Bentz Whaley Flessner Advisory: Giving Through Tough Economic Times

It appears as if most economists believe there is a good chance the United States may slip into a recession in 2008. Whether you think there is coming recession or not, one thing is clear: the current downturn in the stock market will be a challenge for fundraising this year.

What does this mean for you?
The answer to this economic challenge is not to give up on fundraising should a recession arrive in 2008; but rather, the solution is to work harder and smarter than you did in 2007. Consider the following strategies.

Read more of this January 2008 Advisory on the Bentz Whaley Flessner website and learn what steps you can take to strenghten donor relations through this tough economic period.

A good read: The Soft(ware) Side of Fundraising Effectiveness

Read Tim Mills-Groninger's special report on "The Soft(ware) Side of Fundraising Effectiveness" that was published in The NonProfit Times. Tim writes about AFP's pilot Fundraising Effectiveness Program (FEP) that is aiming at establishing organizational, geographic, and sector benchmarks for development programs. He goes on to discuss the "simple measures of effectiveness" including the importance of data and fundraising databases as well as the role of software in fundraising.

Top 10 richest men and women under 30 years old

MSN has produced a list of the 10 richest men and a list of the richest 10 women under 30.

View the Top 10 richest men under 30 list.

View the Top 10 richest women under 30 list.

NYTimes Article: Here's My Check; Spend It All at Once

Click here to read an interesting 1.20.08 New York Times article by Stephanie Strom on donor intent.

The Decline of Inherited Money

Click here to view a Wall Street Journal "Wealth Report" discussion on the decline of inherited money.

Privacy Debate

To continue the conversation on data privacy...here's a link to an editorial in the Roanoke Times regarding a bill that would exempt the University of Virginia from a portion of the Freedom of Information Act.

Datatel Press Release

Datatel Launches Complete Retention Solution to Identify At-Risk Students and Preserve Enrollment

Datatel, Inc. has announced the general availability of Colleague Student Retention Alert, a comprehensive offering of software and professional services designed to help higher education institutions retain at-risk students, help them succeed academically, and preserve critical tuition dollars.

Read more of this 1.14.07 Datatel press release from Business Wire.

Prospect Research Resource Recommendations

The Rich 100: Canada's Wealthiest People [Canadian Business Journal, 1.14.08]
Best & Brightest of 2007 [Esquire, 11.01.07]
The 2007 Silicon Alley 100 [Silicon Alley Insider, 2008]

The Chronicle Releases it's Philanthropy 50 List of the Most-Generous Donors of 2007

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that America's most-generous donors committed to give away a total of $7.3-billion in 2007, according to our just-released ranking of the 50 top philanthropists of 2007. Twenty of the donors made gifts or pledges of at least $100-million.

Read more and view the list.

Anonymous Donations, A Thing Of The Past?

One of the long lasting traditions of philanthropy is the ability of a donor to remain anonymous. Now, according to an article by Sally Beatty in the January 9th edition of the Wall Street Journal, that tradition could become a relic of the past.

Pressure is being put on charities to reveal their sources of funding, even if the donors wish to remain anonymous. This could have vast implications throughout philanthropy.

The article can be found here.

IRS Sets New Filing Thresholds For Form 990

Mark Hrywna, from the NonProfit Times, reports that the IRS will phase in a new filing threshold that will permit nonprofits with gross receipts between $25,000 and $1 million, and total assets below $2.5 million, to file a revised Form 990 EZ in 2008.

"By 2010, nonprofits with gross receipts between $50,000 and $200,000 in gross receipts, and less than $500,000 in total assets, will be permitted to file a Form 990 EZ."

Read more of this 01.09.08 article from The NonProfit Times.

IRS Issues Guidance On Donations To United Way Type Organizations

The IRS has issued guidance in the substantiation of gifts made to the United Way and similar organizations. Based on the Pension Protection Act of 2006, those organizations must now provide to the donor a written communication that lists the ultimate recipients of the donation. This is in addition to any receipt the United Way or other organizations sends to the donor.

This guidance will be in effect until the actual regulation is written.

Read more about it here.

Insuring Donors' Goodwill

Going beyond the data back-up

Marla E. Nobles from The NonProfit Times writes about the importance of backing up data. Ms. Nobles also explores the importance of insurance coverage that deals with security breaches, to which non-profits are, unfortunately, not immune.

Read this 1.01.08 article by Marla E. Nobles from The NonProfit Times.

Foundation Center launches free Trend Tracker (Beta) tool

Trend Tracker, a free search tool now available at the Foundation Center's web site, offers immediate, interactive access to the Center's historical financial data on U.S. grantmakers.

From the Foundation Center press release: "Trend Tracker, our new online search tool, offers immediate, interactive access to the Center's historical financial data on U.S. grantmakers. For the first time, anyone can tap the Center's database to create statistical reports on the nation's top 20,000 foundations. Review an individual grantmaker's fiscal data or compare up to five foundations and create charts, line graphs, or tables displaying historical assets, gifts received, expenditures, or giving information."

Explore the Foundation Center's new Trend Tracker.