more affordable, many institutions feel a heightened need to provide more financial aid -- and they are turning to alumni and other private donors for help.

Full-text article by Beckie Supiano is available via The Chronicle of Higher Education, 5.1.08. [Subscription required.]

Wall Street's Woes Hit Charities

New York charities, long dependent on steady donations from New Yorkers who earn big salaries on Wall Street, are starting to feel the strain of the uncertain economic times.

Full-text article by Louise Roug is available via The Los Angeles Times, 4.29.08.

What It Takes to Be a Good Fund Raiser

Demand for fund raisers continues to be intense as the number of charities in the United States keeps growing, the ambitions of organizations expand, and the economy’s ups and downs lead organizations to look at ways to raise private money to replace government aid.

Dozens of people who want to fill those jobs — or upgrade their skills — gathered at New York University on Saturday to participate in a day-long conference run by the George Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising.

Full-text blog post by Stacy Palmer is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Prospecting Blog, 4.27.08. [Subscription required.]

Arts Groups Feel Economic Woes

Museums, symphony halls, dance companies, and other arts groups are feeling the impact of spiking interest rates on municipal bonds and low returns on investments. Plus many groups fear that the sagging economy will lead to a drop in ticket sales and donations.

Full-text article by Karen Matthews is available via Philly.com, 4.21.08.

Even rich think they might be too rich

The rich are not like you and me, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby.

For one thing, they're getting ahead at a quicker pace, according to a new study. Two-thirds surveyed on middle-class attitudes believe that "the rich are getting richer." The authors of Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life say their hunch is right.

Full-text article by Andrew Herrmann is available via The Chicago Sun-Times, 4.13.08.

As Wall Street Falters, Charities Seek Donors Elsewhere

Charities that traditionally find financial support from Wall Street investors, corporations, and law firms in New York are adopting a cautious attitude in response to the economic downturn.

Full-text article by Geraldine Fabrikant is available via The New York Times, 4.12.08.

Fewer Options Open to Pay for Costs of College

Parents will have to navigate unfamiliar and difficult terrain when it comes time to pay for college this year, with student loan companies in turmoil and banks tightening their standards and raising rates on other types of borrowing.

Full-text article by Jonathan D. Glater is available via The New York Times, 4.12.08.

New college graduates to find a strong job market

New college graduates this spring can count on a welcoming job market as employers seek to replace a baby boom generation reaching retirement age.

Employers are planning to hire 16% more 2008 college graduates than they did a year ago, according to a projections from a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, a Bethlehem, Pa.-based group that tracks the market for new graduates.

Full-text article by Stephanie Armour via USA Today, 3.10.08.

Are We Talking Ourselves Into Recession?

While you can't talk a strong economy into a weak one, maybe we're making things worse by focusing on the negative news.

Full-text article by Chris Farrell is avialable via BusinessWeek, 3.6.08.

Debate on Economy Grows More Urgent

A surprisingly bleak employment report sent tremors through Washington and roiled the presidential campaign recently, infusing new urgency into the debate over how to reverse an accelerating economic slide and fueling a political contest over who to blame for it.

Full-text article by Peter Baker is available via The Washington Post, 3.8.08.

Health care can ensure a healthy economy, too

Health care has emerged in recent years as a bright spot for the Pensacola Bay Area economy, and as a focus for the future that promises more and better jobs.

Building on a base of existing hospitals, enhancing this area's status as a growing regional medical center is an exciting economic development trend.

Full-text article via Pensacola News Journal, 2.12.08.

You Are What You Spend

Household consumption indicates that the gap between rich and poor is far less than most assume, and that the abstract, income-based way in which we measure the so-called poverty rate no longer applies to our society.

Full-text article by W. Michael Cox and Richard Alm is available via The New York Times, 2.10.08.

America's Richest Counties

Forbes recently published a list of America's richest counties based on median household income data from the 2006 census. Fairfax County, Va., Loudoun County, Va., and Howard County, Md., top the list.

Full-text article by Matt Woolsey is available via Forbes.com, 1.22.08.

Nonprofits Escape Economic Slowdown

One sector of the economy that seems to be thriving is the philanthropic sector. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, "Twenty donors made gifts of $100 million or more last year, just shy of the record of 21 such gifts made in 2006, according to The Chronicle's annual ranking of the 50 most-generous Americans. And despite a turbulent economy, fundraisers seeking donations of $10 million or more predict another strong year of big gifts in 2008."

Full-text article by Bonnie Erbe is available via U.S. News & World Report, 1.28.08.

Can an Investor Buy a Community College?

A private investor has offered to buy the online operations and students of Rio Salado College — a community college in Arizona where about half of the 60,000 students study only online — for at least $400 million, and officials at the Maricopa County Community College District, of which Rio Salado is a part, are considering the offer.

Full-text article by Doug Lederman is available via InsideHigherEd.com, 1.23.08.

As wealthy institutions report record fund-raising gains, social-service groups struggle to stay afloat

Signs of a growing fund-raising divide between wealthy organizations and other charities are growing starker.

Full-text article by Holly Hall is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1.10.08. [Subscription required.]