You’ve begun to think of yourself as a philanthropist, a donor to causes and organizations you care about. You know others see you as a philanthropist because overnight your mailbox has filled with fundraising letters, newsletters and invitations to events. You’re on...
When the board president called and asked to drop by later in the day to go over the proposed budget I didn’t think much about it. When he arrived his copy of the budget had a column of neatly written numbers all the way down the page. I had a sinking feeling I was in...
Most mornings you can find me walking early with my dependable old dog and two curious cats. Yes, the cats do go with us on the walk. It is quite the sight! Watching them interact one day, I realized you can trust the next generation. I’ll explain. I’ve wondered more...
Donor joy is elusive. If there’s a recipe for donor joy it is hard to find. In my experience the donor tries to get there by throwing a little of this and a little of that into the bowl, leaves out critical ingredients, and doesn’t bake it long enough. The entire time...
Add one thing.....write donation checks. Think. Plan. Do in 2016. Do you find yourself writing most of your donation checks in December? Do you know why? Here are answers most of us would have to that question: I like to wait until all the requests come in so I can...
Disappointment The conversation was right after Thanksgiving. The topic was Thanksgiving dinner at the Salvation Army Lodge. There were questions about whether everyone who came through the line was really in need; evidently several were overdressed for a free meal...
How many special event fundraisers have you attended - this year, last year, the last decade? I've been to so many that it would take all the fingers and toes of a roomful of friends to count them all. None stand out; they blend together in my mind. Now before you...
Why should you give philanthropically and strive to make a difference? You have to think about it for a minute to catch the importance of the "and" word. And it is very important. In our philanthropy we often assume we're making a difference. We take the idea of...
Did you know philanthropy zones are easy to miss? They lack clearly marked signs. Sometimes philanthropy zones have signs but they are confusing. It's like the school zone I drove through this week. It's really two overlapping zones - one a public middle school, the...
Flash philanthropy is here. Also known as crowdfunding, it’s an email or a social media request followed by an immediate and overwhelming urge to say yes, add the credit card and hit send. Will the emotion be enough to trigger digging out the credit card? Will the...
If one of the first words out of a toddler's mouth is no, then why is fast behind it. Parents spend a lot of time fielding innocent why questions from children and in later years the frustrating and demanding why questions from teenagers. By the time they graduate...
I just read that effective people usually ask good questions - not just of others, but of themselves. Then I read this, “Life is a big question that even Google can’t answer.” I don’t know who said it, but it’s the right quote for this fast-paced internet-driven world...
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” That’s sage advice from one of the most popular children’s authors of all time, Dr. Seuss. Giving to the causes you care “a whole awful lot about” should be easy. It should...
Let’s talk about how giving can be an important part of the WHY of buying. Author Simon Sinek says “People don’t buy or give to WHAT you do or HOW you do it, they buy or give to WHY you do it.” Once you open this door and include giving in your WHY you need to know...
Who is going to buy the new Apple Watch? Short answer - the next-gens. They are known as Gen X and Y, can still read small print, and they're younger than me. They are learning new technologies rapidly and integrating them into their lives. Their brains are...
Family legacies grow from stories. I've witnessed it first hand. Last year I spent time with a family mulling over a family gift in honor of grandmother. Grandmother had been involved with several organizations, so the family sorted through various ideas about what...
Will the next generation give as much as their grandparents and parents? Which generation is “the next generation”? The answer is relative, isn't it? Every generation wonders about the one that follows. Baby Boomers have been wondering about Generation X and they are...
I know my childhood memory of the Big Eddy Bridge, now under Lake Palestine, is not quite accurate. But the memory is real. Every chance we got my brother and I would convince my dad to drive over the very old and very rickety bridge. It seemed like every board in...
The question was posed this way. “The next time you write a column would you answer a question from “a little old lady?” Now without going into a lot of detail I know this “little old lady” quite well. Let’s just say she probably knows me better than I know myself....
It’s July! What comes to mind? Vacation, swimming, Barb B Q, fireworks, family, baseball. Ok, what would you add to the list? It really is that time of year that can be jam packed with activities just like another time of year – yep, Christmas time. In fact I just...
During the last month, I had conversations with two different mothers, one with average family resources and one with significant resources. In spite of their differences, they had one desire in common. Both mothers hope to raise generous children. Both mothers have...
Happy should describe the way you feel about serving on the board. Healthy should describe the organization. Your time on the board shouldn’t feel like a six year prison sentence, looking through the bars of early interest and well-intended commitment. You remember...
Please allow me to refer to the donor as HT. “HT said I made a commitment to help"; then later said "I follow through on my commitments." Finally, HT said "I know they need my help to make this idea happen.” Three critical statements made during an hour-long...
Quick – name the last fundraiser you attended. Good music, friends, a fun auction, or a healthy walk through tree lined streets. Were there any nagging questions? How will they use the money raised? How much will be left over after the event expenses are paid? Am I...
Is there anything more humiliating than making mistakes in full public view? Frankly it frustrates me when mistakes happen for all to see. It happened recently when I posted the YP Journal only to discover it wasn’t working correctly. I immediately received emails...
I’ve had occasion over the years to be involved in a number of giving decisions that didn’t work out as expected. Results we hoped for didn’t materialize. Occasionally, part of the grant was returned if it had not all been spent. In spite of the frustration, the...
One of the things I hear most often these days since announcing Your Philanthropy is spinning off to become its own philanthropic consulting firm is, "I’m so excited for you...now explain again exactly what you’ll be doing?" The question usually can be interpreted to...
Dawn Franks closed a chapter in a 33-year career of working with nonprofits, foundations and companies when she left Fourth Partner on December 31, 2013. She is spinning Your Philanthropy, a service developed in 2013 under the Fourth Partner umbrella, into a private...
“We need to talk to our kids about some of our philanthropy decisions, but we’ve never had those kinds of talks before. It’s all in our will, but we haven’t shared it with them. I think we’re late, but when is late too late? We don’t know where to start.” You may...
Like most of the people reading this, I have more than enough meetings. So, when someone calls and says they want to get together, I have learned to ask a few questions ahead of time. I should have asked more questions about my meeting this week with Steve Smith. I...
The conversation went something like this: “I’m sure you’ve heard they have a new Executive Director. What do you think is happening over there? Do you think they will survive?” The answer is yes, they will survive. In fact, my guess is they’ll still be going strong...
The eraser came hurling directly at me. I had just asked my favorite professor if he could explain the concept he was teaching in our summer statistics class one more time. The concepts were challenging for me, and my professor lost patience with my continual...
At a family reunion this past weekend, I learned my father used to pay his younger siblings a nickel for their chocolate pudding when he came home on military leave. He loved chocolate pudding, and I was raised on it – the homemade kind my mother cooled down in a...
Once when I worked at the East Texas Crisis Center, I received a call from a potential donor named Ray who had been referred to us by friends while playing golf. Ray was new in the area and wanted to visit with me and learn more about the Crisis Center. At that point...