The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $3.7 million to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) to encourage philanthropy. The RPA will develop free guides about smart giving that will be available for download. Here’s the full story.
We’re in the midst of a recession (I really don’t like “difficult economic times”), with talk about our slight recovery losing steam, and Bill and Melinda Gates are full-steam-ahead encouraging philanthropy: Bravi!
Couple this with their encouraging fellow wealthy families to give away half their wealth during life in a $600 billion challenge, and I see really admirable deeds. I also see reminders for all fundraisers.
They’re soliciting their wealthy friends in a targeted, individual approach, and encouraging giving from the broader constituency, the entire world population, through the RPA activities.
The guides will be on the web in the “Donor Resources” section of the RPA website. I’m assuming they’ll be in many languages. The major gift prospects are getting personal solicitations while those of us who, in comparison, can give through the annual fund, are getting a broader appeal.
Their work is a perfect example of stratifying prospects and devising cultivation and solicitation strategies appropriate to each prospect segment. The largest nonprofits know this and the other 95% can learn.
I’ll talk about this on my radio show on TalkingAlternative.com on Friday, July 23rd at 1PM, Eastern, with guest Kivi Leroux Miller, author of The Nonprofit Marketing Guide.
This is such exciting news! We want to get this dialogue moving forward.
- What do you think of this philanthropy push from Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett?
- What do you think are some ways to get the momentum going and keep it going?
Please leave your comments.
