November 12, 2024
November 12, 2024
From the Desk of
Shelly Manuel ¦ Associate Partner
Every four years, we have a Presidential election and the concern for charitable giving during an election year arises. “We need to time annual appeals with the election.” “Will this election impact our success with year-end donors?” Those sentiments are spoken throughout nonprofit development and leadership team meetings. However, giving during an election year tends to follow trends in philanthropy more than decrease due a Presidential election. Giving USA reports that charitable contributions in 2023 were down 2.4%, adjusted for inflation. Should data reflect a decline in 2024, it will more likely be attributed to recent trends than an election.
With the presidential election behind us, stick to fundraising strategies that we should always follow. Acknowledge the “elephant in the room.” Practice mindfulness around donor conversations but continue to build relationships and solicit support. You may need to look at additional segmenting of messages or spending more time making messaging personal. Explore using multi-channel communications to avoid donors “tuning you out” because of political saturation. Use your data to drive decision making. Use common sense.
Post election emotions can run high, and with this particular election, I would anticipate “big feelings” based on results. “Rage giving” can arise as the result of a major political shift in policy or from election results. Data shows that charities reflecting the losing candidate’s ideals rose 57.5% while support for the winning candidate’s principles only went up by 2.9%.
Remember, in nine out of the last ten elections, giving increased post-election. Stay true to your mission and reflect neutrality to constituents. Don’t stop fundraising. Use the information gained from building relationships to guide you.
What the Change in Government Might Mean to Nonprofits
The nonprofit world may be on the agenda for Congress and the White House in the new administration. Among the issues:
Should all Americans get a tax deduction for their charitable gifts? Only about one in 10 taxpayers itemizes their taxes, which means most donors get no tax break from their giving. That is a contributing factor in the decline in the number of everyday donors — an issue that draws bipartisan concern, as the mega-wealthy increasingly set the tone in the philanthropic sector. During the pandemic, non-itemizers were allowed to deduct a small amount. Independent Sector and a broad coalition of advocacy organizations will push to see that provision revived and expanded when Congress rewrites federal tax policy next year.
Is the 1969 law governing foundations still effective? The 1969 Tax Reform Act imposed a mandatory payout rate for the first time, amid concern that wealthy individuals were hoarding wealth in foundations without paying taxes. The current environment — full of concern about the influence of dark money and massive endowments — has again sparked populist ire. Some experts believe Congress may impose new regulations on foundations next year, when expiring tax cuts are expected to spark a re-examination of the tax code.
Should donor-advised funds be forced to pay out assets annually? Unlike private foundations, DAFs don’t have an annual payout requirement — prompting concern about the warehousing of IRS has explored tightening restrictions on DAFs, Congress would have to pass legislation to impose payout requirements — something that DAF critics will likely push for in 2025. COP, 11-7
Generational Divide In Giving & Planning
Bank of America has released its 2024 Study of Wealthy Americans and finds that there is a massive generational transfer of wealth has already begun. Older and younger generations are surprisingly far apart on many investment issues, which could change allocation trends as wealth transfers to younger Americans. These differing opinions are also seen in the opportunities for growth in today’s environment.
Philanthropy
The younger demographic is more inclined than their parents to say they share the same commitment to giving back. There is less confidence in older generation on that question. A deeper disagreement emerged over their approaches to philanthropy goals. Older people say their children are taking the same approach as them, while younger people do not agree.
Estate planning
Interpersonal family dynamics are the most frequent culprit for inheritance-related strain, particularly cited by older wealthy people. The unequal distribution of assets is another common cause. Hard assets like jewelry and heirlooms can factor into these scenarios – yet they’re only included in estate planning about half of the time.
Bernie Marcus: Atlanta Philanthropic Legend 
Bernie Marcus, a stalwart supporter of nonprofits in Atlanta and beyond, has died at the age of 95. In his lifetime, he has given at least $2 billion to charity both personally and through his Marcus Foundation.
His biggest donations went to varied causes and organizations. He started his Marcus Foundation in 1989 and made several significant big bets in Atlanta. Among them was the Marcus Autism Center, a research and treatment center for children on the autism spectrum, to which Marcus gave roughly $100 million over the years. He also pledged up to $200 million 20 years ago to build the Georgia Aquarium* — and ended up giving the nonprofit $250 million.
In later years, Marcus devoted the bulk of his grant making to nonprofits that help children, promote free enterprise, support Jewish groups, and back medical research and veterans programs. He said that he planned to give at least 90% of his wealth to his foundation and that he put in place a plan to shutter the grant maker 20 years after his death.
“Look, whatever they say about me…I hope they remember me as being a good person who never did any damage to anybody. I was good to the people who worked for me, and I hope they will remember me as a good employer, a good friend, somebody who cared about them. That’s all I want to achieve in life”
We mourn, along with his family and the entire philanthropy community, his passing. His contributions to the community will reverberate for decades.
*Alumni Client Partner
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