GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2018 - 36

feature continued
4. Berks County has been and continues to be a very generous
community. As a leading nonprofit organization, we aim to make
donors' dollars stretch as far as possible to make a meaningful
difference. Strong, multi-faceted community partnerships are
essential in achieving this objective now and in the future.

Brian Fichthorn, President of the Board of
Genesius Theatre
1. Our donations for 2017 were consistent with the prior year.
2. There is some risk that donations from individuals could
decline as a result of the doubling of the standard deduction, which
is common advisement from tax experts. We are fortunate that
most of our cash and in-kind donations come from people we
know, whose motivations for giving we believe are mostly tied to
support for our mission.
3. We have not seen significant changes to giving patterns.
4. Berks seems more of a challenge for giving for the arts than
other areas due to our lower income demographics. Our colleagues
in other counties seem to have greater success with standard giving
campaigns.

Jim Milham, Scout Executive/CEO, the Hawk
Mountain Council Boy Scouts
1. Overall, we had modest growth in annual giving and special
events in 2017. We are encouraged that at the end of 2017, we
started to see an increase for this year's giving as we planned our
events and engaged our sponsors.
2. I think it is too early to determine the impact on giving due
to the tax plan since we have a very diverse donor base supporting
our programs. It will be very important that all charities meet with
donors and discuss how best to donate to their charity.
3. I believe charitable giving is always evolving and it is
important to watch for trends and new ideas like social media,
online giving, etc. But I also believe that a human touch is
important in charitable giving because people give to people and
that fact has not changed in my 28 years of nonprofit work. We
must continue to connect with our donors and tell them how
important they are to our mission and vision of our organization.
4. Yes. I have found Berks County to be very generous and
committed to the communities within our county. I am astonished
at how generous both corporate and individual donors are. I have
worked in three other metropolitan areas and this community is
amazing. THANK YOU!

Jill Troutman, VP Advancement, The Children's
Home of Reading
1. During the same time period our donations were up overall,
especially individual giving, foundations and grants. We are also
investigating new opportunities through new funding sources and
collaborative partnerships.

36 COMMERCE QUARTERLY

WINTER 2018

2. I think it will definitely have an impac;, how much is still to
be determined. I'd like to remain optimistic, if donors give to us
historically, I'm hopeful that they will continue to support the great
work we do through our 15 behavioral, mental and educational
programs.
3. Dramatically, donors are savvy and they want to know how
their money is being used and that their gift is making a difference.
We track all sorts of data, not just for ourselves but for our funders.
Donors are our investors and we have an obligation to report back
to them on the impact we are making. I always encourage donors
to ask questions; if I don't know the answer, I will find out and get
back to them. I love the stories they have when I ask them why
they give to us. The Children's Home of Reading is a landmark
and was a place of safety and comfort for generations.
The fundraising landscape is changing all the time. More
people are adapting a philosophy of making an impact in their
community through volunteering or donating. I'm a PA native
and was raised to support the local businesses; give in your own
backyard and help your neighbor. I'm thrilled that people are
embracing the philosophy again.
Technology plays a huge role in fundraising. We've had to
adapt how we do campaigns, recruitment for volunteers and
donors, event promotions and even how we process gifts; and like
everything else it comes at a cost.
Today, nonprofits are not only competing against each other for
the donor dollar; there has been an increase in donations through
crowdfunding. I think most people can relate to getting an email
with a story of a startup company with an idea or a person raising
money for their education, medical costs, or hoping to recover
from a fire or death in the family. Billions of dollars are raised each
year globally, and those donations usually aren't tax deductible,
which to me, shows that people want to help others and humanity
still exists.
Change is inevitable, and nonprofits have had to do more with
less for a very long time, many without paid fundraisers. The need
for service is growing, costs of doing business continues to increase;
but the funding isn't keeping pace with the true cost of providing
programming. Many programs run at a deficit and donor dollars
raised are used to offset the budget. It would be great to be able
to take those dollars in investing or enhancing programs, or for
funding an endowment that would help the nonprofits in the
long run.
We have had to change the way we do business over the last
five-ten years several times. Collaboration, diversification, affiliation
of back office duties, job sharing all has come into play. The
Children's Home of Reading hasn't lasted over 130 years by not
evaluating, learning and adapting.
4. I'd like to think so. I know that Berks Countians are
certainly passionate about what they give, whether it is volunteer
time, cash or in-kind donations. The Children's Home of Reading
is very grateful for any and all donations because we couldn't serve
the over-1300 children and families each year without them.



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https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GRCA_CommerceQuarterly_Winter2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly_Fall2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly_Summer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/hoffmann/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly/GreaterReadingChamber_CommerceQuarterly_Spring2017
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