Summer 2009

From The President

Many of you are eager to learn how much or how little giving declined in 2008, which we report below in the article about the annual Giving USA study. But here’s the number we think you should pay most attention to: 88 percent.

That’s because 88 percent of all charitable gifts were made by individuals, either through individual giving, bequests, or family foundations. It was 88 percent in 2007 as well. So while it’s likely that 2009 will be another challenging year for fundraising, nonprofits that take steps to cultivate individual giving are more likely to meet their fundraising goals.

I’ve said this before, but in this economy it bears repeating. First, work closely with your board to make sure each member is a donor and advocate. Second, develop and follow a fundraising, communications, and stewardship plan to maintain momentum. Third, focus on renewing gifts from current donors and let them know what their gifts have made possible.

Thanks for reading. If we can help in any way, please let us know.

W. Keith Curtis, President

Giving Dropped in 2008, But Not By Much

by Nancy Chapman, Communications Director

“As we expected, giving in 2008 was down slightly from 2007,” announced Giving Institute board member Keith Curtis, “with an overall drop of 2 percent in current dollars.”

Curtis is referring to “Giving USA, the Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2008,” which was released Wednesday, June 10. The report is published by Giving USA Foundation and researched and written by The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Giving Institute is the founding organization of Giving USA Foundation.

But that 2 percent drop is a little misleading. Taking out the recipient category of religion, which was up 5.5 percent and is the largest single recipient of charitable giving at 35 percent of the total, the drop for the remaining categories averaged 5.6 percent.

Compared with the 37 percent decline in the S&P 500 index, this relatively small drop demonstrates that even in a challenging economy, Americans are amazingly generous. For the second year in a row, U.S. giving topped $300 billion. In 2007, giving totaled $314 billion; in 2008, it was $307 billion.

Categories that had the largest declines were human services, down 12.5 percent; health, down 6.5 percent; arts, culture, and humanities, down 6.4 percent; education, down 5.5 percent; and environment/animals, also down 5.5 percent.

The vast majority of human services charities are small, grass-roots organizations that made their major appeal for gifts in the fourth quarter, when Americans were hardest hit by the stock-market drop and job losses.

Unlike religion, giving to education is affected by the stock market, while the arts and culture category is supported in large part by high-net-worth individuals, who were dealing with stock market losses. 

20 Years of Work We Love: Made Possible by People Like You

by Wesley Stanley, Marketing Director & Campaign Consultant

With 2009 marking The Curtis Group’s 20th anniversary, we wanted to find a way to show our gratitude to the people who have made our success possible. With this in mind, last summer we began planning “one swell party,” to thank all of our clients and friends for 20 years of work we love. 

On April 29 at Town Point Club in downtown Norfolk, we gathered among friends old and new. The event began with a presentation on current philanthropic trends by Dr. Dwight Burlingame of Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy and was followed by a celebratory reception. 

From some of our first clients to our newest ones, from local foundation leaders to business leaders and board members with whom we’ve worked, we were humbled to be surrounded by such an incredible group of people. The important conversations that took place provided us all with food for thought and a positive energy as we embark on our fundraising endeavors for the remainder of 2009.

Client Success Story: EQUI-KIDS Therapeutic Riding Program

After three years of guidance from The Curtis Group, EQUI-KIDS Therapeutic Riding Program is only $150,000 away from achieving its dream of owning its own home. For 13 years the organization has leased its current 30-acre tract of farmland, a lot whose size and lack of title have prohibited EQUI-KIDS from expanding its programs to serve more special-needs individuals, including the 350 riders currently on a waiting list.

With just over $5.1 million of the $5.3 million campaign goal raised, Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this three-phase project are nearly complete. In July, the organization will move operations to its new 92-acre home, which will include a 24-stall horse barn and 5,300-square-foot administrative building. The organization is proud to move to its new home debt-free and won’t begin construction on the project’s final phase, an indoor riding arena, until raising an additional $400,000. Once complete, EQUI-KIDS’ new facility will be one of the largest riding centers on the East Coast dedicated solely to those with physical and mental disabilities.

Nonprofit News

• The Curtis Group’s vice president, Wendy McGrady, served on Giving USA Foundation’s Editorial Review Board. Participation on this committee ensures that the findings of Giving USA are reported accurately within the scope of the Giving USA Foundation’s endeavors to advance research and education in philanthropy.
• Join The Curtis Group July 20-22 at the annual VFRI conference being held at the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville, and hear presentations from keynote speakers Gail Perry and John Lynch, as well as a workshop on “Conducting a Major Campaign in the Current Economy” by Keith Curtis. Stop by The Curtis Group booth and receive a 40% off coupon good for all purchases on the Giving USA Web site.
• Senior Center of Charlottesville, one of the nation’s first and longest-running senior centers, has chosen The Curtis Group to conduct a fundraising feasibility study. The center also is the first nationally accredited center of its kind in Virginia.
• The Curtis Group has been retained by Riverside Health System/Patriots Colony of Williamsburg to conduct a Campaign Readiness Assessment.
• An anonymous donor has given the Virginia Living Museum a way to pay off the remaining $9 million debt from its 2000-2004 Capital Campaign. The donor has offered a $6 million gift if the museum can raise $3 million by December 31. In May, the museum had already raised $1.7 million in cash and pledges from its board of trustees and community leaders.

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