Nonprofit Management
Article | July 15, 2022
While it's obvious how non-profits directly improve people's lives, their positive contributions to the US economy are frequently overlooked. A closer examination reveals that non-profit organizations have a large and far-reaching impact on the American economy. Non-profits, in fact, improve and strengthen local, state, and national economies in a variety of ways, including the following:
The more than $826 billion spent on salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes by non-profits each year accounts for a sizable portion of their nearly $2 trillion annual budget. Non-profit employees also pay taxes on their salaries, as well as sales taxes and property taxes on what they own.
Non-profits that provide care for children or elderly parents allow family members who would otherwise be responsible for providing care to work outside the home. Non-profit organizations also offer job training and placement services to people who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed.
Non-profits spend nearly $1 trillion on goods and services each year, ranging from large expenses like medical equipment for non-profit hospitals to small purchases like office supplies, food, utilities, and rent.
Non-profits have an even greater impact because they generate economic activity and jobs that spread throughout the community. Consider arts programming as one example. By attending a play at a local non-profit community theater, you likely helped local businesses as well as the cast, crew, and administrative staff. Have you paid for parking? Did you purchase the appropriate earrings, shoes, or tie for the occasion? Did you eat before the show or meet up with friends afterwards? If this is the case, you have increased the economic impact of that theater by helping to create more jobs in the local economy while also increasing tax revenue for the local government.
Have you ever noticed how local non-profits are frequently mentioned in brochures for local chambers of commerce as a top reason for businesses to locate there? Many cities are proud of their beloved cultural amenities, such as non-profit museums and performing arts centres. Non-profit colleges, which demonstrate the value of an educated workforce, and non-profit healthcare facilities, which reinforce a commitment to well-being, are also common features. While these local icons are rarely labelled as "non-profits" in brochures, business leaders intuitively recognize the enormous value that local non-profits contribute to the community's quality of life.
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Nonprofit Management
Article | July 14, 2022
Many nonprofits understand that they have to promote on Facebook. As a result, there's a lot that Facebook offers charitable groups, including great groups that can help you share and learn information. Facebook groups are an opportunity for nonprofit leaders to understand and learn about what's happening in the industry. For instance, many groups hire consultants to help them with their marketing or fundraising, and that's because experts in the field have a broad wealth of knowledge to share. However, at times when money's especially tight, and fundraising is uncertain, there's a lot you can learn from joining and engaging in a few critical Facebook nonprofits.
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Nonprofit Management
Article | July 12, 2022
It is crucial to keep a keen eye on what the significant figures imply for NGO’s and how they affect their operations. Learn more in detail in the 5 key lessons!
It's alluring to concentrate just on the significant figures that affect the non-profit industry as a whole. However, it's equally crucial to concentrate on what those significant figures imply for certain NGOs and how they may affect your day-to-day operations. The report can be used to learn the following five key lessons.
Lesson One: Small-Dollar Donors Are Being Left Behind
Around 84.1% of contributors give less than $500 yearly to the organisations they support, and just 19% of new donors are retained over time, according to the most recent Fundraising Effectiveness Project data. This indicates that the great majority of small-dollar donors are leaving non-profit organizations.
Lesson Two: There are Winners and Losers by Mission Type
Donors change the emphasis they give to certain missions every year. Donors' giving priorities clearly reflect the legacy of COVID-19 as well as the enduring influence of racial and social justice movements.
The number of non-profits with missions in the arts, culture, or healthcare increased significantly in 2020. Non-profits with an emphasis on foreign affairs, human services, and education, on the other hand, had slow growth or reductions in 2021.
Lesson Three: Corporate Giving is a Distraction
It will become more crucial to engage with people instead of concentrating on corporate ties as businesses modify their philanthropic alliances and employees try to support their preferred causes outside of their workplace's giving program.
Lesson Four: It’s Time to Modernize Bequest Giving
A warning sign that NGOs are not investing in highlighting the opportunities available with legacy gifts is the decline in bequests during 2021. Although any donor can establish a contribution through their estate to a non-profit they are passionate about, there is a frequent misconception that bequests must be customized for significant donors.
Lesson Five: Retention and Acquisition Benchmarks Are Critical
For its key revenue figures, the Giving USA report heavily depends on IRS 990 information. When examining giving trends throughout the sector, that data is helpful, but it is less helpful when attempting to comprehend the behavior of all donors.
It is reassuring to see that when discussing contributors' ongoing support of NGOs, the Fundraising Effectiveness Project's data on acquisition and retention of individual donors was recognised as the primary source. It's crucial to comprehend donor behaviour, and you can achieve this by comparing the donor behaviour of your own organization to benchmarks from the ‘Fundraising Effectiveness Project.’
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Fundraising
Article | July 15, 2022
Having worked in Hollywood for most of my career, it will come as no surprise to anyone that I champion the power of film for storytelling. However, as my life has headed down a different route, one of philanthropy and charity work, it has become increasingly apparent that the role of film in philanthropy is a crucial one and one that should never be underestimated.
Unless they see something with their own eyes, people can find it hard to translate what they read on a page into reality. This is where the power of film for philanthropy comes in. By showing people the facts of a situation, you bring that into their lives, and you pique their interest. You create a connection between the viewer and the charity so that connection can be built upon to gain more support. I had seen this connection first-hand recently when I helped make videos for the 'Children of War Foundation' that highlighted the stories of the refugee students at COWF's School of Dreams. At that point, I had numerous friends who contacted me, saying how they were moved by the content and how they immediately donated after seeing these stories.
Philanthropy depends on sharing our experiences, both good and bad, in order to share struggles and achievements. By filming on-the-ground in war zones, or gaining access to share footage of sensitive situations, we can reach people and make them aware of what is happening, and how they can help.
Using video footage, a charity or a campaign can amplify their message and support 1,000-fold. It has been proved that donations increase once a video appears on a website or on a social media platform showing the suffering it is trying to help. Having worked on a Facebook/Instagram show, I have learned the importance of content being "shareable" and the massive amount of impact and views content can have if it is.
Let me explain a little about why I have come to these conclusions and what drives me. Through film, I can address and contribute solutions to broader world issues; that is my purpose and ambition now. I know how to create films in a way that inspires people and drives them to action. Unfortunately, many non-profits don't know how to utilize storytelling through film, so if I see a way that I can use media to help their cause, I will offer my expertise free of charge, and urge philanthropists, in general, to investigate how they can use film to share their message.
One recent example is when I was invited just this past week at the Cannes Film Festival to watch and speak at a round-table discussion for multiple short-form videos made by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), showcasing the various stories of refugees they have worked with. It was clear to me and others attending how important the messages of this content were, and it sparked a big discussion of how to further this kind of impact by sharing refugee stories in a way that is compelling and understandable to a wider audience.
Images Need to Have Impact
And now to the Children of War foundation (COWF), which has taught me so much about philanthropy and how charities work. I have traveled to regions from Jordan to Navajo Nation to document the foundation's work so that they can promote it on their website, in the media, and on their social media platforms. Most recently, I traveled for COWF to Ukraine to deliver medical supplies to two hospitals. Traveling through warzones with both active bombings and absolute destruction from past attacks, I saw things I never thought I would encounter. It was both the most rewarding and terrifying experience of my life, but it was essential. By making that journey and shooting footage of the realities of war, I am helping share the work and mission of COWF and in turn, that of so many charities risking lives to help the innocent civilians caught up in this and other atrocities around the world.
Having traveled to and filmed in refugee camps, most recently to Jordan with my daughters Sophia and Georgia last winter, I know first-hand the impact of war on children. But I have also seen how my films have brought about awareness and support from a greater audience for the charities I help, and this is where my commitment lies.
The images we see of the refugee crises around the world are not impactful enough. We need to show the harsher images so that the world grasps the severity of the situation and the everyday human toils, while also understanding that people are people, and making that connection to close the gap of the too well-shared idea of "us and them" when it should be just "us."
Clearly, women and children are often the most hard-hit in these wars, but unfortunately, they are also the most overlooked. Because of this, I am a strong proponent of showcasing their stories specifically but also pushing the idea of sustainable aid. The average refugee is displaced for 15-20 years, which is the entire childhood for kids who were displaced at a younger age, making it all the more important to ensure they have access to education and opportunities wherever they are. When sharing this information and pushing for sustainability, helps to educate a greater audience and break the cycles of giving short-term aid that often may not solve the real root issues.
Of late, I have frequently said that the Ukraine war is the first TikTok war - the first whereby imagery of those involved on-ground is shared as much as that filmed by mainstream media. This is good; it is getting the horrors of war out there for all to see directly. While this information is often brutally honest, by being subjected to these images, we are given the truth of the situation and often compelled to help.
Cinematography is prompting philanthropic action. I find it hard to take any positives from the current global situation. However, in such scenarios, ordinary people like you and I have often responded to the call to action and explored ways to help in the past.
So how do philanthropists and charities go about using film for good?
They need to know how to make content, whether as a short film, an Instagram video, etc., in a way that inspires people. Many non-profits don't know how to use storytelling, but if they can recruit those who do, it could be of great help. Especially if done with respect for the organization's work and wanting to share its story rather than sensationalize it.
If this can become a movement, we can see the real impact of film-making in philanthropy.
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