Trust me, I’m a fundraiser—How to respond to the eroding confidence in the sector: Nonprofit Online News, 9/24
As we all know, the public’s trust in nonprofits is eroding. Professional fundraiser Steve Andrews suggests five things that fundraisers need to put into practice immediately: (1) Up-front transparency. (2) Explain your motives, especially those related to money. (3) Stop sending mail to dead people and to people’s old addresses. (4) Develop tangible programs for people to give to. (5) Use third-party endorsements for your nonprofit’s work by people the public trusts.

Report finds effect of economic slowdowns on giving less than expected: Philanthropy News Digest, 9/23
A report from Giving USA’s Spotlight series, Giving During Recessions and Economic Slowdowns, examined times of economic distress in the nation’s economy going back to 1969 and found that, in current dollar terms, total giving in the United States has risen every year but one. The exception was 1987, when a tax law change the previous year prompted some people to “give early” in order to maximize the value of the tax deduction they could claim. That’s good news for nonprofits that assume the economic times will have a negative impact on their fundraising ability.

According to the report, which was written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, economic changes such as slowing growth or a decline in gross domestic product can occur even in non-recessionary times. During such periods, however, giving typically continues to grow, albeit more slowly than usual.