What keeps you reading when you open the envelope and find a fundraising letter? Do you scan for the client numbers – people served, sheltered or fed? Do you look for program costs – how much the program costs per client? Or do your eyes catch the story and pictures? If the nonprofit organization is smart, they put their best story right up front, early in the letter. Stories capture our attention ...[Read More]
Do You Know the True Cost of Success for Your Favorite Nonprofit?
Pondering Philanthropy Questions from a “Little Old Lady”
Sometimes when I sit down to write the YP Journal, a philanthropy issue is on my mind. But today there was no such burning issue, so in the spirit of hunting for inspiration, I started looking back at old articles and stumbled across one calling my name. It was titled “A Plain Answer Will Do.” My mother, who passed away two years ago, almost to the day I am writing this, is the little old lady in ...[Read More]
Tips for All-Important Family Conversations
A friend shared that he planned to have a conversation very soon with his wife about some of the finer details of their financial situation. He described it as getting a meeting on their calendar. The need for such an appointment came just weeks after several unexpected and sudden family losses. The reminder to keep family members updated about financial information comes to us at the worst times. ...[Read More]
How One Family Brings Their Faith to Work and Changes the Lives of Children!
Listening to someone talk about family is always full of emotion – funny, sad, uplifting, surprising. Such a conversation is a gift; there is so much to learn. I had just such a conversation with Carrie-Ann Jasper recently. She shared from the heart their family story and how Jasper Ventures became the success it is today. And especially how they changed a decision to make an anonymous and signif ...[Read More]
How to Make Wise Giving Decisions When Disasters Strike
We’re right in the middle of hurricane season. Whether it’s a storm in the Atlantic or the Eastern Pacific, August is pretty much the middle of the season. Every year around this time, and especially into September hurricane season seems the most threatening. Perhaps it is because Hurricane Katrina hit August 29, 2005, and I live in a part of Texas that was a significant part of the disaster respo ...[Read More]
How Four Simple Behaviors Improved My Giving Habits
Once July 4th rolls around, I begin to anticipate another year rapidly coming to an end. The list of things I intend to accomplish this year looms larger and longer as I realize how little time is left. Year-long giving is always on my list. It’s a habit I talk about all the time. You already know what I’m about to say: Give through-out the year. Be intentional. Gather information about nonprofit ...[Read More]