Philanthropy

What is going on in the philanthropic community these days? An article in today's Boston Globe about potential downsizing in Jewish agencies in the Greater Boston area got me to thinking. Is this just a result of the economy and Madoff, or is it a result of something more serious. Are philanthropists still giving? If giving patterns have changed, is it a short term issue, or something bigger?

This is the beginning of my thinking about philanthropy, both in the U.S. and around the world (hence PhilanthropyGlobal.) I don't have a quick answer, but I do have a sense that giving patterns have been changing, and no one seems to know quite what to do about it. Over the past five years or so, several of the Jewish federations around the country have commissioned studies (or in some cases considered studies and decided not to do them.) Most of these studies have shown that Jews are today giving more money to non-Jewish causes than to Jewish causes. This appears to be a generational issue, at least to some extent.

In my home town, the Jewish Community Center finds itself in financial difficulty. Part of the reason is said to be the economy, and part of it the opening of a brand-new YMCA across town. But what about the fact that there is nothing particularly Jewish about the JCC beyond its name? It is a health club and day care center and camp operator. What's Jewish about that? Have the local Jewish Philanthropists lost interest because they haven't been engaged? That's my guess, and it mirrors what I see at many non-profit organizations. No one can understand why giving is down, but no one is doing anything to better engage volunteers, donors, and prospective donors so they will be willing to give and give more.

Philanthropy (literally the love of mankind) has always been based on the notion that people are generous, and want to do good works. But in bad times, we all need to focus on priorities, and the job of non-profit organizations is to better engage volunteers and donors so they make the non-profit a priority. Philanthropists want to be loved, too!

If you'd like to talk about ways to make your donors feel more loved, give me a call.