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 by Robert F. Sharpe,
Jr.
Now is the time for maintaining
perspective. Despite all
the negative news, many
reports conclude that charitable
giving in America is resilient. Historical
records indicate that after
initial declines, giving grew steadily
even during the Great Depression.
According to IRS data, Americans
actually increased the percentage of
income they gave to charity during
this period (see www.sharpenet.com/uncertaintimes).
In our view, the reasons for
continued giving are many, but boil
down to one simple fact: those who
make charitable gifts in any economic
environment do so because
they place a high priority on giving.
In good times, as well as bad, charitable
gifts come from discretionary resources that could only have otherwise
been spent or saved.
That being said, we can expect
major differences in how various
charitable organizations and institutions
will fare. Some will be flat,
some up, and some down.
Now, as always, it is our role
as fund development professionals
to help motivated donors make the
gifts they want to make in ways
that, where possible, also allow them
to meet other high priority needs.
Beyond terminology
Fund-raising activities are
organized in many ways. We have
annual giving, major gifts, special
events, planned giving, capital gifts,
endowment development, direct mail, and numerous other revenue
“channels.”
Some disciplines emphasize the
size of gifts, some timing, some the
use of funds, while others focus on
the methodology employed to raise
the funds. Remember, however, that
donors are more interested in the
work that you accomplish with their
gifts than your internal organizational
structures and jargon.
Walking in the donor’s shoes
Over the past 45 years, Sharpe
has consistently communicated the
need to focus on donors and view the
world from their perspective. Many donors would like to give more but
are regrettably stymied by what
seem to be insurmountable competing
needs.
Now more than ever donors
need alternative ways to make their
gifts while recognizing the reality
of the responsibilities they face in
other areas of their lives.
The right planning tools can
help donors make gifts that are
“alternatives” to current gifts,
“alternatives” to cash gifts, or “alternatives”
to gifts at death—that all
provide useable funds for charitable
purposes in the near term.
In this issue of Give & Take
we address major developments
including lower interest rates and
proposed changes in the laws governing
retirement plans. While
esoteric to some, these and other
changes will dramatically impact
the way donors make their gifts
this year and beyond.
All of us at The Sharpe Group
look forward to helping America’s
nonprofit community continue to
raise the funds that are the lifeblood
of the vital services it provides.
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