Has Your Check Arrived?
I’m not sure there’s any lesson here, but I just can’t resist browsing through lists like this.
From the Chronicle of Philanthropy, here’s a list of America’s Top 50 donors in 2011, the amounts given and the lucky charities.
These 50 donors gave $10.4 billion … although #1, Margaret Cargill, an heir to the fortune of her grandfather’s Cargill Corporation (agriculture and food production), gave $6 billion of that in a bequest to her two foundations (which give to the American Red Cross, Nature Conservancy, YMCA and Public Broadcasting Service, among others).
Twenty-nine donors gave $50 million or more.
My favorite is Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder. Wonderfully eclectic giving — arts, social services, a rock music museum, Native Americans entrepreneurship, a science fiction museum, and neuroscience. He’s the guy on this list I’d most want to have dinner with.
Tom
3 responses to “Has Your Check Arrived?”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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This is an amazing list and what is more amazing are some of the “young” couples featured.
Working for a community-based grassroots group, we believe in being inclusive and valuing every member…but this part of the article drives that home on another level. .A large organization like a hospital might not give deep attention to someone looking to donate a computer. Lucky for this one, they did – and I’m guessing their actual work was also impressive! Wow.
This article is also yet another kick in my pants to update our website, mail appeals and fundraising talking points to include talk about planned giving …seems much of the money was from bequests.
“Another gift began with an offer some fundraisers might have overlooked. Robert L. Tidwell (tied for No. 43), a private investor, contacted the Children’s Hospital of Orange County in 2004, saying he wanted to donate a computer. Staff members from the California hospital’s foundation later invited him to tour the facility. Last year, when Mr. Tidwell died, he left the foundation his entire fortune, $30-million.”
If you like lists like that, you might like http://www.milliondollarlist.org/#
(Full disclosure, though I wasn’t involved in the project, the company I work for built the site).