From Jim Eskin, External Relations Councel ....................... ...........September 2009

Several of you have asked about the nine dots comprising my newsletter logo. It's a classic puzzle that first appeared in print nearly 100 years ago, and which management consultants have used to teach prospective clients how to find "non-traditional" solutions to problems.
 
How does it work? The dots must be connected by drawing no more than four straight, contiguous lines. It's not so easy -- until you look beyond the boundaries of the nine-dot group, or "think outside the box" that they appear to create.
 
Stumped? See the bottom of the left-hand column for one of several solutions.

It's the Case for Support, Stupid          
What are your organization's funding priorities? What problems does it solve and how does it benefit the community? What makes your case stand out? What is the sense of urgency to contribute to it now and not later?
 
Never forget that the foundation of a strong resource development plan is its case for support. It undergirds all the other components of the plan. Be sure your leadership has devoted ample time to reaching consensus around the case so it will be up to the test when you ask prospective donors, who are not choosing between the good and the bad but the good and good, to support it.

Can Money Buy Happiness?    
Social psychologists conclude "yes," but probably not in the way you think. Spending it on yourself may not do much for your spirits, but spending it on others will make you happier.

Reporting in Science, researchers confirmed the joys of giving in three separate ways. First, they found that spending more on gifts and charity correlated with greater happiness, whereas spending more money on oneself did not. Second, by tracking workers before and after they received profit-sharing bonuses, the researchers found that that the workers who gave more of the money to others ended up happier than the ones who spent more of it on themselves.

The final bit of evidence came from an experiment in which students were given either $5 or $20 to spend by the end of the day. The ones who were instructed to spend the money on others -- they bought toys for siblings, treated friends to meals and made donations to the homeless -- were happier at the end of the day than the ones who were instructed to spend the money on themselves.

Newspapers As Non-Profits?  
Here's an intriguing idea from James Hamilton, director of Duke University's DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. In order for newspapers to continue producing articles in the public interest, they should be allowed to become nonprofit organizations.
 
Mr. Hamilton contends that if newspapers became nonprofits, readers could donate to them and receive tax deductions. He also suggests that Congress could boost the development of low-profit limited liability, or L3C, corporations, to run newspapers.

Teaching Philanthropy  
Karen Deerwester, author of "The Entitlement Free Child," says helping others is a good lesson for children of all ages, and they're never too young (or too old) to start. The key is getting children to understand that they are not alone in the world. She points to the teaching kids the following five steps:

1. Lend a helping hand to family.
2. Getting involved with friends and school.
3. Giving back to the community.
4. Reaching out around the world.
5. Learn locally, think globally.

The Fairer Philathropists          
Lisa Belkin, points out in the New York Times Magazine, of those in the wealthiest tier of the country -- defined by the IRS as individuals with assets of at least $1.5 million -- 43 percent are women. Unlike the women who preceded them, old-school patrons who gave to the museum and the symphony and their dead husbands' alma maters, these givers are more likely to use their wealth deliberately and systematically to aid women in need.  
 
Globally, more than 145 funds, with assets of nearly half a billion dollars, exist to improve the lives of women and girls. Many focus their efforts domestically; about a third work internationally. Not one existed in 1972 when the Ms. Foundation, the first national fund for and by women, was established.

Better With Age          
When it comes to volunteering and philanthropy, older generations are outpacing their younger counterparts. A Hartford Financial Services Group study found that 53 percent of people aged 50 and older participate in volunteer work, compared to 45 percent for people aged 49 and younger. In addition, 76 percent of the 50 and older generation provide monetary support to their favorite causes, in contrast to just over 60 percent of those aged 49 or younger.    
 
The leading causes supported by this generation are ones focused on Alzheimer's disease, social service, the environment and military support.

Mystery Philanthropy   
Who is the mysterious donor giving away millions of dollars to at least a dozen colleges across the country? An anonymous donor -- or donors -- has given more than $68.5 million to the schools including the University of Southern Mississippi that received $6 million, the largest single gift in its history.
 
There's only one real clue. So far, all the colleges are led by women. Coincidence? Unlikely. With about 23 percent of U.S. college presidents women, the odds of a dozen randomly selected institutions all having female leaders are 1 in 50 million.

Philanthropic Scholarship         
John List, a University of Chicago economist, is one of a growing number of scholars in economics, psychology, business administration and marketing, who are conducting research with the potential to change how charities seek money.

List has made efforts to get outside the laboratory, and his results have sometimes proved that the principles fund raisers hold dear are erroneous. For example, fund raisers have long believed that matching donors' gifts dollar for dollar will work even better if they can offer a better incentive, say $2 or $3, for every dollar donors give. But in a study of more than 30,000 direct-mail donors, List and his colleagues found that offering more-generous matches doesn't result in bigger gifts than a dollar-for-dollar match.

Writing To Sell
How do you move people to act? In "Influence: Science & Practice," Robert Cialdini shares these six principles:
 
(1) Reciprocation: We feel obligated to return favors performed for us. 
(2) Authority: We look to experts to show us the way. 
(3) Commitment: We want to act consistently with our commitments and values. 
(4) Scarcity: The less available the resource, the more we want it.
(5) Likability: The more we like people, the more we want to say yes to them. 
(6) Social proof: We look to what others do to guide our behavior.
 

Pro Bono Tracking      
Big companies have another good reason for supporting volunteer work by their employees. By formally adopting the ad hoc volunteerism already taking place within the company and then properly tracking and accounting for such pro bono projects, they can cut back on cash contributions and still report a steady or rising commitment to charity.
 
The "total giving" companies report for public consumption is made up of a "cash" component and "in-kind" payments, such as product donations. Pro bono work is considered a form of in-kind donation. In a recession, then, a firm can reduce grants and pump up its in-kind donations through volunteer work, allowing it to legitimately report it has maintained its commitment to good works while at the same time conserving its cash.

Noncash Giving On The Climb
According to the IRS, Americans reported making donations of $46.8-billion in noncash gifts annually, counting only the taxpayers who took total deductions of more than $500 for such gifts during the year. This represents an increase of 14 percent over the total of noncash gifts reported in the prior year, even though the number of tax returns reporting these donations declined by 6 percent. 

The biggest share of noncash contributions consisted of corporate stock, clothing, and household items. donations of corporate stock -- the largest share of total noncash donations -- increased by 40.7 percent.

Making Do In A Downturn      
Four in five Americans (79%) say they have made cuts over the past year in their personal spending due to the economy. One-third (32%) have made a lot of cuts while almost half (47%) have made some cuts. Just one in five Americans (21%) have not made any cuts in their personal spending due to the economy.
 
This AdweekMedia/Harris Poll indicates of those who have made spending cuts, three-quarters of them (76%) have still not increased their spending. Just one-quarter (24%) of those who made spending cuts have increased their spending. Younger people aged 18-34 are slightly more likely to have increased their spending (29%) as are those aged 45-54 (28%) and who have household incomes of $75,000 or more.

Charly's "Top 10 Tips for Success" Maine Coons are one of the friendliest and most popular cat breeds in the world. And if you don't believe it, you haven't met our intrepid 5-year-old, Charly. Since we adopted her in 2004, Charly has left her paw prints (and fur) all over our house, and improved our quality of life. Here are her "Top 10 Tips for Success" for creatures big and small:

(1) Always get in the game. If someone tosses a mousie in your direction, pounce on it!
(2) Explore everything. How high can you jump? You'll never know until you try.
(3) Share your stuff. "Ask not what cat toys you will get; ask what cat toys you can give."
(4) Stretch yourself. Staying flexible will help you land on your feet.
(5) Stay alert. Listen carefully--and learn who's opening the bag of treats!
(6) Take the high ground (or perch). Remember: altitude is better than attitude.
(7) Get plenty of rest. Creative thinking flourishes in between naps.
(8) Be helpful. As long as your paws are big enough, you can open doors for others.
(9) Try to look your best. Never wear your food in your fur!
(10) Have fun... and savor the things that make you purr!

And The Dream Shall Never Die          
He had more than his share of flaws, shortcomings and failures, but more than other public figure in memory the late Sen. Ted Kennedy demonstrated the capacity to come back at every stage of life and contribute to the quality of life. He deserves to be judged now on the totality of his life. And it is impossible to ignore the wonderful way he touched the lives of so many people through an extraordinary commitment to our democratic process, his mastery of human relationships and a honest and empathetic heart.

Quiz: Top Philanthropists         
The most exclusive club in the world may be this one -- those living philanthropists who have already given away $1 billion or more. For the first time ever, Forbes has put together a list of the world's billion-dollar donors. Do you know who the most generous philanthropists are? Match the following individuals with their cumulative giving. Answers presented to the left. See you next month.

	Jim Eskin External Relations Counsel 10410 Pelican Oak Drive San Antonio, TX 78254 210-523-8499 (H) | 210-415-3748 (C) jeskin@aol.com
Stratagems is a copyright-free publication. Readers may duplicate and/or redistribute the information in each issue. Comments and suggestions are welcome! Send your feedback to: jeskin@aol.com

Answers: 1=a, 2=b, 3=e, 4=c, 5=d.

Return to Stratagems Main Menu

Site maintained by
Deborah Taylor