tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69050036026106143752024-03-13T00:35:08.408-07:00Oram Matters Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-42778586606074041062023-03-14T13:34:00.000-07:002023-03-14T13:34:02.035-07:00MOVING ON ... <p>Thanks to all for taking the time over the years to visit this blog. Though the comlany remains, I. no longer seek aid work, and effective 1 March 2023, I have ceased poating here. I invite you to check out:</p><p><br /></p><p>A New Blog From An Old Hand</p><p>"But There's More …"</p><p>www.hankgoldstein.org</p><p><br /></p><p>H G</p>Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-26057647390899917962022-06-21T08:08:00.000-07:002022-06-21T08:08:14.993-07:00GIVING USA REPORTS $$484.85 BILLION DONATED IN CALENDAR 2021<p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">Today, June 21, 2022, the Giving USA Foundatiion issued its </span><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">annual report on US philanthriopy for calendar 2021. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">Key findings :</span></p><ul style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32); color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"><li>Giving remained strong in 2021, reaching a total of $484.85 billion.</li><li>Between 2020 and 2021, corporate giving increased 18.3% in inflation-adjusted dollars, individual giving was fairly flat, foundation giving declined -1.2% in inflation-adjusted dollars, and bequest giving declined by -11.4% in inflation-adjusted dollars. However, all four sources experienced positive two-year growth<strong>.</strong></li><li>Giving to health and arts rebounded after a difficult 2020. Giving to arts, culture, and humanities grew 27.5%, and giving to health grew 7.7% in 2021, bolstered by a strong stock market and a return to in-person activities.</li><li>Giving to international affairs, human services, and education experienced low growth or declines in 2021 after reaching record-highs in 2020.</li><li>Giving to the environment, animals, public-society benefit organizations, and foundations all grew by 10% or more in 2021.</li><li>The environment is a smaller category of giving, but shows impressive growth, and boasts a broad range of donors with different income and age levels.</li><li>Online giving represented 12% of total giving in 2021. </li></ul><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;">This data has been published annually since the mid-1950s For the past several years, the research has been provided by the Indiana Universirty Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, in partnership with the Giving USA Foundation. </span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;">Overall, it is the most complete and comprehensive information available from any source. That said, it is best to accept the data as provisional, if not incomplete. For example, remittance philanthropy is not included, likely because of the difficulty of collecting data. However, it is estimated, from other sources, to be in the billions. Yes, it can be argued that remittance giving cannot be defined as philanthropic, strictly speaking. However altruism is common to both charitable and remittance <span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">giving.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;">Estate giving is also underestimated because most estates are not large enough to have to file a federal tax return, the data </span><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">source relied on. Religious giving data is also problematic because religious organizations -- e.g. the Salvation Army, an enormous charity -- and churches, mosques, synagogues, etc,., are not required to file 990s. For that reason, giving to religion (despite a sharp drop in regiously-affiliated individuals) is arguably higher than what's reported. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32);"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">Also corporate giving estimates are slippery because much of the giving is written off as marketing which is, of course, a deductible business outlay. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32);"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">At this moment, the US economy appears headed for a recession, driven by supply shortages and war. How that will affect this year's giving remains to be seen. But in past recessions, charitable giving held up fairly well. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32);"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 32, 32);">Let us hope!</span></span></div>Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-87135533313118390632022-05-13T07:26:00.000-07:002022-05-13T07:26:58.575-07:00THE CRYPTO COLLAPSE <p>For the last few years, when the subject of cryptocurrency donations arose, I invoked the standard advice: convert to dollars, ASAP, the standard practice that charities should follow in handling gifts of stocks, bonds, boats, real estate or any other in-kind gifts, etc. But inside my head, I could never shake that mackerel-in-the-moonlight feeling: about crypto: nice shine, terrible smell. </p><p>Exponential cryptocurrency growth, more or less paralleling the two plus years of the Covid "crash," marked by sharp speculative highs and lows, didn't seem to curb the interest of development officers and consultants in chasing crypto gifts - mainly from younger new-to-giving donors -- who bought in at low prices and were suddenly sitting on serious money. Several start-ups sprang up to serve nonprofits as fee-paid brokers in converting crypto gifts to dollars. </p><p>At its peak, one bitcoin ( the crypto leader by far) sold at over $60,000.This morning, Friday the 13th (read into that whatever you will) the price was roughly $30,000. And, this morning's New York Times front page reported on the $300 <u>billion</u> collapse of the crypto market in just <u>four days</u>. </p><p>Bottom line: Anyone who wants to gift cryptocurrency to your charity should do the conversion to dollars <i>first</i>. Period. Full stop. </p>Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-39848747113240273932021-06-17T14:12:00.003-07:002021-06-17T14:12:49.614-07:00CHARITABLE GIVING IN 2020<p>Our home page reports on charitable giving in 2020: $471.4 billion, a remarkable achievement made possible largely by high growth in the stock market, stimulating both gifts from individuals and families; and from foundations, whose portfolios also jumped in value as a result of investment gains.</p><p>In a piece I published in this blog, and then (much edited) in <i>Nonprofit Times</i> this past May, I said that <i>Giving USA</i> data, though arguably the best estimate we have, is probably a vast undercount: remittance giving is not counted at all, and I regard that phenomenon at least as much philanthropic as the church collection plate, because it is. motivated by philanthropic impulse, though seldom mentioned as such. Bequest giving is also undercounted because most of it is below the tax reporting threshold requirement; <i>Giving USA</i> relies on IRS data. Next, in comparative terms, gifts from individuals are infrequently itemized; and lastly, an undeterminable amount of corporate giving is written off as a business expense. For a corporation, a charitable deduction is the same as any other business expense. Charitable giving bestows no additional, nor lesser, advantage. </p><p>The takeaway, in any case, is that many of us (including me) expected disaster when Covid shut down the economy in March, 2020. No one projected the hit stock market growth, fueled largely by the FANGs: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google; by robust consumer spending despite high unemployment (mainly in lower paying service jobs); and by the Trump administration's tax cuts for the wealthy and for business. There is no question that lots of money sloshing around, even in the face of over 600,000 Covid deaths in the US, propelled astonishing growth, an all time record since the organization first reported on charitable giving in (I think) 1955. </p>Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-15298112419798521552021-03-08T06:17:00.001-08:002021-03-08T06:17:26.795-08:00Update A Seminal 1975 Report on American Philanthropy<p> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">The time has come to revisit and update an influential report <span style="color: #6d6e71;">on philanthropy p</span>ublished in 1975. There has been nothing like it since. It’s time for an update because institutionaly philanthropy has changed considerably; the next 50 years will look very different than the last. The absence of broadly recognized philanthropic leadership – beyond just their giving -- in the mold of a John D. Rockefeller or an Andrew Carnegie or a Julius Rosenwald is striking.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">There is no single organization, foundation, think tank nor academic institution with a sufficiently commanding or unifying national presence to lead a new organization. Instead, it should be established by Presidential action and privately led, managed and financed. This update matters immensely because donors, the recipients of charitable dollars, the boards of trustees and the mechanical enablers – the fundraisers, nonprofit executives and the work force, over 10% of all private sector employment -- will all be affected because the challenges are greater than ever before. Private philanthropy has a vast responsibility and equally vast potential to address national and global problems. For now, that potential is unmet, seriously underutilized and insufficiently supported by private donors as well as government funders. That said, ongoing <i>Chronicle</i> reporting since last December highlights the extent to which this concern is now top of mind for many of the nation’s top philanthropists<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: #6d6e71;">0-</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">Why now? Six months into the Trump presidency, I wrote on the company blog that “… <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #333333;">we now live in an alternative universe: Robin ‘Dooh’ steals from the poor and gives to the rich. … [P]unishing the poor for being poor is a blood sport. … Trump's fixation on erasing Obama from the collective memory puts his overt racism, his Obama birther-ism obsession, his anti-Muslim travel ban and his loathing of the poor (‘losers’) in one steaming cauldron of know-nothing hate.” I put off the update idea. Things only got worse from there. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">Now, we are in an epic struggle with two interlaced pandemics, one new, one chronic. First, a year of highly lethal Covid-19. Over 500,000 dead but, finally, hope in the offing. Through his know-nothing denial of science Trump and his sycophants thoroughly mismanaged the pandemic. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">Second is the torturous history of race in this nation, “the American dilemma,” as Swedish sociologist and Nobel Laureate, Gunnar Myrdal thoroughly addressed in his epic 1944 masterpiece of that name; and similarly characterized as our national tragedy by W.E.B. DuBois. With his inflammatory rhetoric, his boorishness and the tacit incitement to violence <span style="font-size: 12pt;">that brought about the events of January 6<sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">,</span> Trump greatly exacerbated racial unease conjoined to a killer disease disproportionately affecting the poor and people of color, all too often the same people. We live in a Manichean time, a 50/50 nation. As a people we are capable of so much more, certainly in our philanthropy. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">-0-<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">Gates or the Ford Foundation may seem obvious leaders for such an initiative and perhaps come near. They, Soros, Buffett, Bloomberg and others are leading givers and enormously generous people; they mean well and do so much good. But none makes sufficient impact <i>systemically</i>, by which is meant that beyond their own philanthropic directions, interests and wealth a general concern for the philanthropic weal and its moral place in American life Is lacking. For example, the Giving Pledge is widely touted yet the number of multibillionaires, poor billionaires and the echelons just below -- actually signing on -- is far fewer than the real potential. Further, the power and the interests of mega-philanthropists don’t always align with the concerns of other actors who, understandingly, are unlikely to take them on. The dilemma, of course, is that to bring off what will be a costly undertaking cannot succeed without them. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">The <i>Giving USA Foundation</i>, publishers of the annual data aggregated by the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University, show that US philanthropic output has never pushed much beyond 2.4% of GDP. Why not? Growth of the economy overall is one factor, as in all ships rising on the rising tide. Thus, there is more in absolute dollars and more giving. But there is little upward trending in the percentage itself. Interestingly in most years, GDP rises around 3%. So does actual inflation. No net gain. But are that data a sufficient explanation for failing to reach an achievable 3 or 4% or more of GDP? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">It’s not about the money. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">Money abounds. More wealth has been created in the last 25 years than in the past 250. The much ballyhooed intergenerational transfer of wealth is estimated at $75 trillion by 2050. <o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">-0-<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">Roughly 50 years ago, a mostly pale, male cohort of a hundred plus civic leaders was assembled by David Rockefeller. Ably led by John H. Filer, a Connecticut insurance executive and by an outstanding public servant, John Gardner, the hard slog was the work of a small paid staff of the experts one would expect. The result was the report of the Filer Commission<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #4d5156; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> on Private Philanthropy and Public Needs,</span> quoted by many and read by few. Even so, it had an outsize impact if only because nothing like it had ever been attempted before and its impact has been enduring:<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"> <span style="color: #6d6e71;">The Filer report spawned The Program on Non-Profit Organizations at Yale University and The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University; i</span><span style="color: #6d6e71;">t stimulated formation of </span><span style="color: #6d6e71;">the Independent Sector and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy</span><span style="color: #6d6e71;">.</span><span style="color: #6d6e71;"> It encouraged the graduate and undergraduate programs in philanthropy and nonprofit management that have proliferated in top-tier academic institutions. It’s probably unfair and maybe inaccurate to say that Filer is now consigned to history’s dustbins. Yet everyone giving and working in the field, whether they know it or not, has benefitted from the Filer effect. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: #6d6e71;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: #6d6e71;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: #6d6e71;">-0-<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">A Presidential Commission must reflect total diversity in leadership and staff, reflecting the makeup of the nation as it is -- and as it will become over the next 50 years. At a minimum, there are ten principal issues for new or renewed consideration; they have been kicking around for years but usually addressed independent of each other. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> Current philanthropy is woefully out of touch with the changing demographics of America. Our Eurocentric notion of philanthropy that has historically defined and undergirded American philanthropy is increasingly irrelevant. What will replace or amend it? “Eurocentric” means white power, white conquest, white enslavement and white domination over any color other than white, rationalized as divinely inspirited or commanded. It’s been pumped into white brains for multiple generations of public, private and parochial school students from pre-K to postgraduate and leeches into us in countless other ways, consciously and not. No wonder then that mostly white boards and staffs, north of 80% in recent studies, still remains the predominant norm for private nonprofits. They don’t reflect the diversity and entirety of the American people. That will change profoundly over the next 50 years; indeed, the change is well under way. Pluralities already exist; majority is coming. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> With so much wealth, why is the giving needle stuck so far below even 3% of GDP? One might argue that there is an undercount because <i>Giving USA</i> doesn’t actually measure all sources of giving: for example, gifts-in-kind; the multi-billion dollar remittance economy which is just as philanthropic as the collection plate; corporate charity which is passed off as marketing; underreporting on the IRS 990 from which the data are drawn; and the magnitude of smaller, non-itemized deductions is not fully captured nor even known. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> The charitable tax deduction is the same for all gifts to all charities. Why? Could the deduction be incentivized by sharply increasing it for the charities and community based organizations less able to fundraise effectively but who actually reach the abject poor – some 15% <span style="font-size: 10pt;">of the nation’s population – and </span>likely climbing because of<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> the </span>new poor and the near poor -- men, women and families suddenly broken by Covid-19? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> Should idle capital be put to work? Should the undistributed assets of donor advised funds lying fallow and the way too low 5% rate of required foundation payouts and no term limits (other than voluntary) on foundation perpetuity be weighed against a greater good? Gates and a few other foundations have sunset provisions. Most don’t. Why not a fixed life span followed by asset distribution to a free-standing community foundation, or directly to qualified charities totally independent of the donor? <i>Giving USA</i> reported foundation giving in 2019 at roughly $76 billion. If that more or less represents 5% of the required payout, $1.52 trillion idles. A fixed life span would incentivize asset reduction. A similar life span would have the same result on the undistributed capital held in donor advised funds, which stood at $37.12 billion in 2018, according to the National Philanthropic Trust. The tax deductibility provided to foundation and DAF gifts is subsidized. By the rest of us. This was specifically addressed in the<i> Chronicle’s </i>December issue. <span style="color: #333333;">Some of the nation’s largest private foundations, and prominent scholars, on the 2020 Giving Tuesday, joined forces urging Congress to adopt a set of tax proposals intended to speed up distributions from foundations and donor-advised funds. The federal government could be allocating far more than it does it does to private sector initiatives. Nonetheless, non-governmental philanthropy injecting $2.3 trillion in private funds would be profound and make no difference in the rapidity of new wealth creation. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> Health care systems, originally established as charities, many by religious groups, enjoy tax-free status. But the amount of true charity care rendered by most is relatively miniscule in ratio to their overall budgets; even that cost burden is shifted to insured and self-pay patients. Should there be a separate category of nonprofit status for all but community hospitals? And should first-tier teaching hospital systems be separately treated in the tax code? Why not a new hybrid form of charity corporation, part tax deductible, part not? Like a ‘B’ corp. – only in reverse. Notably, private philanthropy is no longer the essential revenue driver for these large entities and will be even less so in the fully nationalized health care-for-all system that any developed nation should provide and that is likely inevitable for America in the next decade or so, if not sooner. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> Can community foundations optimally compete for donated wealth against nominal nonprofits like the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, the nation’s largest “charity?” The short answer is no way. They simply do not have the financial resources to take on Fidelity or the other funds. FCGF is a spinoff of a mammoth for-profit drawing on its huge customer base. Should Incentivizing deductions to community foundations also be considered?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> Who/what is a volunteer? Indeed, what is voluntarism? Private charity now employs more than 10% of the US workforce and technology has driven out or greatly reduced many traditional volunteer roles. With both parents working, often in multiple jobs; with a growing number of single household and single-parent homes; with the aging population and consequent immobility of many elderly requiring home care; and with less trust in many once revered institutions – what is the essential need for hands-on volunteers? How do we use volunteer labor most effectively and efficiently? Where do we find them? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> What is a profession? The fundraising industry is quite large and essential to the philanthropic economy. The largest group, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, alone has 30,000 members (15% of whom are from outside the US). Associations are also built around health care philanthropy, higher education and other particular interests. Beyond them are even more people working more than 50% of their time in fundraising. No one knows the exact number but the highest estimate seems to be plus or minus 100,000. AFP and others have certification programs. But a profession is principally characterized by a license to practice. Licensing fundraisers is stoutly resisted by the associations and has been bumping from here to there for decades. No state has enacted a license requirement. Yet. Should that change?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> In 1980, Carl Bakal’s book<i> Charity USA</i> was published, advocating an SEC-like regulatory authority. On the plus side, uniform charity regulation instead of the present hodge-podge of state regulations, outmoded statutes, uneven enforcement; faulty definitions of terms such as “fundraiser” or “solicitor;” and no regulation of the internet because in a democracy, thankfully, it is impossible even at the federal level. Why have First Amendment issues of free speech and interstate commerce affecting nonprofits never been fully litigated? Each state can impose advance registration and a fee for arguably commercial interstate messages transmitted by traditional snail mail. The other ‘junk’ in your mailbox is untouched by state registration. Call it prior censorship if you prefer. The same messages transmitted online can’t be touched by the states. On the minus side federalizing charitable oversight is strongly opposed. There is no reason to believe it would be a better alternative than the SEC or IRS. Is oversight impossible because of the fragmentation in rules and regulations and/or because of the First Amendment Implications in regulating the internet? Is there another way? Yet, the need for some kind of watchdog, with fangs, seems apparent if collective philanthropy is to inspire and maintain public confidence. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> Why is the IRS Form 990 that most charities must file annually of so little help? It is cumbersome, usually at least two years out of date when it is released; and creakily incomplete: e.g., religious institutions (like the Salvation Army, one of the country’s largest charities) are exempt from reporting. Megachurches are big businesses; why should they be exempt from reporting? The idea that church-state separation is somehow compromised without a reporting exclusion is, on its face, preposterous. Does oversight of charities even belong within the IRS? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">> Human service organizations, and others providing housing, education, employment and training services rely on an intertwined relationship with local and state governments as the provider/deliverer of publicly supported assistance. But that help does not adequately support administrative and overhead costs. Waiting for government reimbursements often brings human service agencies, even large ones, to the edge of insolvency. What is the best way to reframe this picture? <o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">-0-<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">A Presidential Commission on US Philanthropy will be a costly multi-year project requiring broad participation, strong leadership, adept management, a high threshold for controversy and, most Important, a principled rejection of the Prussian Army defense, “this is the way we’ve always done it.” It adds up to a challenging proposition but not a reason to pass it by. In hindsight, the Filer report was far more than just a good showing. With the tools we have now but lacked then we can do better. There is precedent in the Points of Light Foundation and other such initiatives by both Democratic and Republican administrations. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;">But the main thing is that philanthropy can only thrive in a civil society. Restoring that civility is a task we all should step up to. A decent, empathic man has come to high office. This is an opportunity best not missed. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-42817915921405696372020-11-17T12:19:00.000-08:002020-11-17T12:19:06.456-08:00Philanthropy in These Unsettled Times<p> <img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://mcusercontent.com/7493a2ecc029cbe631643de66/_compresseds/ec22cf93-7d02-44d5-8dd4-e5e31aed9f6e.jpeg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 2159px; outline: none; vertical-align: bottom;" width="132" /> <span style="font-size: small;">Penelope Cagney / CEO The Cagney Company </span></p><p><u style="background-color: white; color: #867a7a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">Published with permission</u><span style="background-color: white; color: #867a7a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #867a7a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">What is the state of philanthropy in these unsettled times? What we know to date is that $11.9 billion was given globally for Covid-19 relief in the first half of 2020 according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. We also know that many funders--individuals, corporations and foundations--changed the way they are doing business. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: #867a7a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">-Many leading foundations loosened funding restrictions, and some increased their payouts. More than 775 foundations globally committed to flexible funding in response to Covid-19. As the crisis draws to a close, some foundations will return to former giving restrictions, but others will continue their successful new practices of less funding restrictions and direct payouts. And some foundations will shift their programmatic priorities, giving more to promote social equality and/or justice for instance, and they may retain the new focus.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">-High-net-worth individuals contributed vast amounts for the pandemic, with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pledging $1 billion to pandemic relief and Jeff Bezos giving $100 million to Feeding America. Like the foundations, some donors will keep the new and others will revert to former programmatic interests.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> -Corporations accounted for nearly two-thirds of Covid-19 funding. This figure includes funding through both corporate foundations and corporate giving.* It will be interesting to see how the path of economic recovery affects their giving in 2021.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Here’s some encouraging news for the US in particular. According to a news release in early October, the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, giving was up overall in 2020 by 7.5% in Q3. The number of small donations increased 19.2% over the first six months of last year. That may be due in part to the $300 universal charitable deduction that was enacted as part of the Cares Act. (You may want to remind your donors of this as the end of the year draws near).</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-90639468471623147722020-06-18T09:07:00.000-07:002020-06-18T09:07:02.294-07:00$449.64 BILLION TO CHARITY IN 2019<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In 2019, Giving USA Foundation reported substantial growth in charitable contributions increasing to $449.64 billion, up from $427.71 billion in 2018. The ten key giving sectors– Religion, Education, Human Services, Foundations, Health, Public-Society Benefit, Arts and Culture, International Affairs, Environment/Animals, and Individuals– all saw increases. Strong philanthropic results were driven most by a strong stock-market, a robust economy, full employment and consumer confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">That was then: this is now. The full effect of Covid-19 is still unknown. Though the stock market has so far mostly rebounded from a full-on crash a few months ago, the stock market does not define the economy. Staggering unemployment, and economic collapse marked April. May and June. Though there has been some recovery in soft goods consumer spending, and better unemployment figures for May, the charitable sector is, for the most part, struggling. It is well to remember that the US charitable sector, overall, is almost inevitably, a trailing, not a leading edge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Though the nation is slowly re-opening, the triple whammy of the coronavirus; the long overdue reckoning with racism in America; and the absolute craziness of this election year – each a black swan event on its own – combined with the time lost, all makes for a stiff wind. We know that around 40% of giving is generated in the last quarter of the calendar year. That 40% may hold: but the it’s other 60% that’s rocky. Expect a dip. If the sector makes the 2018 number 0f $449 billion, that would be a huge win. </span><span style="color: #403f42; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-80847858164331554952020-04-23T06:52:00.000-07:002020-04-23T06:52:50.598-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">ORAM MARKS 80 YEARS IN BUSINESS</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">- Hank Goldstein, CEO, The Oram Group, Inc</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Oram was founded by Harold L. Oram in 1940, and has been in continuous operation since, making us one of the oldest firms of its type: management consultants to nonprofit organizations. Originally established to help nonprofits in their fundraising, Harold Oram pioneered direct mail campaigns for progressive organizations. Many of today’s best known and robust civil rights, environmental, health and educational institutions were among our clients. The ACLU, naacp-Legal Defense Fund (now just LDF), Sierra Club, NRDC, World Wildlife Fund, and Planned Parenthood are just a few (among many hundreds) of early clients, still around, still doing exemplary work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over time, our services expanded – we developed competencies in every aspect of fund development: special events, estate giving, major gifts, corporate and foundation grant-writing, communications, marketing, earned income, etc. As growth continued, we took on broader issues of nonprofit management: e.g., strategic planning, governance and board development, best practices, program effectiveness and executive recruitment. I joined Oram in 1964. I worked at first on a capital campaign for Hampton Institute (now University), and in 1967 was assigned other clients. I began to move up in the company, bringing in several clients on my own, and always seeking to broaden the services we could offer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In 1978, Harold was ailing. Fortuitously, Stewart Rawlings Mott, an heir to GM, and Robert Wallace Gilmore, who had married into the Publishers Clearing House family, stepped in – great men Harold and I had worked with through our civil rights, population and peace movement clients – and they financed my purchase of the company. Oram died in 1990. In 1992, with around 30 employees, the company broke up in the acrimonious departure of three colleagues in a dispute over money. Nothing new there. But by virtue of an artful non-compete agreement each had to buy out their client contracts from Oram, which they did. I was left with the buyout proceeds, a half dozen of my own clients, and of course, I owned the Oram name and the brand. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I dithered for a few months weighing the upsides and downsides of rebuilding the company, or just hammering on, as a much smaller entity. Given that overhead and payroll are killers, and that if one serves 501-c-3s, profit margins are razor thin anyway, I opted to continue as a ‘boutique’. I’ve done that ever since, with never more than a few employees, doing better than when I had to meet a payroll of $100-150,000 a month. I developed a strong, flexible network of specialists upon whom I still call for whatever services a client might require. As I aged, younger professionals moved up; my universe of contacts and new business slowed. I embraced the inevitable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Though we no longer actively seek paid work, it finds me, and actually, it is quite liberating not to be hunting all the time, or even at all. In late 2018, I set up a pro bono consulting practice to serve smaller nonprofits (<$1 million operating budget) who cannot pay the market rates my competitors and I charge. This keeps me in the game and is a lot of fun. Any 501-c-3 can apply. <o:p></o:p></div>
Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-70144088462729604862018-10-24T06:20:00.001-07:002018-10-24T06:24:38.992-07:00ORAM GROUP PRO BONO CONSULTING<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are very pleased to offer a limited pro bono consulting service to qualifying nonprofits and NGOs. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over the last few years, we have observed, with increasing concern, the difficulty start-up and low-budget nonprofits and NGOs face in an increasingly fractionated, high-cost, competitive marketplace. I have worked with a few excellent, small groups, offering my experience and tradecraft. None could afford consulting services at prevailing rack rates. There are many more out there in the same situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To accept you as a client, will be looking for:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our arrangement will:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Feel free to call me at 212 481 0149 or email <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">hankus@oramgroup.com</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hank Goldstein</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-62416092506381707162017-07-19T12:54:00.000-07:002017-07-19T12:54:16.645-07:00TrumpedSix months of the Trump presidency have been a godsend to the left: environmental organizations, civil rights groups, and above all Planned Parenthood, are choking on contributions. His and his administration's threats to shutter NPR, NEA and other liberal darlings, though quite worrisome, are of slightly less moment. NPR nationally does not rely on federal money for most of its revenue; local stations are strong fundraisers. NEA is but a pimple on the great backside of government. The real fright is that cutting or eliminating it will have a terrible effect in small or mid size communities with less fundraising capacity or opportunity.<br />
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An upside, though, is that many state legislators at local, state and federal levels will fight for those funds. They are very well attuned to the effect of bad news on incumbency. Cutting and slashing are great - in someone else's district.<br />
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Meanwhile, we now live in an alternative universe: Robin Dooh steals from the poor and gives to the rich. Repealing Obamacare and giving a tax cut to the super wealthy has -- for now -- been sent down the Ganges. But as always in Republication administrations, whether one calls it the Laffer curve voodoo economics, or the supply side market at work -- coupled with a refusal to ever learn from what came before -- punishing the poor for being poor is a blood sport. The difference this time is that Trump's fixation on erasing Obama from the collective memory puts his overt racism, his birtherism obsession, his anti-Muslim travel ban and his hatred of the poor (losers) in one steaming cauldron of know-nothing hate.<br />
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Yet, the fight over health care reform has overshadowed a larger crisis: federal, and by devolution, state and local support of human services is tanking. There is no way the whole of private philanthropy, even if it were totally directed to relief of the abject poor -- which it is not and never has been -- can take up the slack.<br />
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In 2016, <i>Giving USA Foundation</i> reports charitable contributions totaled $395 billion. A bit over 12% went to human services. Typically, social service budgets are 80 to 90% government funded; the rest is endowment income for the lucky few, maybe a bit of earned income for others - and philanthropy. Most social service agencies are small, lack powerful boards and the attending cachet that attracts money. Plus, as pass throughs for government money, many have not been incentivized to raise private dollars; many don't know how. In 2015, 45 million Americans, 14.5%, lived below the poverty line. That percentage, according to the US Census Bureau (whose funding is being cut), is not going down.<br />
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Recently, Amazon's Jeff Bezos asked how he should direct his philanthropy to maximum effect. Scores of well intended multibillionaires have pledged to give at least half their fortunes to philanthropy; younger, hipper donors have ideas (some strikingly original, others not so much) for structural change in how to give, to whom to give, and how to measure results. <br />
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However, in my opinion we cannot simply <i>give</i> our way out of the profound imbalance in American society, exacerbated by the Trumpeters. The industry trade associations lack the convening power this situation demands and they (we) are a pretty cautious bunch, afraid to stand up, fearful of offending or antagonizing anyone, suffering in whispers. To the extent that there is a leadership cadre out there: the Pledgers, the next several levels down of high impact donors, the large foundations, community leaders, etc. we need to get together and sound the tocsin. The message is simple: our federal government needs to be back in the game. Philanthropy is a partner not a solution.<br />
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The good news is that our democracy is not fragile. It is resilient. I believe the extraordinary genius of checks and balances will prevail.<br />
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<br />Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-91867210364439992192016-09-14T07:36:00.000-07:002016-09-14T12:35:18.255-07:00The Race to the Finish!<div>
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<a href="webkit-fake-url://bb7d1600-6f7e-4785-b074-0c51401adf4f/image.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrkZb3H0BskKUFAgahA4Q4F7MDwC-zypDAKttzlBfm9uy2v9D1NHR8T7RZrARQ7CQmFLfGsW-xuE815u-pQYq6ZPhz6NqxbOu3iJsT3RO-oJWC0trs3Io_qM9NVJWo-ecHkoKm_FdJDNE/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrkZb3H0BskKUFAgahA4Q4F7MDwC-zypDAKttzlBfm9uy2v9D1NHR8T7RZrARQ7CQmFLfGsW-xuE815u-pQYq6ZPhz6NqxbOu3iJsT3RO-oJWC0trs3Io_qM9NVJWo-ecHkoKm_FdJDNE/s400/Unknown.jpeg" /></a>If my present prognostications hold 2016 will be a banner year for philanthropy in at least four ways:<br />
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1. The $375 billion contributed in 2015 will be surpassed.<br />
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2. Foundation philanthropy, a modest percentage of all giving, is nonetheless an important trend-setter. Many large, medium and small foundations are now beginning to see that there is is no such thing as "no overhead." Nonprofits incur annual, routine operating expenses for labor (the greatest cost); occupancy; materials, and often, debt service. The idea that only supporting "program" (read labor and materials) is somehow more efficient and effective than general operating support is gaining traction. Finally.<br />
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3. My view: Neither major party candidate is going to disturb the charitable contribution deduction, throat clearing noises in Congress to the contrary.<br />
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4. Donor advised funds will continue to grow apace. Depending on your perspective this may or may not be a good thing. The good thing is that it has brought many new high net worth people into philanthropy (not necessarily altruistically. But still.) This The not-so-good result is that much of that money sits, tax-free and tax-deductible to the donor, undistributed to charities.<br />
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This election is a dreadful distraction from our country's real problems, for example, the relentless intractability of poverty in the world's wealthiest nation. Fueled by network and cable TV whose interests in creating tension and protracting the agony so they can sell us more stuff is not pretty.<br />
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<a href="webkit-fake-url://bb7d1600-6f7e-4785-b074-0c51401adf4f/image.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Despite that, the generosity and optimistic spirit of the American people continues to amaze and inspire me and keeps me at this work. What I have learned from my fellow Americans is that the world can indeed be a better place.Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-1866343028897971772016-06-14T09:51:00.003-07:002016-06-14T09:51:47.948-07:00Contributions rise 4% from 2014 to 2015<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giving USA Foundation</i> today (June 14, 2016) reported that in calendar 2015 $373.25 billion was contributed to charity in the US. Gifts from living individuals, and bequests, remain the single largest category of combined support at 80% -- consistent with decades of past reporting. Bequest giving is likely underreported because many estates are too small to be taxed and therefore don’t show<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the IRS data on which <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Giving USA</i> depends.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Religious giving continues to lead the way as the largest recipient of charity at 32%. But over time religious giving has been declining. Data aside what the numbers tell us is first that US philanthropy is historically robust; even in hard times (2008-9), philanthropy dips less than other sectors of the economy. Second, Americans may or may not be more generous than others; that is not quantifiable. But for sure US taxpayers subsidize giving through the charitable deduction. In most economies, people get more back from their governments in services, support of health, education, welfare, the arts and so on in exchange for the higher taxes they pay. Accordingly, in this nations, there is less incentive to make charitable donations. In recent years, in many key economies, this has changed as governments have been pulling back on traditional support.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Though there is no reliable giving data yet for 2016 this year, our market sense is that this will be a strong year for charitable giving. May it come to pass.</o:p></div>
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Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-19324260461884818782016-03-14T08:57:00.001-07:002016-03-16T06:55:16.620-07:00CROSS BORDER PARTNERS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGBgyNQeS_DoY3pmUsCyYpDrGkY1jeBM2H169pyhZT0axdEW8ieoQv7fDNI0ka_XmBf2y9H64DqIZdGmTYuvfys_MiSlZ9-jcfT4mz7Yq3NqZW4J-JT9qD0dL8fotqoJZ8saOdUrNV_bN/s1600/29ed312c-fb22-43a1-8799-38262500f6b0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGBgyNQeS_DoY3pmUsCyYpDrGkY1jeBM2H169pyhZT0axdEW8ieoQv7fDNI0ka_XmBf2y9H64DqIZdGmTYuvfys_MiSlZ9-jcfT4mz7Yq3NqZW4J-JT9qD0dL8fotqoJZ8saOdUrNV_bN/s200/29ed312c-fb22-43a1-8799-38262500f6b0.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
The Oram Group is pleased to announce that <i>The Cagney Company, </i> <i>EngagedIn</i> and <i>Oram</i> have created CROSS BORDER PARTNERS to enhance our global services to nonprofit organizations.<br />
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<i>Cagney</i> (www.the cagneycompany.com) works primarily in the US, but is expanding globally. Oram, has also had extensive overseas experience working for clients in India, Israel, Thailand, the Philippines, United Kingdom Central America and the Caribbean. Consultancies generally fall in two categories: organizations seeking to raise funds in the US, Europe and South Asia, working directly with NGOs building fundraising competency in their own nations.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_lCeKfxuGjZGbSm4E1uvasaEvWoo_hmCwsShTGuLS-y4jg33I14s3W8EFajWuzjAKrSJHHFl5lRBYUhA58GbBSQ_DWOOwNroUzC2qivvfqS7-6vNVDUQWXpT8ropOkpCqjcgHM4Lm5Qx/s1600/_GCF2470.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_lCeKfxuGjZGbSm4E1uvasaEvWoo_hmCwsShTGuLS-y4jg33I14s3W8EFajWuzjAKrSJHHFl5lRBYUhA58GbBSQ_DWOOwNroUzC2qivvfqS7-6vNVDUQWXpT8ropOkpCqjcgHM4Lm5Qx/s200/_GCF2470.jpeg" width="200" /></a><br />
<i>EngagedIn</i> (www.engagedin.net), is led by Simona Biancu and Alberto Cuttica. Based in Milan, Italy it provides services covering all aspects of fundraising. The company works primarily in Europe.<br />
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The Cagney Company +1 480 553 7653<br />
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www.engagedin. netOram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-72665376437384419722016-01-11T09:55:00.000-08:002016-01-11T09:55:15.689-08:00The Mark of Philanthropy<br />
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Much ink has been spilled in reality and metaphorically on the matter of Mark Zuckerberg's and Priscilla Chan's $45 billion decision to invest $45 billion in an LLC that will be used to start innovative enterprises and make charitable gifts. What remains to be seen, of course, is what that giving will mean to charities -- and when. I'm neither holding my breath not will I be much surprised if a trickle and then a stream of giving starts pretty soon -- augmenting the gifts the couple already makes.<br />
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I am far more interested in two other things Mr. Zuckerberg has done. First he took paternity leave on the birth of their daughter. That sends a message to US business relatively few of whom actually encourage or countenance such leave-taking. I have no idea how widespread the practice is at Facebook but the idea matters. It seems more real than Marissa Mayer, Yahoo's CEO, building a nursery next to her office. Who else at Yahoo could do that?<br />
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The second thing is Mr. Zuckerberg's vision of a wider web as reported in today's <i>Financial Times </i>(January 11, 2016). Partnering with smart phone operators in 37 developing countries free internet access will be made available; a simplified Facebook app will provide access to either, news and health; and there will be an option to upgrade for a fee. This is an example I suppose of potentially doing well bodying good. The cynics will focus on that; others of us will see a great ides: simple, workable and reaching out to the 4 billion people who now have no internet access.Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-25427767120115743222015-03-12T13:06:00.000-07:002015-03-12T13:06:28.312-07:00THE CHARITABLE TAX DEDUCTION<div class="">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">On March 11, Prof Linda Sugin of Fordham University wrote a
provocative op-ed in The New York Times, "<i>Your Name on
a Building and a Tax Break Too</i>, <i>Re--thinking Taxes and David
Geffen's Gift for Avery Fisher Hall</i>." The thrust of her piece is
t</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">hat </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;">a donor’s name on a building should be treated as a major return
benefit to that donor and therefore the gift's deductibility should be reduced
by the "value" conferred, in this instance $15 million, the
amount the Philharmonic paid the Fisher family to surrender the name.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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As a career nonprofit fundraiser, I salute Professor Sugin's attempt to encourage even more philanthropy and tax justice, and I reject her well-intended proposal to do that through changes to the charitable tax code. She theorizes that future philanthropists would give more if current ones were incentivized to forego or foreshorten a naming opportunity in appreciation for their gift - or in exchange for it, as Sugin has it. </div>
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For most nonprofits, creative presentation of untaxed "intangible" benefits for bigger gifts--with recognition being the most powerful--represent success or failure. In practice, many institutions are already encouraging short-term naming opportunities, for just the reasons Sugin gives. Would they be helped with new laws? Be careful what you wish for. First, limits on naming terms won't work with some (desperately needed) prospects, and second, why stop there? Once the IRS is allowed to start valuing intangibles, look out. That is my main point. Clear and just as it may seem, there is no little fix and it won't stay put. As federal codes and then each state attempt to place a taxable value on a wide range of ever-creative intangible recognition benefits, all representing different circumstances, the process risks introducing serious confusions and complexities, and, I'd predict, vigorously renewed attempts to eliminate the charitable deduction altogether. Confusion and complexity depress giving in a charitable heartbeat. </div>
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-- <i>Marilyn Bancel</i></div>
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Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-39919488712965941522015-01-09T08:23:00.003-08:002015-01-09T08:23:59.751-08:00MARILYN BANCEL REJOINS ORAM<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>MARILYN
BANCEL</b></span> has rejoined The Oram Group as partner and
director of our San Francisco-based West Coast office, following
two and a half years as in-house development director at <i>CuriOdyssey
Museum</i>, a former Oram client<i>. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyrlul9iHX8uVbClzexblDNNu6FXisXQ0Dr1FTAz651LkWWk8-SdlPU8oSVL_o7Wda3IY7f5defCVH7M6GLnY0hvPaqk9Zh0snGItYyDQ-C21aR-Fn5gOkG7rco5kp0cwaAeJ0zTv8mNH/s1600/MB.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyrlul9iHX8uVbClzexblDNNu6FXisXQ0Dr1FTAz651LkWWk8-SdlPU8oSVL_o7Wda3IY7f5defCVH7M6GLnY0hvPaqk9Zh0snGItYyDQ-C21aR-Fn5gOkG7rco5kp0cwaAeJ0zTv8mNH/s1600/MB.png" height="200" width="163" /></a></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">She has long been active with the Association of Fundraising
Professionals Golden Gate Chapter, for which she has served as board member
and officer and as chair of various programs and events, serving in 2000 and
2009 as co-chair of National Philanthropy Day. Marilyn is a recipient of
the chapter’s Hank Rosso Outstanding Fundraising Executive Award (2002). In
addition to consulting, Marilyn has been Adjunct Professor at the University of
San Francisco where she has taught Capital Campaigns and Major Gifts in the
College of Professional Studies, Institute of Nonprofit Management. She is
author of the long-popular workbook, <i>Preparing Your Capital Campaign</i>
(Jossey Bass/Wiley 2000).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Marilyn’s current client focus
includes all facets of the work needed to position an organization to conduct
major gift fund-raising and campaigns — feasibility and planning studies,
organizational analysis, board development, prospect engagement, and strategic
or institutional planning. In addition to <i>CuriOdyssey </i>other<i> c</i>lients
have included San Francisco Girls Chorus, World Arts West, Boys and Girls Clubs
of San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences, Glide Foundation, Headlands
Center for the Arts, Human Rights Campaign, Peninsula Interfaith Action,
National Foster Youth Action Network, Bar Association of San Francisco, Raphael
House, Synergy School, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, University of California Press
Foundation, Population Action International, United Religions Initiative, and
many others. </span><span style="font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Prior to joining Oram, Marilyn
worked for fifteen years as an institutional fund-raiser—as director of
development for The Exploratorium, a museum of science, art and technology -
and an Oram client served by Oram partner Hank Goldstein.
She was also director of development for The Oakland Symphony; and as
founder and executive director of East Bay Performance, Inc., publisher of the
bi-weekly journal <i>Bay Arts Review.</i> Before entering the non-profit field,
she lived for three years in Turkey where she operated an 80-person cottage
craft and clothing export business.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-32248196962621068032014-11-07T09:04:00.000-08:002014-11-07T09:06:38.348-08:00"New Donor Generation Stimulates U.S. Giving"... Sayeth the <i>The New York Times </i>today, November 7th.<br />
<br />
This meaningless headline tops a two-column story asserting that "charitable giving is back in a big way." But is it? Yes it has improved since the recession. Those years hit the sector hard and there has been a modest recovery. And for that we should be grateful because no profits, especially those in the human services field, need every cent they can generate, particularly operating funds.<br />
<br />
I don't know what "new donor generation" they're talking about. Zuckerberg's $25 million gift to the CDC to "fight" Ebola is certainly significant especially because the US charitable response to Ebola has been dismal; the big relief agencies have been mum. Only Doctors Without Borders has been a consistent voice. <br />
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<br /></div>
As a percentage of GDP giving remains locked at around plus or minus 2%; that hasn't changed for as long as records have been kept. And the slowest part of the charitable sector to recover has been individual giving, described by the <i>Times </i>as "the biggest drag." Many people think that foundations and corporations are hugely account for most of the $335 billion donated last year. But in fact the greatest percentage of giving is from living individuals. Internet giving is marginal; social media's impact on giving has been modest at best.<br />
<br />
We are certainly in a better place than we were a few years ago. Between now and year end charity will generate around 30-40% of its total annual giving revenue. We will know within a few months whether US charitable giving is inching up or really rebounding.<br />
<br />
<br />Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-49189456653778812282014-09-18T09:33:00.000-07:002014-09-18T09:33:04.539-07:00Why I Won't Visit The World Trade Center "Memorial"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">From SoHo World Trade Center 9-11-14</td></tr>
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On September 11, 2014, walking home from dinner I turned right onto Wooster St. in the heart of SoHo. The new World Trade Center marked the sad occasion with the vaporous blue twin beams.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
Ground Zero is about a mile away as the crow flies. SoHo is arguably one of the world's largest unroofed high end, retail malls. Befuddled tourists, street vendors purveying everything from junk and knockoffs, to really fancy stuff, and of course we locals crowd the narrow streets by day. But at night Wooster Street stretching north-south from Canal to Houston, is quiet. Parking spaces abound.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Friends come to visit, shop and sometimes, flop. Like everyone else from out of town, WTC is almost always number one on their bucket list. But not for me. Staying away is for me not about avoiding the reminder that for six months after 9-11, we were still picking soot from the cats' fur and still finding dust patches in neglected corners. Or that on the evening of 9-11 everything south of Houston was a military encampment because no one knew what might come next.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What my boycott is about is the commercialization of WTC, especially the Memorial Museum that in the name of 9-11 hawks key fobs, coffee mugs, emblazoned hoodies, phony cop and firefighter gear and other mindless <i>tchotchkes. </i>Tasteless, crude and not a symbol of tragedy but an ensign of the politicization, political wrangling- and so sadly the divided survivor lobby. After 13 years the raw wound gives way to a maybe well intended but hopelessly inept attempt to memorialize.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
No one consulted me professionally. But had they I would have counseled against anything but the simplest, commercial free representation possible. Maybe a museum; maybe not. But making a grand souvenir stand out of 3,000 dead is sacrilegious. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
And I'm a non-believer.</div>
Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-22840691873373109272013-11-01T11:29:00.002-07:002013-12-03T08:21:31.873-08:00Buffetted Around<div style="text-align: justify;">
Peter Buffett's op-ed in <i>The New York Times</i>
on July 27th - "The Charitable-Industrial Complex" takes to task those
donors who want to "save the day" with little or no regard for the
culture, norms or interests of those they are "helping." It's the old
story of the boy scout who helps the old lady cross the street whether
she wants to go or not.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Buffett
has it mostly right: there is a great degree of arrogance attached to
giving: the big foundations are probably the worst. They have huge
staffs who keep busy by pulling the threads. Then there are the donors
who are in it for the recognition. They've done well; now they'll do
"good." Anyone in this business for awhile is very familiar with both
types. High self regard and philanthropy are too often joined at the
wallet.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He's
right in arguing that the capitalist system that he endorses has
concentrated more and more wealth in fewer and fewer hands and to
grease the skids that lead to heaven they "sprinkle some of it around."
True. But what's new in this? Buffett is an unusual critic only in the
sense that his father is one of the major wealth concentrators. The
inequalities inherent in our society are not exactly unknown nor
starved for critical attention. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've
often thought what I'd do if I had even as much as he has, let alone
his famous father: my interests are civil rights, social action, human
services and the arts more or less in that order. I'd give only to
groups about whom I knew something first hand and I promise I'd listen
carefully. And I promise that I'd measure my grants not by "ROI" but on
whether they had any effect at all on whatever the organization at hand
made any difference in human betterment however defined.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This
all said I have had the great good luck of getting to know a few
eight and even nine digit donors who were empathic, modest, smart in
their giving and above all able to put themselves in the other person's
shoes.Mr. Buffett it seems has only been at this for seven years. He
has good instincts and deep pockets. He'll make a difference.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905003602610614375.post-55513977907859228112013-06-09T08:09:00.000-07:002013-06-09T08:09:29.873-07:00<br />
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<h2 class="date-header">
Sunday, June 9, 2013</h2>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="3442433128239302053"></a>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
<a href="http://hankgoldstein.blogspot.com/2013/06/eve-bates-at-100.html">EVE BATES AT 100!</a>
</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eve Bates, 100 Years Old</td></tr>
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On June 9th Eve Bates celebrated her 100th birthday. It was a grand party.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
More years ago than I'll admit, I replied to a blind ad in The New York
Times. Eve was then VP of what was H. L. Oram, Inc. She called me and
thereby ushered in my career at The Oram Group, Inc. It's been quite a
ride for both of us. I had the privilege of working with her almost 15
years I'd guess.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Eve retired many years ago but we are neighbors in New York and over
the years we kept in touch, sporadically at times. But once in awhile
we'd run into each other at the local market and catch up.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Though a bit hobbled by age she is totally all there and at her party
on June 8th we talked and re-lived good times, worried about our
country's present and future and otherwise enjoyed the day. </div>
Oram Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07755342261137033815noreply@blogger.com0