Did you give less last year?

Good piece of information from our American colleagues, via an article in the New York Times which can be found here.


Although the report on decreases in voluntary income are timely, what I find more intriguing is how the entire funding picture breaks down.


The Giving USA foundation reports that an estimated $303.75 billion was given away in 2009.


Of this total, $227.41 billion came from individuals.  That's a healthy 75%.


Trust and foundation giving was down as well, to $38.44 billion, but that's just 13% of the total.


Corporate giving was up, to an estimated $14.1 billion, a paltry 5% of the total.


Why do we continue to put so much effort into pigeonholing  fundraising (and fundraisers) into outmoded jobs like "corporate account executive" or "trust fundraiser"?


As fundraising professionals, let's encourage our employers and clients to think differently, and stop concentrating so much resource and effort to 18% of the fundraising pie.


Rick


Rick Holland CFRE MInstF
Confident Philanthropy Ltd.


www.confidentphilanthropy.co.uk