by Dawn Franks | Jan 24, 2017 | Dawn's Blogs, Donors, Family, Giving, Nonprofits
In the early eighties, as a very young nonprofit executive director, I experienced the impact of political change or rather the impact of the predictions of change. President Reagan was inaugurated in 1981. Tax reform winds were blowing strong. It took until 1986 for...
by Dawn Franks | Jan 10, 2017 | Dawn's Blogs, Donors, Family, Giving
I don’t remember this for a fact, but I have it on good authority from author Robert Fulghum that the first word I learned from the Dick and Jane books of my first class reading circle was LOOK. It’s a very simple four letter word but has layers of meaning. To look at...
by Dawn Franks | Dec 28, 2016 | Donors, Giving, Millennials, Next Generation
Steven Rogers is a nextgen giver raised in Tyler, Texas, in a family that is serious, but quietly active in the giving community. Today he works as a business consultant and has been working with clients both in the U.S. and Mexico. When he was in his senior year at...
by Dawn Franks | Dec 14, 2016 | Family, Giving, Millennials, Next Generation
A large wooden crate seemed to hold all the decorations needed for the Christmas tree trimming I remember from my childhood. My dad would produce the crate each year, and my mother would supervise the opening and unpacking. The box held all kinds of treasures –...
by Dawn Franks | Nov 1, 2016 | Donors, Giving
It’s the chicken and egg dilemma. Which came first, the effective donor or the effective organization? In 2010 British researchers announced they solved the chicken and egg problem that dates back as far as Aristotle. They reported the chicken must have come...
by Dawn Franks | Sep 10, 2016 | Donors, Giving, Millennials, Next Generation, Nonprofits
A thread of embarrassment runs through donor stories. So much so that donors seldom share their giving experiences. For some it’s about too little to give, others too much too late. Other stories hint at long-held family beliefs that it is shameful to talk about...
