Financial and Strategic Management for Nonprofit Organizations, Fourth Edition

Chapter 7 Stimulating Gifts and Contributions: Crafting The Appeal

A nonprofit organization needs money, no matter how charitable its mission. A principal source of revenues for nonprofits that are 501(c)(3)s is the charitable donations made by individuals and firms with the expectations, although not necessarily the principal motivation, that these gifts can be deducted in calculating their federal and state income taxes. This is evidenced by the shower of appeals made in December of every year.

Chapter 1 reveals that, on the average, charitable donations accounts for roughly 50 percent of all 501(c)(3) revenues and this is just sufficient to cover roughly 50 percent of expenses. Clearly, there is a variation among organizations within the 501(c)(3) ...