News
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President Biden and Vice President Harris Charitable Giving
April 16, 2022
Each year, I post the charitable giving of our federal elected leaders. This information can be found in their released tax returns. I think it’s helpful for voters to have a sense of their leader’s generosity especially in light of the political stances they take. WARNING: This is factual information and not intended to make […]
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America’s Favorite Charities: 2020 Edition
November 3, 2021
Each year, the Chronicle of Philanthropy highlights the one hundred charities in the United States that raised the most money. Given that this past year has been full of dire news regarding the pandemic and political division, it’s remarkable that giving by Americans has remained strong. $1 of every $11 dollars donated in the U.S. […]
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What Research Says About Retaining Donors
October 12, 2021
For anyone involved in fundraising for more than a few years, you’ve probably heard of “donor-centered fundraising.” The idea behind this concept is that everything a nonprofit organization does must primarily focus on making the donor experience as positive as possible so that donors can be retained over the long term. After all, retaining donors […]
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Giving Surges Again in 2020
July 6, 2021
Giving USA reports that charitable giving rose again in 2020 despite the global pandemic. The recent study reports that individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations gave an estimated $471.44 billion to U.S. charities in 2020. Total charitable giving grew 5.1% measured in current dollars over the revised total of $448.66 billion contributed in 2019. Adjusted for […]
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America’s Biggest Donors (2020)
February 22, 2021
Each year, the Chronicle of Philanthropy ranks America’s biggest donors. In 2020, the top eight donors included the following: Donor Name/Rank/Net Worth/Total Giving/Share of Wealth Given to Charity Jeff Bezos/(1)/$179 billion/$10.2 billion/5.7% MacKenzie Scott/(2)/$57 billion/$5.7 billion/10.1% Michael Bloomberg/(3)/$55 billion/$1.6 billion/2.9% Phil and Penelope Knight/(4)/$39.2 billion/$1.4 billion/3.5% Jack Dorsey/(5)/$6.8 billion/$1.1 billion/16.2% John and Laura Arnold/(6)/$3.3 billion/$567 […]
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Charitable Giving and Your 2020 Taxes
November 14, 2020
A Gallup poll recently found that 73% of Americans gave to charity over the past year (this is down nearly 10% from two years ago). And well over half of American donors make their gifts to charity in the final weeks of the year. If you’re in that group, you might want to know about […]
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Fundraising Way Up for First Half of 2020
November 4, 2020
The Chronicle of Philanthropy just released the results of a survey of 116 of the largest charities in America. It focused on how fundraising has fared during the global pandemic and the results might come as a surprise. The survey found: • On average, the groups raised 21% more in the first half of 2020 […]
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Michigan Looks to Renew Tax Credits for Giving
October 21, 2020
Michigan taxpayers and charitable donors take note. In late September, the state House passed a series of measures that would restore tax credits for charitable contributions to three types of nonprofits: community foundations, homeless shelters, and food banks. The tax credits were eliminated as part of broad statewide tax reforms in 2011 and nonprofit advocates […]
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Charitable Giving of Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates
August 20, 2020
Every election cycle, I publish the charitable giving of the candidates for President and Vice President. I think it’s important for Americans to know how the candidates for higher office support nonprofit charities. I also include the average giving for American citizens for comparison. The information below is taken directly from candidate’s most recently available […]
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Perspective
April 8, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is clearly an unprecedented event for our nation and the rest of the world. Understandably, many nonprofit leaders and board members are concerned about their immediate and long-term futures. In times like this, a little perspective can be helpful. After all, this isn’t the first time our nation has faced a period […]