October 2010 Entries
The September 9, 2010 edition of the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that non cash donations are expected to rise as a form of year end giving.
Some of the recovery in the stock market means that some donors have appreciated stock—unlike two years ago when many only had losses. Appreciated stock is a better gift than cash because a donor can give the stock at a fair market value deduction price—assuming they’ve held the stock more than one year. Equally significant, when gifting appreciated stock, the donor pays no capital gains.
On the other hand, many donors face liquidity issues. They want to...
posted @ Sunday, October 24, 2010 3:42 PM |
In the first part of 2010, Guidestar reported that 4 in 10 charities reported a decline in giving from January 1 to May 31, 2010. Three in 10 had cut back on budgets and more than half reported they had saved money by cutting back on programs. Half of all non profits had frozen staff salaries. In light of this gloomy news, how should the non profit respond?
1. Seek a Development Partner. Whether formally or informally, all non profits should be seeking to align with those individuals, consultants, board members or organizations who can give them ongoing consistent feedback on their development efforts. That may mean...
posted @ Thursday, October 14, 2010 2:46 PM |
There’s much occurring in the non profit landscape. The astute observer should be and always willing to look behind the covers of what is happening. Here’s a few thoughts to help bring sense to what is happening:
1. 25% of non profits will lose their tax exempt status. Guidestar made this prediction as the result of non profits failing to file their annual 990. While many will seek reinstatement of their status, the implications behind this trend is a continued winnowing of the non profit field. The key trend is the push towards greater accountability and sophistication in how non profits are being run. No longer does...
posted @ Saturday, October 09, 2010 6:12 PM |
After serving on the mission field for 15 years in Peru, Rudy thought it was time to retire and go be with the grandchildren. But God had different plans. After leading a missions trip to another part of Peru—Cusco, Peru—Rudy sensed God’s calling once again.
This time the calling just didn’t make sense, however. He was old, and a bit tired. He didn’t have the time or energy to make the impact he thought needed to happen. But the call was irrevocable. So Rudy left retirement and the grandchildren for Cusco, Peru.
I met Rudy in the Fall of 2000 when he was trying to...
posted @ Thursday, October 07, 2010 12:49 PM |
In 1960, Rudy Johnson, his wife and 3 young children headed to Peru to plant a church. The work was hard, and they were not joined by any co laborers for nearly 7 years.
But the church grew through persistence and faithfulness. In fact, the church planted more than 40 more churches. It’s been estimated that this church has now influenced 128 million people.
By 1976, Rudy and his wife were ready to retire so they returned home to Miami, FL. There, he bought a house next to his son and his grandchildren. As a favor to his son, he agreed to lead a...
posted @ Monday, October 04, 2010 7:57 AM |