Regaining Our Fundraising Strength: A Longer Horizon

by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin As the summer of 2010 comes to an end, we should enter the final months of the year with an updated fundraising strategy and, for those of us in the Jewish community, we should utilize strategic approaches for the High Holidays and end of year appeals. While being proactive is always key to end of year successes, every Jewish agency should take stock of what has occurred during the first half of 2010 and explore how to integrate the proven, effective approaches into the High Holiday and “end of year” fundraising efforts. Clearly, we are a nation in transition, rebounding ever slowly from incredible financial pressures and attempting to regain certain aspects of “normalcy.” Unfortunately the period where we find ourselves today appears to be a slower... Continue Reading

Giving USA Methodology Raises Some Questions

by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin When The Giving Institute and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University announced results for charitable giving for 2009, some people expected less positive news and thus questioned the exciting results. The Giving USA (GUSA) annual report, now in its 55th year, estimated total 2009 U.S. charitable giving at approximately $304 billion, reflecting only a 3.6% decline over record giving in 2008 and the third consecutive year that giving exceeded $300 billion. Those who wondered aloud about the slight decrease in giving tried to point fingers at the methodology employed to develop the announcement. The raised eyebrows focused especially on itemized/non-itemized giving as reported by the IRS since the overwhelming preponderance of giving comes from individuals... Continue Reading

Reflections on the NewCAJE and Important Fundraising Questions

by Robert I. Evans I spent several days last week at NewCAJE, a first-time conference for approximately 350 Jewish educators. Men and women committed to Jewish education gathered in suburban Boston at the Gann Academy, the New Jewish High School of Boston, and talked passionately about diverse subjects all related to the Jewish educational agenda. Given my background and expertise, I was invited to lead two workshops, one on attracting and retaining volunteer leadership and the other focused on basic fund development knowledge, “fundraising 101.” The participants in both 90 minute sessions were certainly passionate about their respective schools and were clearly hungry for help in strengthening the boards and committees populated by a wide range of volunteers. The session on fundraising techniques... Continue Reading

Planned Giving Must Be A Critical Component of Fundraising Efforts

by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin We have long contended that planned giving must be a component in every non-profit’s fundraising repertoire, yet today we still see a level of reluctance to address this important philanthropic priority by non-profits of all ages, sizes, and areas of interest. Both professional and lay leaders have seemingly hesitated to discuss this topic as an organizational imperative or as a charitable option with donors. They believe it will not appeal to them and do not want to jeopardize, or worse, cannibalize an opportunity to secure an annual or even a capital contribution today. However, this is a mistake! Make no mistake: testamentary giving conversations serve to launch (or re-introduce) important giving opportunities and generally tantalize donor thinking. In a webinar... Continue Reading

U.S. Giving in 2009 Exceeds $300 billion, Reflecting Strong Support for Non-Profits

by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin The Giving Institute and the Giving USA Foundation today announced actual results of charitable giving in 2009, a report that will undoubtedly attract significant media and other attention in the coming weeks. The report reflects stronger-than-predicted results for non-profits across the United States in 2009, with final estimates of $303 billion . . . making 2009 the third consecutive year showing giving in excess of $300 billion! The report shows that nationally giving remained strong and the generosity of many donors continued at high levels – especially during troubling economic times. Giving USA 2010, published by Giving USA Foundation and researched at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, provides the most comprehensive overview of philanthropic... Continue Reading

Inside Perspective on Young Philanthropy

In today’s internet age, tweeting, blogging, and expansive friend requests on Facebook seem to have become major criteria for communicating and working effectively in the non-profit world. Non-profits, which often tend to lag behind in their mastery of technology, are working harder to stay current, innovative and most importantly communicative through different and ever advancing social media venues. We often hear that this push for more technology is an effort to better engage the younger generations and ultimately to develop them as philanthropists. To address the motivations of younger donors, we turned to a member of the EHL Consulting team, Meredith Brooks, who finds these challenges quite interesting and intriguing. While perhaps not the “typical post college graduate” that non-profits... Continue Reading

A New Young Rabbi Takes the Helm

by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin Rabbi Amy Feder will become the seventh senior rabbi of Congregation Temple Israel of St. Louis, Missouri, on July 1, 2010, succeeding Rabbi Mark Shook, who is retiring. At the age of 31, she becomes the youngest female Senior Rabbi to serve a large Reform congregation. To gain some insights into her plans, we spoke with Rabbi Feder, who herself is a fourth generation member of Temple Israel. Even though we have known and respected her for several years, we wanted to learn about her perspectives on a number of timely issues. Comfortable in her book-packed study that also features pictures of her 16-month-old son and husband Michael Alper, who also serves as a Rabbi at Temple Israel, Rabbi Feder shared with us her candid thoughts about what lies ahead as she addresses... Continue Reading

The Importance of Gift Acceptance Policies

Formal Gift Acceptance Policies Help Donors as well as Non-Profits by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin If history is any indicator, the Internal Revenue Service will audit only about one percent of the returns that individual American taxpayers file. And while some of these audits are done at random, many result from donors who may try to over-value their non-cash charitable gifts. This leads us to an important and perhaps critical recommendation for every non-profit: all organizations should create and implement formal gift acceptance policies that address any and all possibilities. Non-profit leaders should review these guidelines annually and be prepared to strictly enforce the policies. In addition to making cash contributions, the IRS encourages individuals to donate items like clothing, food... Continue Reading

Transparency: An Enduring Component of the Non-Profit World

by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin The Jewish and non-Jewish media have offered various opinions and news reports about non-profits and their financial behaviors. After reading “Raising The Bar”, a provocative editorial in New York’s Jewish Week recently and a highlighted posting on eJewish Philanthropy (February 8th) we feel compelled to further discuss the importance of financial transparency. Today the “new normal” demands that the philanthropic world respond to contemporary measures that serve to protect donors and force non-profits to diligently follow rules that are sometimes difficult to swallow. And these rules impact all Jewish non-profits including (or especially) houses of worship. One impending deadline is approaching that impacts non-profits and addresses financial transparency.... Continue Reading

Be Jewish Calendar Conscious

Be Jewish Calendar Conscious: It’s time to get working on Holiday appeals by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin The holidays are never on time . . . either too early or too late . . . or so the old line goes. With the first six weeks of 2010 under our belts, most people have settled into the new decade and a “fresh” calendar. Holidays come and go, the kids are back in school, and everyone is now into “the new normal” that allows for different perspectives on the economy, fundraising and the new ways of the world. Whatever you may think about what the next 6-12 months will bring, deadlines and milestones still present themselves! Take out your Jewish calendar now and be advised: important dates may be just around the corner and they require strategic thinking. This year, the first Seder is... Continue Reading

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