New Professorship Created to Bolster Fund-Raising Research
When the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy asked Bob Hartsook for a big gift to endow the first fund-raising professorship at the university, he was intrigued. Mr. Hartsook, a Witchita, Kan., consultant with more than 30 years of fund-raising experience, says he has long been frustrated…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Celebrities Are Not a Big Draw for Donors
Many charities seek out ways to get celebrities to promote their cause. But a new poll suggests that few donors pick charities based on celebrity involvement. Commissioned by Cone, a Boston company that helps charities and corporations conduct marketing projects, the survey of 1,022 adults found…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Two Big Mergers Shake Up Charity-Software Business
Two big mergers of software companies that serve charities were announced last week, a sign of growing consolidation among businesses that help charities raise money and undertake advocacy and other activities online: Blackbaud, a company that sells software that helps charities keep track of how…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Estate Tax’s Effect on Giving May Not Matter So Much, New Analysis Finds
Even though estate taxes have been gradually reduced each year since 2001, the changes do not seem to have caused a drop in charitable bequests. Instead, the percentage of large estates containing such bequests has remained constant or increased.
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Sex, Drugs, and … Charity? Brain Study Finds New Links
The warm glow that many donors get from giving to charity involves the same brain mechanisms that evoke pleasurable sensations after sex, eating good food, and using heroin or other drugs, a new study has found. To examine the interplay of self-interest and altruistic behavior, researchers at the…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Charities’ Treatment of Donors Key to Understanding Why They Stop Giving
Many donors stop giving because they hate the way charities approach them for money — or they don’t feel they get enough information about how their money is used. That is the conclusion of several ALSO SEE:LIVE DISCUSSION: Join a live discussion with Penelope Burk to discuss her research on why…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Aggressive fund-raising tactics increasingly alienate contributorsKaren L. Medicus made her first $25 gift to Greenpeace a few years ago, followed by another $50 six months later. Then she stopped giving — not because ALSO SEE:ARTICLE: Charities’ Treatment of Donors Key to Understanding Why They…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Charities Find It’s Wise to Spend More on Fund Raising
Fund raisers at the nation’s most-successful charities have borrowed basic concepts from the investing world to ALSO SEE:DATABASE: Philanthropy 400Article: A Year of Big GainsArticle: Largest Charities Focus on Campaigns’ AftermathArticle: Emphasis on Accountability Lifts Returns for International…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Largest Charities Focus on Campaigns’ Aftermath
As the economy has improved, so have the capital-campaign prospects of charities, as reflected in the fund-raising ALSO SEE:DATABASE: Philanthropy 400Article: A Year of Big GainsArticle: Charities Find It’s Wise to Spend More on Fund RaisingArticle: Emphasis on Accountability Lifts Returns for…
By Holly Hall
Contributor
Largest charities saw donations rise 13% in 2005Donations to America’s largest charities grew by 13 percent last year, to $62.7- billion, according to The Chronicle’s ALSO SEE: DATABASE: Philanthropy 400 Table: Philanthropy 400: By the Numbers Table: Causes and the Support They Garnered Tables: The…
By Holly Hall
Contributor