On Philanthropy Columns

Good morning, Milwaukee! It’s a beautiful sunny day, flowers are blooming and the birds are chirping. Let’s channel this moment through meditation. Join me. Sit in a comfortable position. Open your heart to ease and relaxation. Surrender to the moment…

There are so many focus areas of awareness during the month of April: environmental causes including Earth Day, various health causes, and, of course, it's National Volunteer Month.
Volunteers play an indispensable role at every nonprofit. Even where they don't help deliver programs, volunteer leaders make up every nonprofit board.

Without question, fundraising is an important, noble practice that allows nonprofits to do a lot of good in the world.

But if fundraisers’ goal is to raise funds at all costs, we’re missing the point – and maybe doing harm in the process.

Last month’s ‘On Philanthropy’ column outlined the inherent drive to help one another. Now, just in time for Valentine’s Day, it’s time to dig deeper into the concepts of love and altruism and their role in our daily lives.

Each year, approximately 40% of Americans create New Year’s resolutions. Life goals to be healthier, happier, and overall better than the previous year. As we enter 2022, we face a start much like 2021- we are still in the ebbs and flows of health and economic uncertainty. As a result, resolutions on health, diet, and exercise continue to dominate national trends. This year’s trends also include resolutions to improve personal financial situations.

These days, everybody’s talking about social equity. It’s an uncomfortable conversation for many – like my brother-in-law.

This Veteran’s Day, find your own way to honor our veterans

Yesterday, a donor dropped off over 400 homemade masks for our students. I opened the package, the red, white and blue masks flashing before my eyes. 

As I researched fundraising topics for this article, a social media post pop-up distracted me.

The post occurred on an informational platform for families of students at my child’s university. Social media has become an important tool for non-profit professionals like me, but today I saw first-hand the potential danger of this digital world.

Is it time to give nonprofits a break regarding “mission creep”?

“Mission creep.” 

As every nonprofit leader knows, it’s bad thing to be accused of.  But is the stigma justified?  Or do corporate and foundation funders need a new perspective?

Are you ready to lead? COVID has opened doors for those with preparation, focus and grit.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the workforce in insurmountable ways. It has been a trying 19 months but finally, the economy is rebounding. According to the US Labor Dept of Statistics, there were 9.5 million job openings in May 2021. If you are looking to make a change, and are ready to level up to a leadership role, now is the time. 
 

This time of the year is full of celebrations. Events commemorating our nation’s heroes on Independence Day. Ceremonies honoring academic graduates. Wedding festivities to bless the union of couples. Sporting events to cheer on the successes of favorite teams. Fairs and festivities that celebrate our sense of community.

Is morality the same everywhere?  And does it inevitably lead to philanthropy?

Insight on those two intriguing questions comes from a recent University of Oxford study of ethics across 60 societies.  Researchers concluded that seven morals -- remarkably uniform throughout humankind – evolved in every culture to promote social cooperation.

The past 14 months have been scary. Our lives have been turned upside down, with everything we love and value endangered. But one thing never changed:  the willingness of communities, donors and volunteers to come together to meet our collective challenges.

In the world of philanthropy, there is one crucial area of giving that is undeniably the most valuable. This priceless act is the act of giving of one’s time.

In looking back on history, we can note some parallels with current events. We are surrounded by the advancement of innovations, while at the same time overwhelmed by the call for reforms in the areas of social justice, economics, and politics.

This black history month, let’s remember the pandemic that has plagued our country long before the Coronavirus.

The year 2020 has been unprecedented in so many ways.  It only follows that the year’s nonstop changes would affect the holidays as well. That explains the song I heard on the radio the other day: 

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Coronavirus all around
CARES Act tax law changes now will inspire
Good donors to spread their money around…”

We fundraisers are committed to philanthropy.  But some things are even more important, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us: "Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary." Read AFP’s Milwaukee Business Journal column and get involved in NPD 2020.

Almost by definition, communities unify people for collaborative action and shared benefit. That’s why 2020 will be remembered as a year when the unifying powers of community were put to severe test. When circumstances divide us, it’s too easy to lose sight of what unites us. Together, let’s commit to change that on November 10.

Hey there, Congress!  So sorry to hear about your recent politicized stall (what, again?) on a new coronavirus relief package.  Quick bipartisan suggestion:  how about injecting $200 billion into the economy over three years without costing taxpayers a dime?

Sitting down at my computer after a digital-free ‘holiday’ weekend resulted in some surprises. Emails to several fellow nonprofit professionals were followed by auto-replies, not due to vacations but as a result of furloughs and layoffs.

Each one of us has a moral responsibility to fight for justice. Who will lead that fight? Grassroots nonprofit organizations! Here’s one example.

Working in the wee hours (when my daughter’s asleep so there are no mouths to feed, no diapers to change, no zoom meetings to attend), I gaze out the window to see a star shining through the foggy twilight, and it reminds me: in the darkest skies we find the brightest stars.

This On Philanthropy column has historically written about the virtues of the nonprofit world. But we have to admit that the nonprofit sector has a dark side.

In a recent survey of Milwaukee area nonprofits, 50% of the 250 responding organizations said that volunteers were either essential or very important to their mission. That’s not surprising, given that 52% of the responding organizations had fewer than 10 paid staff – and fully 25% had only one staff member, or none.

Why did the bank want to return all the government bailout money ASAP?... Because it was upset at all the hidden fees!

Each year, philanthropic donors bring enlightenment, health, and opportunity to area residents through charitable gifts to nonprofit organizations. But those of us who genuinely care about community-building must support one more mission: restoring the ability of troubled and at-risk neighbors to thrive as community members.

To create an inspiring work, an artist translates a beautiful vision into reality. It’s the same for a philanthropist: starting with their vision of a better world, they wield brushstrokes of passion, creativity, insight and generosity. Their works don’t just inspire us – they lift our whole community’s quality of life.

This fall your kid may head off to college for the first time, perhaps with only the vaguest idea about a career. As he or she backs down the driveway, you have one last chance to influence their future. My suggestion: wave them down, lean through the window and, in your gravest James Earl Jones voice, intone:

Is your glass half full? Half empty? Thrown against the wall in frustration? The Giving USA report annually summarizes the nation’s charitable giving. The report on 2018 came out in July, and you can see whatever you want in those tea leaves.

Every July 4th, our family reunion brings me into contact with my clueless brother-in-law. He’s the guy in every family who remembers exactly one fact about everyone else. As expected, he quickly worked our conversation around to his usual dig. “Hey, dude, you work for a nonprofit. So do you actually get paid?” he smirked.

One hundred years ago, on June 10, 1919, Wisconsin became the first state to ratify the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. When I reflect on the struggles of our foremothers, I wonder: What have we accomplished?

What does it take to become a nonprofit CEO? New research from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance reveals the common traits.

Philanthropy can be found in even the darkest of places - Would-be Westerosi! The fate of humanity lies in our hands!

Three lessons from charitable giving for a long and lasting relationship

Dear Dad: I received your annual Christmas Wish List yesterday. After an online search for the meaning of “auger,” “tip up,” and “floating livewell,” I have to let you know that you will not be receiving any ice fishing supplies this year.

Here’s an easy multiple-choice question: Last year, We Energies gave more than 2 percent of its net income to charity – twice the average rate for corporations nationwide. That makes the company well-positioned to:

The $20.8 billion that American companies gave to charity last year sounds like a lot…until you consider their share was just 5 percent of the nation’s $410 billion in philanthropy. So maybe it’s time to ask: are corporate donors maxed out?

You see their names on buildings. You read their names on plaques. But behind all the brass and calligraphy, what really motivates our community’s philanthropists?

Fundraisers nationwide have sounded alarms about how the new tax law will affect philanthropic giving. But at least three local experts don’t seem overly concerned. Among other strategies, they suggest fundraisers use the tax changes to leverage corporate giving.

The scene: last November’s National Philanthropy Day celebration in Milwaukee. There I sat, in the crowd of 600-plus diners, listening to heartwarming thank-yous as our area’s leading philanthropists and volunteers received awards from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. I tried to put myself in their shoes, imagining how such public acclaim for altruism, generosity and community commitment must be like a dream come true for the honorees. Then suddenly it struck me:

My brother-in-law can’t come for dinner this weekend (I’m crushed) because he’s “getting his tax stuff together.” Amid his annual drudgery, he lamented, “At least next year we’ll have the tax cut.”

Despite their differences, the nonprofit and for-profit sectors agree on one thing: Millennials can be confounding.

Let’s take a sober look at charity fraud warnings

Some of 2017’s year-end lists are more meaningful than others

As Weather Turns Cool, Milwaukee Philanthropy Warms Up

In a rapidly changing world, nonprofits must seize opportunities. Grab your chance to be a venture capitalist…!

As my wife will tell you, I hate to give up something of value -- even if I seldom use it. (Hey, my Betamax could still make a comeback, right?).

Increased competition…savvier customers...corporate consolidation. These realities drive constant adaptation by business professionals.

Annual investment in donor-advised funds grew from $9 billion in 2010 to $22 billion in 2015, according to the National Philanthropic Trust. A doubling of giving by would-be philanthropists sounds like a good thing. So why aren’t nonprofits more excited about it?

I recently attended my niece’s graduation. You’ve been there: thousands of grads fidgeting beneath mortarboards, waiting for their big moment, in a ceremony that seems to last a lifetime.

Every nonprofit raises funds to pursue its mission. And then there are nonprofits for which fundraising IS the mission. The impact of these organizations goes far beyond the charitable funds they channel to area nonprofits....

If you are one of the hundreds of Milwaukee-area business leaders who advance causes close to your heart by serving on the board of a local nonprofit, here are some tips that might make your efforts even more deeply appreciated…

I just took my old work shoes to the resale shop. Yeah, I could have chucked them in my back closet. But I knew somebody out there would want them, and I knew I’d get a receipt for a little tax deduction. I wouldn’t save a lot -- but, hey, every little bit helps, right?

One would think that Wisconsin’s foundations and the nonprofits they fund would strongly agree about what those organizations need to thrive. Turns out that is only partly the case.

The secret to expanding corporate philanthropy in Milwaukee? Helping companies learn how to do it right.