Thank you to Paul Casey for being our meeting reporter this week.
Tom’s partial bio:
Tom has worked with over 60 non-profit clients throughout the country. His local clients include Group Health Foundation, Evergreen Treatment Center, Shoreline Community College, Edmonds College, Overlake Medical Center, and many others. He finished his career by raising more than $50 million for Southern Adventist University in Tennessee. He was also an instructor for the University of Washington extension certificate in fundraising programs for six years and was a frequent speaker at numerous local and national conferences on fundraising. He's an active volunteer and has served on many other boards locally and nationally.
Highlights of Tom’s presentation:
Highlights of Tom’s presentation:
Tom has been a board member with Giving USA Foundation, which started in 1978.
Tom presented the history of philanthropy giving across the country over the last 40 years.
The latest data comes from 2021.
The total raised that year was around $485 billion. In philanthropy, that was a new record for giving. For comparisons, the total amount raised in 1981 was $55 billion. This provides a snapshot of how much donations have increased. Tom said that we live in a country that's very generous.
There have been only slight declines in giving during recessions. When there is a recession more dollars tend to go in the direction of social services. Half the dollars are coming from family-controlled foundations. Individual giving is the greatest source of revenue for non-profits. Locally, the Gates Foundation is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the world.
Currently there are more philanthropic dollars in Fidelity than all the other community foundations in the United States. Fidelity is a big driver.
Tom cited mega gifts from donors like Elon Musk, Mackenzie Scott, Michael Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg, and others.
Current breakdown of where the philanthropic dollars go:
Religious Group 25% (This level at one time was 50% of total giving.)
Education 14%
Human Services 13%
Grant Making 13%
Public Health: 11%
International Affairs 8%
Humanities 5%
Art 5%
Environmental 3%
Individuals 2%
Q & A:
Tom was asked why he chose this profession.
When he got out of the Army he wanted to work in banking. Because of a recession at the time, he said that there weren’t a lot of banks hiring. He went to work for the Boy Scouts in Seattle and “loved it.” He enjoyed interacting with volunteer leaders. It stuck and his whole career then was dedicated to raising money for non-profits.
Rotary Events for May & June:
There are several tours coming up in May and June including a behind the scenes tour of
Pike Place Market, a Coast Guard tour on Puget Sound, and a look at the Washington State Convention Center.
There are great speakers coming up during this time frame as well.
Consult the Rotary Club website for Rotary events and speakers in May.
President Beth closed the meeting with an update on the status of Seattle sports teams. There were five Seattle teams playing on the same day last week. The Reign, The UW Huskies spring game, the first ever Stanley Cup game, the Sea Wolves rugby team, and the Mariners. The next day, the Seattle Dragons qualified for the football semi-finals.
Back to hockey, President Beth closed with this quote:
Canadian hockey legend Guy Lafleur said: “You do not play hockey for good seasons.
You play to win the Stanley Cup.”
The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m.
