Wealthy Donors

Flint, Mich., faces a $12 million cost to replace its lead-contaminated water system, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation will pay a third of the price. “When we saw blood levels in children exceeded safety standards, we just said we have to come to the table,” said Ridgway White, president of the foundation, which has…

Felicia DiRocco was one of about 30 people who piled into a packed classroom at the Stockton University Manahawkin Instructional Site on Monday wanting to learn more about crowdfunding for their nonprofits. DiRocco, a secretary for a nonprofit called the Maximillion Foundation, said the foundation has had a GoFundMe page for almost a year, but…

When it comes to using technology to solve humanity's problems, so much more can be done. That's how Chase Adam feels about it anyway. “It's crazy that there are huge engineering teams figuring out how we can add a different filter to our photos, but there are so few people using the Internet and technology…

Charitable giving through donor-advised funds (DAFs) has grown in popularity in recent years. A DAF comprises contributions made separately and independently by individual donors. The fund maintains legal control of the contributions, and donors retain advisory privileges regarding investments and fund distributions. DAFs provide several advantages, particularly for high-income individuals. For example, they can help…

It always is amazing how many nonprofit professionals actually believe that donors are not watching what they are doing. This behavior is symptomatic of an underlying belief system (on the part of a nonprofit’s leadership) that views donors as sources of cash rather than partners. We see examples of this every day in many nonprofits...

The millennial remains a source of constant confusion and discussion as nonprofits try to determine the best way to solicit donations from the generation that is widely believed not to give. Some try to get in the millennial mindset, others try to take advantage of common characteristics, and still others suggest not worrying about younger donors and rather focusing on the older generation. So, are millennials the cause for concern that so many portray them to be? Maybe not...

As philanthropy enters a second golden age, real social change is getting lost in the hype of market-based giving. In one of his short stories, “Counterfeit Money,” Charles Baudelaire describes a fictional encounter between two friends who come across a beggar in the street. In this short piece, the narrator and friend offer the beggar…

Money is a key component of the philanthropic equation, but today’s innovative philanthropists want to do more. Money can serve to make their precious values and boldest dreams come true. To assure this happens, they’ll do whatever it takes. If you want to succeed in any kind of fundraising (major or otherwise), it behooves you to get inside your donors’ heads...

I don’t believe you must be rich to be a philanthropist. The very word philanthropy means “love of humanity.” Anyone can do it. But, the rich are different. Not fundamentally, of course. We’ve already established that they just have more money. But that’s enough to warrant a different approach, because major-donor giving will make more of a difference to your cause and to instilling energy into life-affirming organizations and projects...

How much should the heads of major charities make? “It goes back to your passions and what is important to you,” said Jimmy Hill, president of the River Region United Way. “If I’m here working for a profit ... then I’m here for the wrong reason.” But pay someone far too little and the charity…