We've all seen it: donors are holding off on making charitable gifts, smaller gifts are being given, there are fewer new donors and campaigns are slowing down. Smaller returns on investments are squeezing individual donors and foundations alike. During such difficult times, what should organizations do to maintain their fundraising operations? Last week I attended a forum sponsored by Citizens Bank entitled, "Fundraising in a difficult economic environment" which featured keynote speaker Ruben Orduña, VP Development at the Boston Foundation. He offered up some practical suggestions of what you can do to weather the economic storm.
Christina Yoon's blog
Weathering the economic downturn: Maintaining a robust fundraising operation during tough economic times
Trends in corporate philanthropy - Wal-Mart's example
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A recent trend in corporate philanthropy has been for a company to be more strategic with its foundation giving by aligning it with the company’s brand and goals. Wal-Mart, one of the nation’s largest corporate donors has taken a big step in this direction. The company’s local giving has traditionally been managed by local stores, who have doled out small grants to local organizations and schools. However, in an effort to leverage its funds to achieve greater long-term impact, the foundation has set up new state-level funding pools to make gifts of $25,000 or more and has hired program officers to assess opportunities and the effectiveness of its grants.
