Four years of flat fundraising numbers later, giving is finally on the upswing, says an April report from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative. More than half of charitable organizations surveyed reported growth in charitable giving in 2011, with larger ones reporting greater gains.
The survey included questions concerning planned gifts as part of a fundraising strategy (along with annual campaigns, special events, capital or endowment, etc.) and compared planned gift receipts to those from other sources. More than half reported using planned giving as a fundraising strategy.
The recently released Giving USA report indicated that bequests were leading the recovery as the largest contributor to growth in giving in 2011. (See Page 1 for a recap of those results.)
More than half of respondents said total contributions were up in 2011. Just 16 percent said donations remained flat while less than one-third reported a decline.
The largest increases were reported in planned and major giving, with 32 percent reporting an increase and about half saying these gifts remained the same year over year.
The survey noted that planned gifts are tied less to overall economic change than other types of gifts. ”They do not increase at as many organizations in good years, nor decrease at as many in bad years,“ the report said.
A mix of fundraising strategies—both short- and long-term—continues to provide the best overall results for nonprofits of all types and sizes.
Older People To be Majority by 2050
Increasing life expectancy and declining birth rates will cause the world’s population to reverse from a majority of younger people to a majority of older people in coming years. Recent U.S. Census Bureau population projections indicate that by 2050, people over age 65 will outnumber those younger than 15. The percentage of over-65 people will more than double by mid-century, from 8 percent to 17 percent, bringing with it pressure on health care and pension systems, changes to the composition and character of the labor force, and other economic variables, such as savings and consumption patterns.
The projections come from an update of the Census Bureau’s International Database. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/intlolder.
