Will smaller donors pull us through?

I had conversations with development professionals at three public radio stations today who told me that they will meet or exceed goal in their membership programs. One said that, although they are not crying poor on the air, they think many of their listeners sense that their funding is very brittle right now and are doing wht they can to help balance the scales.

I’ve seen this before. During the New England recession of 1989-1991, a multitude of small gifts helped to offset drops in corporate funding and large major gifts.  Well-rounded organizations have individual giving programs that provide a wide range of giving opportunities.

Scam Watch: Pro Publica follows phony AIDS charity

One of our preoccupations is the misuse of non-profit status for private or political gain and outright fraud by supposed charitable organizations. Pro Public has been tracking the “work” of the Center for Aids Prevention for several months and finds that, despite the fact that the authorities know this is a scam, the group is still at it.

If you know of something similar going on in your community, please let me know.

Target National Index documents continued decline

Target Analytics National Index for the First Quarter of 2009 documents continued declines in giving and gifts that have now spread across all sectors. This information is more current than the annual survey conducted by Giving USA that recently documented the most serious decline if philanthropic giving in more than three decades. That survey showed one segment, religious giving, had escaped the financial downturn. The Target Index shows that the religious sector has been affected.