Britain’s wealthiest continue to prove their generosity; “the super-rich are engaged in unprecedented levels of giving. They are more directly engaged in the distribution of that money than ever before.” According to the Sunday Times Rich List Giving Index, almost $4.65 bn. (May 9 exchange rates) has been given away or pledged by the leading 30 philanthropists among Britain’s richest 1,000 individuals. This is nearly double the $2.36 bn. given last year, and more than five times the amount given in 2006. The Giving Index ranks Rich List members by the proportion of their total wealth donated to charity over the preceding 12 months. The average Giving Index for the top 30 donors was 26.42 in 2008, almost treble that of ...

A sampling of recent stories of particular interest... A Town Under Fire Becomes a Symbol for Israel; from the front page of yesterday's New York Times: SDEROT, Israel — This long neglected immigrant town a mile from Gaza, pounded by Palestinian rockets for the past seven years, is taking on a new identity, edging into the center of Zionist consciousness as a symbol of the nation’s unofficial motto: “Never Again.” Federation's Stanley Gold slashes board size, reorganizes When Stanley Gold took over as Board Chair he promised major change. He also pledged to have 50% of the board under 50 y.o. within two years. I hope he understands this means including two generations of adults, not one. Last week the 133-member board ...

While almost two-thirds of charities raised more money during 2007 than they did in 2006, the size of those gain dropped dramatically, according to figures released by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) at its 45th International Conference on Fundraising in San Diego, Calif. For the seventh consecutive year, AFP’s State of Fundraising Survey asked charities to compare their fundraising totals in one year (2007) to the previous year (2006). Overall, 65 percent of organization claimed to have raised more funds during 2007 compared to 2006, with 24 percent of respondents raising less, and 11 percent raising about the same amount. The 65 percent figure represents a four-percent drop from the previous year (69 percent), which was the largest ...

Monthly giving plans are one of the best ways to reduce donor attrition and to upgrade an individual's giving level. In the next decade you will find that charities will increasingly look towards monthly donor programs to increase their income. In a report titled “Myths of Monthly Donor Programs” Canadian consultant Harvey McKinnon talks about how easy it is for a nonprofit to lose annual donors to those organizations with more aggressive monthly donor campaigns. “When a donor joins a monthly donor club it has consequences. She may even start reducing her single gift donations to other nonprofits — perhaps yours! — because she has committed a greater share of her charitable funds through monthly donor programs. Here’s an example to illustrate ...

A new survey by accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP reveals that just slightly more than half of non-profits require their board members to make financial contributions to their organizations. In the past, many organizations have employed a “give or get” policy where board members are required either to contribute to the organization or to solicit contributions from friends, colleagues and other contacts. However, the fifth annual National Board Governance Survey for Not-for-Profit Organizations, shows that requiring board members to personally give is slowly becoming the norm. "Board members are increasingly expected by other constituencies and stakeholders to set the example by personally making significant contributions," said Frank Kurre, national managing partner of Grant Thornton LLP's not-for-profit practice. "If an organization ...

Young Adam Silverman, whose family are members of Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan, hit the big time at his Bar Mitzvah. At least he must have, for Adam was able to make a gift from his Bar Mitzvah stash of over $40,000 to JAFI's athletics and tennis activities for Ethiopian immigrant children at the Mevasseret Tzion absorption center (outside Jerusalem). Kol Ha-kavod to Adam!

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LONDON (AP) -- Britain's 81-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, considered an icon of traditionalism, launched her own special Royal Channel on YouTube Sunday. (source: NYTimes) You might ask what this has to do with Jewish philanthropy? The answer is everything; when such a conservative establishment as Britain's Royal family turns to YouTube to deliver the Queen's Christmas message, it begs the question:

how will you organization best reach its' target audience in 2008?

Perhaps the answer is the old stand-by of direct mail with a bit of e-mail tossed in (to allow your audience to think you are with it). But more and more we are seeing the need to expand into new horizons to maintain current donors and attract ...

"They drive on the wrong side of the road; they need regime change, but... They are doing some great stuff online." (source, workshop hand-out) This being December, everyone has their lists. Best dressed, worst movies, any and every theme you can possibly imagine. Well, we will not be left out. I just returned from a workshop in London dealing with Current Trends in Online Fundraising. We were a small, eclectic and focused group representing Israel, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. Organizations as diverse as Mama Cash, a Netherlands based organization focusing on innovative women's projects and 2007 EU winner for an online fundraising campaign, to UNICEF participated. I will have much to offer in thoughts, suggestions and ...