Category: Studies, News and Trends

“There has been a lot of coverage about the new tax law and its implications on the economy, on businesses and individuals, and on estate plans. There have also been some valuable webinars and articles on how the new law will affect charitable giving. Some coverage has been alarmist, and most articles are far from succinct and readily useful for fundraisers. Judging by the questions I often get, there remains much confusion by donors and advancement officers. Allow me to take a run at providing, what I think are the most relevant aspects of the new tax law for advancement officers, that you

Dr. King was a lifelong depressive, as noted in the writings of David L. Cole (Miami, FL), having first attempted suicide before age 10. Although he graduated with a Doctorate before age 30, he did not get hired as Dean of Students at Xavier University because he “didn’t have the qualities of a leader.” King’s friends and family dissuaded his relationship with his white girlfriend because that could get a black man hanged. He smoked like a chimney and could play pool till dawn, much to the displeasure of his father with whom he argued over his life’s direction. From

Please join us in congratulate our clients on their fundraising achievements in 2017: A $10 million campaign was begun with The Shiv Nadar Foundation for scholarships for Indian students to study at USA Universities. We’ve identified the Indian diaspora in the United States to invite them to give to this important educational effort. We developed a STEM program for the funders to Christ the King Prep school in Newark, NJ and are shopping that to local NJ corporations. A new Planned Giving program was designed and started for St. Christopher’s Inn. Moves Management was used in the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s year-end appeal letter to ask for increased

  President Trump’s inaugural committee raised an unprecedented $107 million and the committee pledged to give leftover funds to charity. That amount doubled President Barack Obama’s then-record inauguration donations in 2009, which totaled around $53 million. Nearly eight months later, the Trump inaugural committee has helped pay for redecorating the White House and the vice president’s DC residence. But nothing has yet gone to charity. An inaugural committee is appointed by the president-elect to take charge of the presidential inaugural ceremony and related activities. This committee is required to disclose to the Federal Election Committee (FEC) all donations received. This

  The Global Gag Rule (GGR), reinstated by President Trump after his inauguration, is back in the news.  Secretary of State Tillerson announced a plan for U.S. Government Departments and Agencies to apply the provisions of the policy to grants, agreements, and contracts with foreign NGOs that receive U.S. funding for global health assistance.  This applies to the $8.8 billion in funds appropriated to USAID and the Departments of State and Defense. The Global Gag Rule, a staple of Republican policy since Ronald Reagan, had been used previously to block overseas reproductive health NGOs from receiving US government family planning

I’ve read a few “Forecasts for the New Nonprofit Year,” and found them lacking. I hope to repair that breach here, but please feel free to tell me if I don’t even come close to your own views. Quickly, here are my top three 2017 predictions for the nonprofit year ahead: Private fundraising from individual donors will be more important than ever before. Why? It is likely that government funding will be drastically reduced due to the Trump administration’s medieval view of the social safety net. Increased donor support will also play a huge factor for progressive charities most of

Charitable giving in the USA reached a record high for the second year in a row, according to the newly released Giving USA 2016: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2015, a publication of Giving USA Foundation, researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Researchers estimate that giving totaled $373.3 billion in 2015 up 4 percent from the previous year, according to estimates from “Giving USA,” an annual report on American philanthropy. International-affairs organizations saw the largest growth in donations, with their collections rising by 17.4 percent to $15.8 billion, largely due to

No matter your political persuasion, you can’t deny that in Bernie Sanders’ campaign we fundraisers are witnessing the holy grail of online fundraising! The Sanders campaign is showing what happens when the right critical message finds its natural audience; at the right time! As of the campaigns last report a total of 680,959 individuals have contributed. To these 680,959 natural constituents, the Bern is irresistible, and his campaign keeps engaging them, their values, and vision of a changed world. Moreover, 97 percent of the Sanders campaign funds, according to OpenSecrets.org, derive from online contributions, with 66 percent of campaign donations

  Celebrate with us, a victory for you and your donors! In a historic vote, Congress passed the IRA Charitable Rollover into permanent law, making it available to donors and charities for the foreseeable future. Until now, charitable “tax extenders” had to be reinstated each year, now they are a permanent part of our tax code. The law allows individuals age 70 ½ and older to transfer up to $100,000 from their individual retirement accounts to a qualified charitable organization without being subject to income taxes on the distribution any giving tax year.  This is effective immediately and can be