January 2008 No. 2Table of Contents2007 “left overs” |
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Here are some reports and news that didn’t make it into Capitol Steps last year but are worth noting as the New Year begins. Next week we’ll look at “What’s Ahead?”
Lifting the poor. Less than one-third of Americans give to charities that directly benefit the disadvantaged, and less than 10% of the $250 Billion contributed in 2005 went to groups aiding poorer citizens to meet their basic needs. Get Patterns of Household Charitable Giving by Income Group, 2005 at www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/Research. It was prepared for Google by the IU Center on Philanthropy.
Here are some reports to help make the case for giving to programs aimed at reducing poverty:
Mega-donors. A study of high level giving found that 44% of $1+Million mega-gifts went to higher education, with 5% each to social benefit and human services and 2% each to religious groups and umbrella campaigns like the United Way. Health groups and hospitals together got 16%, with 12% going to arts organizations and museums. The report is at www.jewishresearch.org/PDFs/MegaGift.Web.07.pdf.
Online gifts. An IU Center on Philanthropy survey for American Express found no big difference in the size of money gifts given online or offline. For both, about two-thirds were $100 or less, with the median at $50. As other research shows the average donor household gives about $2,045 per year, this study “suggests that the vast majority of donors give many small donations.” If you’ve been thinking about getting your fund raising online, check out the report at http://home3.americanexpress.com/
corp//pc/2007/aecgs.asp.
“Boomer” volunteers. Though 34% of soon-to-be-retiring Baby Boomers volunteered while working, 45% of them are likely to volunteer once they retire, says a researcher. That percentage will grow through 2020. So, get ready to keep them involved, because the research shows “older adults usually stick with their original decision to volunteer or not, and they are more likely to stop than to start.” Check out www.urban.org/publications/411579.html.
Bequests. And if you think Boomers will write your nonprofit into their wills, you better start making that case to them NOW. The IRS says the number of bequests dropped 54% from 1998 to 2006, probably due to the rise in the estate tax threshold to $2 Million. In fact, Gallup found only 28% of Americans expect to inherit any monetary value from a relative, and 69% don’t think they’ll get anything in a will.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Americans expect business firms to engage in their communities beyond “just making financial contributions.” They give corporate America “low marks for its CSR performance.” In fact, they think Congress should insist on CSR, in some industries more than others. And consumers are using the Internet to judge and talk to each other about CSR. See the Fleishman Hillard/National Consumers League report at www.csrresults.com/FINAL_Full_Report.pdf.
A shift in grantmaking? Harvard University’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations brought funders, practitioners, and researchers together last year to share stories, data, and viewpoints on how to
The result is a fascinating report to be read and discussed by grantmakers (e.g., United Ways) and grantees—Capital Ideas: Moving From Short-Term Engagement to Long-Term Sustainability. It’s at www.ksghauser.harvard.edu/
whats_new/CI_proceedings.pdf.
Hispanic philanthropy. As incomes and organizations for and led by Spanish-speaking and Latino-Americans flourish, so has their giving and volunteering, Hispanic Business magazine reported. “As a community we’re untapped in terms of our giving,” a California Hispanic leader said. “It hasn’t exploded yet, but it will in ten years.” Formalizing a kindred-based “helping others” pattern is the current step.
Indiana had a higher-than-average increase in foreign-born population from 2000 to 2006—41.3%—led by Nevada (50.3%), South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Arizona, reports the Migration Policy Institute.
Metro areas and volunteering. Indianapolis ranked 9th among the 50 largest American metropolitan areas for its per capita number of yearly volunteer hours—45.9—averaged for 2004-2006. The national average was 23.7% in urban areas and 29.3% in suburban. Hoosier volunteers averaged 60 hours compared to other Americans’ 50 hours. In fact, the typical Hoosier volunteer in the 35-54 age range donates twice as much time as other Americans, though Hoosiers in the 25-34 age group give only half the time as others. Indiana’s volunteers also spend more time on fundraising than the national average. Yet “…long commutes to work can drive down an area’s volunteering rate not only by limiting the time an individual has available for volunteering, but also by decreasing the time people have to interact with others at their workplace, house of worship, club, or other social network. People are more likely to volunteer when they have more social interaction because there is a greater chance that they will be personally asked to volunteer by someone they know.”
The Corporation for National and Community Service produced the report that compares Indianapolis to other neighboring cities (Louisville KY, Cincinnati OH, and Chicago IL). Get the full report at www.nationalservice.gov/about/volunteering/cities.asp.
Federal reliance on nonprofits. Since 1980, the amount of federal dollars going to America’s charities grew 230% as their number has grown 30% in the 21st century. The Government Accountability Office found the explosion of charities is due to (1) government’s shifting of direct service provision, (2) elimination of large public care facilities in favor of smaller community-based organizations, and (3) a trend in programs (like welfare) away from federal control toward more local autonomy. These changes did not come without difficulties, but they seem here to stay. Compare this to a 1996 study on “The ‘Nonprofitization Movement’ as a Form of Devolution” at www.nysl.nysed.gov/scandoclinks/ocm45658159.htm.
Diversity. A dozen most-populous IN communities have profiles at http://diversitydata.sph.harvard.edu. They’re full of comparisons over the past 25 years.
Education progress. There’s a wealth of info on your schools’ performance at http://nces.ed.gov. Get reports on math, reading, civics, history, economics, and science.
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