#FUNDRAISING: Outreach Tactics & Technologies Need To Adjust To Demographics
With the texts and tweets and the touchscreens and with those crazy(-cool) Google goggles and whatnot, a nonprofit would be daft to send those old-fashioned appeals by mail. The cost of printing and stamps, the hassle of upkeep of a database of address, the imposition of making potential donors find their checkbooks buried ever-farther into their desk drawers… who would bother?
But an extensive whitepaper from the folks at Convio makes it quite clear that not only is the traditional through-the-snail-mail appeal still a great way to solicit support for your charity, it is the hands-down winner over all media outreach. As the chart to the left reveals, outreach by mail achieves incredibly high response rates. That said − and unsurprisingly − the impact of mailers fades as one moves down the age groups, as Generations X and (especially) Y choose to respond to other media as well. What media will carry the donation message into the future?
| Category Advice, Advocacy, Aging, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Civics, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Development, Direct Mail, Donor Acquisition, Education: General, Fundraising, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Mobile, Nonprofit, Permission Marketing, Planned Giving, Public Relations, Publications, Resource, Social Marketing, Social Networks, Study, Technology, Technology for Aging, Technology for Nonprofits | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: Pew Research Keeps Us Up With Changing Faces of Internet
The latest surveys carried out by the Pew Internet and American Life Project are tracking both the most popular online social-networking platforms and the kinds of people who are using them. We enjoy sharing such findings with our readers because the information the folks at the Pew Internet group can help nonprofits refine their online efforts for the many constituencies that these nonprofits want to reach. The latest study, The Demographics of Social Media Users — 2012, points to a few new developments we’d like to highlight this week.
| Category Advice, Campaigns, Cause Marketing, Civics, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Education: General, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, Marketing, Measurement, Nonprofit, Research, Resource, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Study, Technology for Nonprofits, Twitter, Twitter | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: How To Promote Facebook Posts & Why You Might Not Want To
CecilyK on ‘MomCrunch’ blog says ‘No’
This past summer Facebook launched the opportunity to purchase ‘Promoted Posts’ that − for at least a $5 fee − would be promoted across the Facebookiverse. The more you paid, the more broadly the algorithms (aka ‘magic’) circulated the post. It was hailed by many for- and non-profit organizations as an opportunity to push through the background noise endemic in most people’s timelines to get your words and images out to a larger but (broadly) targeted audience.
We want to show you how to promote a post if you are unfamiliar with the easy process, but we also want to call attention to the fact that many power users are not finding the return on investment that Facebook claims. Is it a case of false advertising, or is Facebook still working out the kinks?
| Category Advertising, Advice, Advocacy, Case Study, Cause Marketing, Communications, Education: General, Facebook, Facebook, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Budget, Measurement, Nonprofit, Public Media, Site Administration, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Study, Technology for Nonprofits, Web and Print | | 4 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#SOCIALNETWORKS: Unifying Your Strategy By Diversifying These 5 Key Points
Click to Enlarge
As we move into the second half of 2012, especially into planning for the fund-raising campaigns of the holiday season, nonprofits also should do a checkup on the face they are presenting on their social networks. Get yourself in the mood to question, re-align, edit… and then get into your Facebook account. The folks at Awareness, makers of social-marketing software for small businesses, have just released a white paper called “Five Killer Strategies to Dominate Social Media’s Big 3: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube”, which can be had by signing up and downloading the report. They also have released the infographic we post on the right here (which, to my eye, reads more like a strategic flowchart).
If you aren’t ready for a white paper on the topic, Jim Belosic has a five-step proposal to reconsider what you have on your organization’s page and what you might want to think about when monitoring it. Such as…
| Category Advice, Cause Marketing, Communications, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, Geo-Location, Marketing, Nonprofit, Public Media, Resource, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Strategic Marketing, Study, Technology, Tools, Twitter, YouTube | | 0 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#INTERVIEW: Derrick Feldmann, CEO of Achieve, Discusses The Millennial Impact Report Coming June 11
Derrick Feldmann is CEO of Achieve, a creative fundraising agency that produces The Millennial Impact Report, an annual research study of Millennial Generation donors. (The 2012 report will be released on Monday.) The agency also hosts the only national virtual summit, MCON, on Millennials annually. The interview was conducted by Don Akchin, a principal of Nonprofit Marketing 360 and a frequent contributor to the MKCREATIVE blog.
MKC: You have made Millennial donors a specialty. Isn’t it a little early to be worrying about the Millennial donors?
DERRICK: Absolutely not! If we have an expectation that this generation of 20- to-30-year-olds will be future significant supporters of our causes, we have an expectation now to involve them. If you are an educational institution, if you are a nonprofit, if you are planning a capital campaign in the next ten years, and you want more donor support, you had better start working with them now. There is an imperative to work with this generation.
Organizations might not have them as a focus because they may not have the largest capacity to give right now. It’s been a bit tricky for some organizations to figure out parallel tracks of involvement for constituents who don’t necessarily have large capacity but in volumes could give a lot.
(more…)
| Category Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Development, Donor Acquisition, E-Mail, eNewsletter, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, Grants, Interview, Major Gifts, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Nonprofit, Permission Marketing, Report, Resource, Social Marketing, Social Media, Social Networks, Special Series, Strategic Marketing, Study, Twitter, Twitter | | 0 Comments
Written by: Don Akchin
#ADVOCACY: Make Sure Pitch Has Call To Action, Not Just High Concept
What happens when you get corporate assistance to launch a new campaign, or pro bono development from a commercial ad agency? You can get some fabulous ideas and some valuable insights on establishing your brand. You can get your materials into some of the best publication and on some of the most visited sites on the web.
But as some of our colleagues at Sofii.org have discovered, you can also get a good deal of expensive nothing. The commercial backer or ad agency might not be sensitive to the constituents who want to be involved with various types of nonprofits. They might encourage outreach through channels that are quite unlikely to reach the people your charity traditionally reaches. They might give you a fabulous product on the design board (Indeed, I think it’s safe to say that they certainly will give you a fabulous design.) that falls flat in the real world. Let’s look at a couple of examples from Sofii.
| Category Advertising, Advice, Advocacy, Blogs, Campaigns, Case Study, Cause Marketing, Communications, Copyrighting, Crowdfunding, Design, Development, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, Graphic Design, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Media Review, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Public Relations, Publications, Publications Design, Resource, Reviews, Sponsorship, Storytelling, Strategic Marketing, Study, Writing | | 2 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#HOWTO: Facebook Timeline Goes Public Tomorrow! Ready?
Are you ready? It goes live tomorrow!
Facebook has been rolling out its new ‘Timeline’ feature for a few months now, and we hope we have given you a helping hand with the changes. Timeline redesigns your social interaction into a chronological sweep that is also distinguished topically and physically (that is, by being placed in different sections of your FB home page). It allows an individual, a nonprofit, or a company to present a visual banner or ‘Cover’ to introduce themselves, and it offers greater opportunity to control the ‘Story’ on the page by giving users means to ‘back fill’ their histories.
And the fact is, Timeline becomes the default interface of all Facebook accounts tomorrow! If your charity is on Facebook, you need to be prepared. We found a couple of great sources to help you tidy up your page in preparation of the final stages of implementation.
| Category Advice, Blogs, Branding, Cause Marketing, Communications, Facebook, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, How-to, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Media Review, Public Relations, Resource, Reviews, Site Administration, Social Media, Social Networks, Software Review, Storytelling, Study, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits, Video, Web Design, YouTube | | 2 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#PROAGING: Republican Budget Realigns Medicare But Ignores Long-Term Care
The macro-economics of aging over the next 40 years do not look great: the first Baby Boomers reached the age of Social-Security eligibility 15 months ago, but the crest of this so-called ‘Silver Tsunami’ will not come until about 2030. It will not recede for another couple of decades. The issue is not the number of people so much as the economy’s ability/preparation to deal with the number. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, “The baseline 2010 Retirement Readiness Rating™ finds that nearly one-half (47.2 percent) of the oldest cohort (Early Baby Boomers) are simulated to be “at risk” of not having sufficient retirement resources to pay for “basic” retirement expenditures and uninsured health care costs. The percentage “at risk” drops for the Late Boomers (to 43.7 percent) but then increases slightly for Generation Xers to 44.5 percent.”
The combination of retiring Boomers with lengthening life expectancies with a general political trend to cut taxes for all while reducing services only to the poor has meant that the costs of long-term care are growing, while the will to adjust expectations or fund federal programs is shrinking. The FY2013 budget proposed by Senators Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), and Mike Lee (R-Utah) earlier this month has not much quelled fears of how Medicare will deal with the spread between long-living retired Boomers and the costs they will impose on an already stressed healthcare ‘system’.
| Category Affordable Housing, Aging, Assisted Living, Boomers, Community, Independent Living, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Nonprofit, Opinion, Politics, Retirement Living, Senior Housing, Study, Technology for Aging | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#PROAGING: Technology Improves Exercise of Body And Brain
Last week we introduced an AARP report encouraging the development of ‘Technology for All,’ namely, technology that includes the interests, expectations, and needs of Baby Boomers. Here is an example of how technology makes a common exercise machine that much more interesting and beneficial: a computer screen offering a virtual tour for a stationary biker.
Hans Villarica of TheAtlantic.com presented a report found in The American Journal of Preventative Medicine that brings computer screens and visual stimuli to recumbent bikers in elder-care homes. The experiment was to encourage exercise among residents on incumbent bikes – some used bikes with screens that monitored their effort and presented a ‘tour’ while others simply rode the bikes for the same amount of time.
Not surprisingly, those who got a tour on what the study calls ‘exergaming’ found the experience of exercising more pleasurable. But the long-term study also showed added cognitive benefits of having the tour inspire/follow the exercisers who had the computer addition. As Hans summarizes the study’s medical/statistical conclusion: “Even though there was no difference in exercise frequency, intensity, or duration between the two groups, the cybercycle riders had significantly better executive function than those who used a plain stationary bike. They also experienced a 23 percent reduction in progression to dementia compared to the control group.”
The addition is simple, the technology is not expensive, and the user gets physical, mental, and emotional benefits. What’s not to like?
| Category Aging, Assisted Living, Boomers, Fitness, GI Generation, Health, Healthcare, Independent Living, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Nursing Home, Resource, Retirement Living, Reviews, Seniors Life, Software Review, Study, Technology, Technology for Aging, Wellness | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#FUNDRAISING: Impact Of Mobile Donations To Haiti Two Years On?
Two years ago this month, Haitians endured a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that destroyed much of the infrastructure in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and killed over 300,000 people. The outpouring of support from numerous nations inspired faith that rebuilding after the tragedy would bring notable improvements to the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.
Unfortunately, two years on, much of the news concerns not the rebuilding of the island nation but the challenge of simply finding where the promised money and resources went. Much of it simply has not shown up as countries have given less (some news sources state as much as half) than first promised. But of what has arrived has often been diverted to non-Haitian companies or to corrupt local officials who overcharge for minimal services.
And yet we also have the data to show how much non-governmental was raised ($43 million) and how.
| Category Case Study, Communications, Community, Crowdfunding, Fundraising, Grants and Funding, Media Review, News and Current Affairs, Newspaper Article, Publications, Research, Resource, Social Media, Study, Technology, Technology for Nonprofits | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Tech: Online Security For Your Person-Not Just Your Passwords
What is to be done?
Securing one’s passwords, email accounts, and banking information rightly gains the lion’s share of attention in the media. Having one’s email hacked into – even if the account contains no particularly personal or truly incriminating information – can be a terrible headache for oneself and for one’s family and friends.
But are we aware of just how much of our activity is tracked and counted and bought and sold as we browse the internet outside any personal accounts? Computer scientists at Stanford Law School’s ‘Center for Internet and Society’ have been pursing this issue for a few months now, and they trace the myriad ways our identities are shared via even the most innocuous of surfing.
| Category Advertising, Case Study, Communications, How-to, Marketing, Measurement, Media Review, Public Relations, Research, Resource, Reviews, Site Administration, Study, Technology, Web and Print | | 1 Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
#Interview: Marc Pitman, Owner of the “Fundraising Coach” Blog, Author, and Fundraising Consultant
Marc A. Pitman writes the Fundraising Coach blog, in addition to writing books, giving seminars, engaging in social media and consulting with clients. His own fundraising career began at a small New England liberal arts college, but by 1999 he found the consulting life fulfilled his desire to teach and help people. Marc was interviewed from his home in rural Maine by Don Akchin, a principal of Nonprofit Marketing 360 and a frequent contributor to the MKCREATIVE blog.
| Category Blogs, Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Development, Donor Acquisition, Facebook, Facebook, Fundraising, Grants, Grants and Funding, Interview, Major Gifts, Nonprofit, Resource, Social Media, Special Series, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Don Akchin
#ProAging: Small Ailments, Left Unchecked, Can Lead To Big Concerns
Most (post-)industrial western societies tend to see aging as a decline from the creativity and energy of young adulthood. The experiences and wisdom of longer life tend to be downplayed against the physical changes wrought by age. But older people tend to know better: they want the young to appreciate that the teens and early twenties are the difficult years, whereas the engaged peace of being over 50 is really where the action is.
That said, those moving beyond 50 can not – and do not – deny changes in the body that must be dealt with: quicker fatigue, joint and tooth aches, changes in eyesight and/or hearing… The AARP’s website is reporting a new study at Neurology.org that links the ongoing and unresolved physical discomforts help increase the likelihood of the onset of dementia as well.
| Category Aging, Assisted Living, Blogs, Fitness, Health, Healthcare, Independent Living, Resource, Retirement Living, Seniors Life, Study, Wellness | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
Interview: Zach Hochstadt, Mission Minded Agency Cofounder and Nonprofit Branding Expert
Zach Hochstadt is a founding partner of Mission Minded, a branding firm working exclusively with nonprofit organizations, with offices in San Francisco and Denver. He and partner Jennie Winton founded their firm in 2002 and have helped shape the brands and marketing campaigns of many well known nonprofits, including San Francisco Opera, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Denver Public Schools Foundation, Levi Strauss Foundation, and the Global Health Group at University of California San Francisco. The interview was conducted by Don Akchin, a principal of Nonprofit Marketing 360 and a frequent contributor to the MKCREATIVE blog.
MKC: Branding is a term from the corporate world. Does branding work as well for nonprofits?
Zach: When we started the company in 2002, we saw ourselves as bringing some of the best principles from the corporate world and applying them in the nonprofit sector. But as you know, the nonprofit sector has some really unique challenges, so we were developing some things specific to the nonprofit market.
Fundamentally, in the corporate world, you’ve got this thing – say, Kleenex – and you’re trying to layer some sense of goodness and extra value on top of it, so Kleenex becomes a symbol of caring. In the nonprofit sector, it’s the opposite: you’ve got a product that has abundant good, and the challenge is to refine it to be clear enough, easy enough, and simple enough to understand that the brand can really stand for something. The other challenge is, in the corporate world the same people who pay for the product receive the benefit. In the nonprofit sector, almost always, one group of people pays for a benefit to be received by another group of folks. (more…)
| Category Communications, Community, Cross-Post, Fundraising, Interview, Marketing, Nonprofit, Resource, Special Series, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Don Akchin
#Development: Should You be Focused On Donor Retention Rather Than Acquisition?
The Agitator blog asked Agitator readers a simple question:
What percentage of your nonprofit’s 1st time donors make a second gift?
The final results of their survey show:
32% — less than 30 percent converted
29% — 30-39 percent converted
22% — 40-49 percent converted
17% — 50 percent or more converted
When they compared these results with a Forbes Insight Survey of marketing executives in the private sector, the Agitator came to one conclusion: nonprofit development staff should make donor retention a higher priority than acquiring new donors. Sounds counter-inituitive, no? The numbers suggest otherwise
Donor retention through ongoing relationship building: It’s the low-hanging fruit that will reap a large harvest!
Read the full article here.
| Category Advice, Blogs, Case Study, Communications, Cross-Post, Crowdfunding, Development, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, Grants, Major Gifts, Marketing, Measurement, Nonprofit, Research, Resource, Storytelling, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
Study: UMBC Seeking African American Women Age 65+ for Research Project
Image via Wikipedia
The Retirement Living Sourcebook reports that researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County are conducting a study on older women and want to be sure the study is representative of our diverse population. You are invited to help by participating in the study (if you are eligible) and by sharing this invitation widely with your friends, family and networks.
“African American Women, Age 65 and older who do not have children and are willing to share their experiences and views on later life are asked to take part in a research project to discuss the lifestyles of older women and the joys and challenges of later life.”
This study is funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Participation will involve three (3) private interviews in your home (or at another place, if you prefer) and each interview will last approximately 90 minutes. All information will be kept confidential.
All participants will be paid $100 for their time.
If you are interested in participating, please contact:
Amanda Mosby
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Office: (410) 455-5935
[email protected]
| Category Measurement, Research, Resource, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
Development: Do Your Donors Call You?
The Agitator blog posted a great article on how one corporation re-wrote the rulebook on relationship building and saw a sizable increase customer loyalty and retention. What does this have to do with nonprofits? Well, if your organization relies on telephone outreach and fundraising, there are some useful nuggets for you to take away.
“What percentage of your donors or members call your nonprofit … for any reason? What’s the overall volume? And what about ‘over-the-transom’ calls from people not yet connected to you?
Naturally, the numbers vary hugely from nonprofit to nonprofit, and across types of nonprofits.
Do you treat these calls as a cost (i.e., a nuisance) to be managed and minimized?
Or as an opportunity to build relationships? Increasing loyalty amongst existing supporters and winning new ones.”
Read the relationship management case study about American Express in the Financial Times (free registration required).
| Category Development, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, Nonprofit, Resource, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
Communications: Telling Stories To Touch Lives & Raise Money
Telling and listening to stories is what we humans do. The story could be about our morning commute or about three Russian brothers wrestling with their rocky relationships after the murder of their cantankerous father. But what makes either of those stories compelling is the opportunity for story teller to touch the experiences, expectations, and aspirations of the audience.
Nonprofits tell stories as a means to call people to action. Though story-telling might be as natural as our desire for food, telling a compelling story requires planning and practice. The Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin is popularly attributed with the statement, “The death of one is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.” The fact is, though, nonprofits and charities have to find ways to turn the statistics of their causes into meaningful human stories. (more…)
| Category Campaigns, Communications, Community, Development, E-Mail, Fundraising, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Nonprofit, Public Relations, Resource, Storytelling, Study, Writing | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
Resources: Nonprofit Report, White Paper & eBook Round-up
Lori Halley at the The Wild Apricot Blog provides a useful summary of six recently published research reports, white papers, e-books and guides that might be of interest to non-profit and membership organizations.
- 2011 Millennial Donors Report
- Pew Internet and Family Life Project
- 2010 Nonprofit IT Staffing & Spending Report
- Social CRM for Associations
- Social Media for Your Nonprofit:Take Charge!
- How to Set up a Microvolunteering Project
| Category Advice, Case Study, Communications, Development, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, Grants, Major Gifts, Marketing, Marketing Skills, Measurement, Nonprofit, Permission Marketing, Report, Research, Resource, Social Media, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
Aging: Study Reveals Being Homebound is Linked to Alzheimer’s
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Steve Gurney (ProAging Information Network) reports on a new study that looks at the incidence of Alzheimer’s in “housebound” seniors. The study suggests that being housebound nearly doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The new study, published online April 15 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, looks at something known as “life space.”
“[Life space] is actually a measure that has come into vogue with gerontologists lately,” said lead investigator Bryan D. James, a postdoctoral fellow at Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago. “Mostly it’s been a measurement of mobility, figuring out whether people are getting around their environment, how much they’re seeing that’s different from their couch or bedroom or living room.”
“The research doesn’t prove that being confined to the house causes dementia, and other factors could explain the association. Still, the findings raise questions about the possible cost of isolation,” said James.
Read the full article here.
| Category Adult Kids, Aging, Assisted Living, Grandparents, Health, Healthcare, Independent Living, Nursing Home, Report, Resource, Retirement Living, Seniors Life, Study, Wellness | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
Aging: Baby Boomers – A New Way to Grow Old
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Baby boomers won’t grow old the old-fashioned way, experts say.
It looks like the baby boomers, who used to urge each other to “do your own thing,” will do precisely that when it comes to retirement, write Tom Valeo and Sylvia Davis at WebMD.com.
Some will imitate their parents and drop out of the work force as early as possible to begin a life of leisure, continuing a trend that began more than a century ago.
More than 80% of boomers, however, plan to work beyond the age of 65, according to the Merrill Lynch New Retirement Survey. Most will do so to supplement their Social Security checks, since at least one-quarter of boomer households have failed to save enough for retirement, according to the Congressional Budget Office. “They appear likely to depend entirely on government benefits in retirement,” the CBO report states.
| Category Adult Kids, Aging, Assisted Living, Grandparents, Independent Living, Nursing Home, Report, Resource, Retirement Living, Seniors Life, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
Social Media: What’s Normal for Nonprofits Online? Check the eNonprofit Benchmarks Study
NTEN and M+R Strategic Services released their 2011 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study in March, and there’s good news and bad news all through it.
- The median email list grew 20%; but the annual email list churn is 18% (8% unsubscribes).
- Online fundraising grew 14% in one year. But international disaster aid drove that, with 163% growth.
- Open rates on fundraising email fell 19%, to 0.08%; open rates for advocacy fell 7%, to 3.3%. (Hint: try fund appeals to advocacy respondents)
- 90% of online donations are one-time gifts.
- The average organization sent 3.6 emails per subscriber per month (6 in December).
- For every 1,000 email list names, there are an average 110 Facebook fan page users and 19 Twitter followers.
Guest blogger Don Akchin writes frequently about marketing and philanthropy at donakchin.com
| Category Advice, Cross-Post, Fundraising, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit, Resource, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Don Akchin
#Development: Survey – Donors Concerned About How Money is Spent
Sophie Hudson, a writer for thirdsector.co.uk, summarized a recent FRSB survey which found that many donors were concerned that their donations went on administration and fundraising, rather than on programs and outreach. The FRSB is the independent self-regulatory body for UK fundraising.
Sophie states that, “more than two-thirds of donors say they are concerned about how their donations to charities are spent, according to new research commissioned by the Fundraising Standards Board.
A survey carried out by the research company TNS OnLineBus, which polled more than 1,000 nationally representative donor adults aged between 16 and 64, found that 68 per cent of respondents were concerned about how donations were spent.
Fifty-nine per cent said they were concerned that charities spent donations on administration and fundraising.
Older age groups were more likely to have a higher level of concern about charity donations. Resondents aged from 16 to 24 were particularly concerned about charities not respecting the people who supported them, with 57 per cent citing this as a concern.
Alistair McLean, chief executive of the FRSB, said it was crucial that charities made more effort to communicate with donors.
“Donors need to understand how it all works: where the money goes, that it costs money to raise money and that that is all right,” he said.
“If we are to alleviate donors’ concerns and build trust and confidence, we need to educate the public, conveying just how committed charities are to best practice, professionalism and accountability.”
| Category Development, Donor Acquisition, Fundraising, Grants, Major Gifts, Resource, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria
#AGING: Diagnoses of Alzheimer’s Grow With Aging Population
The Alzheimer’s Association of the US has just published a sobering report on the growing presence of Alzheimer’s among the growing number of retirees and older Baby Boomers. Those who suffer from the disease require, in the early stages, expensive drug therapies and constant care throughout their later lives. The report discusses the economic, social, familial, and personal tolls that Alzheimer’s imposes on the community.
| Category Aging, Health, Publications, Resource, Seniors Life, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Christopher Gardner, PhD
Aging: Playtime helps bind generations
A new study has confirmed an old adage: A family that plays together stays together. Researchers from Concordia University and Wilfrid Laurier University examined the ways grandparents can maintain close ties with their adult grandchildren. True to the old maxim, recreation emerged as the glue sealing intergenerational bonds.
Here’s a link to an article about the study and to the study itself.
| Category Adult Kids, Aging, Assisted Living, Grandparents, Independent Living, Nursing Home, Resource, Retirement Living, Seniors Life, Study | | Comments Off
Written by: Marco Kathuria