Too Many Campaigns Occurring…Not Enough Money

February 19, 2019

Have you ever heard such comments from board members or reluctant volunteers? As fundraising consultants, we’ve heard that many times over. In fact, a friend of mine recently heard that objection, so I decided to do some research.

Data on Giving

In recent years I was a member of the Giving Institute, and I served on the editorial committee of their annual survey, Giving USA. It’s the authoritative report on giving in the US. It shows the collective giving from individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations. Last year alone giving in the US totaled a record $410.02 billion.

I realize there are variances in state populations and therefore state giving. Still, doing quick math gives us an average of $8 billion per state. Now again California, New York, Pennsylvania and a host of other states have a greater population than Kentucky. However, I figured there had to be a way to calculate or at least approximate our giving in Louisville, so I went to work.

I first had to find what % of households give to charity each year. While the Philanthropy Roundtable indicates that 70-90% of households give, Giving USA indicates that only 56% give. However, giving also increased substantially over the last two years from $390 billion to $410 billion. Traditionally about two-thirds of households have given to charity. However, I’ll stay with the more conservative 56%.

Conservative Estimates Still Produce Big Numbers

Yet, even if I use the conservative number the amount of giving in your area will be substantial, so let me show you how I calculated it for Louisville. The metropolitan area here has a population of 1.34 million people. On average there are 2.58 people per household. Dividing 1.34 million by 2.58 gives us 519,379 households, and Americans gave about $2,650 per household.

Now I want to stop right there for a minute, because in a story about the most generous cities, the Chronicle of Philanthropy indicated that people in Louisville gave an average of $4836 per household. However, for the sake of this blog I want to stay with the more conservative number of $2650 per household. Likewise, instead of going with the typical 67% of households who give, again I used the more conservative number of 56%.

I next calculated the number of Louisville households that gave by multiplying .56 X 519,379 total households. That gave me 290,852 households who gave last year, and then I multiplied that by the average gift of $2650, which added up to $770,758,436 (70% of the total) given by individuals. Then when I calculated giving from corporations, bequests, foundations and donor advised funds (30% of the total) it added up to another $230 million.

With very conservative calculations total giving for our area last year was a little more than $1 billion. If I use the traditional two-thirds number (67%) of households that give, it adds up to $1.285 billion. Either way it’s a substantial number.

True, some of that giving went to organizations outside of Louisville, but many donors from outside gave to Louisville organizations, so I considered that to be a wash. Well then, if people give that much what’s the difference? Why are some organizations able to raise millions while others struggle to get by?

Leadership is Key

First, it has to do with the kind of leadership coming from the board chair, CEO and full board. The good ones don’t make excuses; they get busy making the case, cultivating and asking others for help. Second, they have a well-thought out vision behind their case that serves and/or helps people. And finally, they believe in what they’re doing and they plan to win at fundraising and not lose.

“I really support The Covenant Group’s strategic planning process because their approach encourages staff-based support with board buy-in, and I felt that was important given what we were trying to achieve. The outcome is an effective plan that builds consensus and provides a clear sense of direction.”
- Jennifer Scott, Director of Development - The Cabbage Patch Settlement House

“The Covenant Group is highly competent, very experienced and knowledgeable. They provided a broad perspective by equipping us with useful data…and best practices in the field. All in all, they are excellent.”
- Dan Jones, CEO - 21st Century Parks

“The campaign has truly been a miracle. People were committed from the beginning, but…even raising $650,000 seemed like a stretch. To nearly double that amount is incredible! When the plan they developed allows you to hit a goal like that, it builds such a sense of community. The momentum built by the campaign is spilling outside the walls of our church and benefiting others in the process.”
-Father John Hollowell - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church

“For those of us who don’t do this everyday, The Covenant Group instilled confidence in us. They helped us get through the fear and apprehension by providing us with a process, training and motivation. They taught us and helped us plan in a way that was for the better. We have built lasting relationships with donors and we will continue to steward these relationships long into the future.”
- Sue Finke, Director of Institutional Advancement - Covington Catholic High School

“No one anticipated we could raise this amount. Even the Archdiocese is surprised. The funds raised represent about 15 times our annual giving. But it’s not just the financial results. People stand around talking more than they did before the campaign. There is also a renewed and energized spirit among the parishioners. It’s the most exciting thing to happen in our parish in the last 100 years.”
- Gary Libs, Campaign Co-Chair - St. Mary of the Knobs Catholic Church

“The Covenant Group’s process involved a lot of people in our congregation doing small tasks … that built ownership. They took our vision and put it into a concrete plan. They helped us understand the importance of making our vision clear and laid out the steps to make the vision a reality. Their process built consensus and showed people how they could help. Their methods are based on a solid theological foundation that includes key documents, prayer support, and requisite training … all of which were invaluable.”
- Daniel Montgomery, Pastor - Sojourn Community Church

“Everything The Covenant Group did to help us…in the initial stages was helpful…the development of the case statement; our materials; the training of our Board members; strategies; all these steps laid the foundation for eventual success. They brought such a high level of professionalism, a wealth of experience and a strong track record of integrity and success… just being associated with The Covenant Group helped us.”
- Nancy Doctor, Development Director - Wellspring

“The structure The Covenant Group provided was excellent. It allowed our members to use their God-given talents to benefit the church community They helped us develop a plan and identify key leadership candidates to chair the effort, as well as engaging between 80 to 100 people to carry out the work of the campaign. It was truly a whole congregation effort and The Covenant Group helped facilitate that. They helped us reach our full potential as a congregation.”
- Ron Poisel, Pastor - Christ Lutheran Church

Too Many Campaigns Occurring…Not Enough Money

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