Major Gifts
August 24, 2015 at 6:00 am
Time magazine went deep on Donald Trump for its August cover story. And while the article spends most of its running length exploring Trump's stance on various policy issues, there's a juicy nugget buried at the bottom, when Trump addresses an upcoming debate on CNN: "So if I go to CNN and I say, 'Look, you’re going to have a massive audience,' and if I say to them, 'I want $10 million for charity, nothing for myself,' what happens?"...
August 21, 2015 at 11:29 am
A $20-million donation to the financially troubled Paul Smith’s College in rural upstate New York is in limbo, dependent on whether the college agrees to rename itself, a controversial issue that has landed the matter in court. Joan Weill, a longtime board member and benefactor to Paul Smith’s College and the wife of Wall Street…
August 21, 2015 at 11:23 am
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its philanthropic arm, the Walmart Foundation, are making a $25 million, five-year commitment to disaster preparation and recovery efforts. The announcement, timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, will be made today in New Orleans. Kathleen McLaughlin, the foundation’s president, said grants will be made in the U.S.…
August 19, 2015 at 2:33 pm
I love asking for a gift. I love the conversation about big dreams and changing lives. I enjoy helping people realize what a difference they can make. But another great fundraising rule is: Do not ask for a major gift on a first visit. That’s the first date. You are just learning about your donor(s)...
August 10, 2015 at 12:42 pm
The annual appeal concept is one that holds to the idea that donors give one time, once a year, hence the words “annual gift” or the question, “Has the donor made their annual gift yet?” Fundraising programs built on this philosophy look to secure that one gift once a year, and then the work is finished. There are several things wrong with this concept...
August 7, 2015 at 2:08 pm
It's been dubbed the "Up" house for its resemblance to the home—and aircraft—in the 2009 animated Pixar movie Up. At 1,050 square feet, the "spite house" in Seattle has become a celebrated site. It has a rich history thanks to its colorful former owner, Edith Macefield, who for decades refused to sell her home to…
August 5, 2015 at 1:05 pm
The messages you send early on in a project’s development, the leaders you involve, how you plan for and implement a campaign and when you break ground all impact the success of a major fundraising campaign. Throughout a campaign, if people think the project is taken care of, by the organization, or other donors or volunteers, they will happily pass and let someone else do it...
August 4, 2015 at 2:03 pm
Spaceworks, a nonprofit devoted to providing artists with affordable, accessible studio space throughout New York City, has just been promised $10 million from the city to continue its efforts in the Bronx. In its largest-scale project yet, the Brooklyn-based organization is due to renovate 50,000 square feet of future studio space and community art facilities…
August 4, 2015 at 1:40 pm
Inside the Field Museum's recently unveiled Cyrus Tang Hall of China, a rare kingfisher headdress glitters in a new technological light. Touch screens allow visitors to view it and 350 or so other artifacts from every angle and to read the unique stories behind them. This sort of approach might not have happened if it…
August 3, 2015 at 2:48 pm
A roundup of notable gifts compiled by The Chronicle: California Institute of Technology Intel Corporation co-founder Gordon Moore and his wife, Betty, pledged $100 million to endow the institution. The Moores said how the institute chooses to use the donation is up to its leaders, who announced the money will be used to establish a…
