The Rules of Giving
The clichés about donating money are true: It’s addicting; it’s a win-win situation; it improves both the donors’ and recipients’ lives. There are certain ground rules to giving, however.
Instead of donating randomly, find the issues that are most important to you, then find the organizations that most closely align with those issues, Kimball says.
Her group partners with individual philanthropists to help them find ideal partnerships, and it works with nonprofit organizations to optimize their impact through fundraising, branding and awareness programs.
“When there’s a match, the donor gets a lot of personal satisfaction,” Kimball says. “I think there’s a lot of joy and feeling of fulfillment. Donors usually don’t respond when an organization says, ‘We need this.’ Donors respond when they are presented with a vision that matches their values and that furthers something they care about.”
There is a social stigma that philanthropists only give their money to see their names on buildings or to get recognition. But actually, a lot of donors want to remain anonymous, she says.
Some want to keep a low profile because of modesty or to avoid being targeted for more money. Humble donors are easier to deal with than egomaniacs, but organizations sometimes prefer donors who welcome the spotlight. That way, the organization can publicize the gift and receive more attention.
Big gifts make headlines, but it’s the combination of small gifts that keeps most churches and charities afloat, says Patricia Lewis, a senior professional-in-residence and faculty associate at the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Innovation at ASU.
“Giving $10 to a student fundraiser, putting a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket outside a grocery store – even small gestures add up,” Lewis says. “Even little kids who save up their allowance are philanthropists.”
Indeed, having a broad base of donors makes a huge difference to an organization, even when the donations are less than $100, Kimball says.
“If the organization just has $1 million donors, those donors start to say, ‘How come I’m doing all the heavy lifting? Doesn’t anyone else believe in this organization?’” Kimball says.
“Those $25 gifts really are important. I have come to appreciate them more and more,” she adds.
Individuals account for much more giving than corporations, Kimball says. About 75 percent of the donations to nonprofits and religious organizations are from individuals; less than 20 percent are from corporations. The rest comes primarily from wills. To learn more about  nonprofits in the state, visit arizonanonprofits.org.