30
2012Memorial and Honor Gifts
A post by James V. Toscano TRADITIONS. Couples getting married usually are “registered” at places ranging from Tiffany to Target. Now along comes a story in the Wall Street Journal about couples who “have everything” registering on such sites as the Heiffer Project and Oxfam. The Journal tells us of a prospective bride who forgoes a bachelorette party for one of decorating cupcakes for the homeless. Lucette Lagnado, the reporter, observes on extending the traditional formula to “Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue,’ by adding ‘something to give to charity.” However, the latest daughter in the Post…
30
2011
Results, Results, Results
A post by James V. Toscano The director of a start-up nonprofit was livid, “We worked our —— off trying to do something real for AIDS victims, and all the donations still go elsewhere…to the big boys.” What’s going on here? Certainly we’ve all heard it before, but why do, indeed, most of the major gifts go to the brand names? History, tradition, elite boards…sure. Above all is predictability of results, and, even more to the point, the results themselves. Major donors don’t fund need, they fund results, or, sometimes, the strong promise of results. Certainly there must be legitimate societal need. There must also be…
26
2011Welcome to the Good Counsel Blog
This blog is meant to be a resource for people working in the Nonprofit sector, with an emphasis on those working in resource development. James V. Toscano and Dania Toscano Miwa, Principals of Toscano Advisors, are the two main authors of this blog. In addition, there will be a number of guest posts from other experienced nonprofit fundraisers and opinion leaders in the sector. Comments always welcome and encouraged.