Five tweets for fundraisers for 3 November 2021
Howard Lake | 3 November 2021 | Blogs
Here are five more tweets selected from the many that cross our screens. The fundraising possibilities of #TwosDay next year, research into tax incentives in the US and how they affect companies donating goods, a stuffed fundraising dog on a station platform, Elon Musk and that tweet about (maybe) donating $6 billion, and the need to question why philanthropy and social justice don’t automatically go hand in hand.
Here’s our latest collection of tweets that we think highlight key developments for fundraisers, plus the occasional one that might make fundraisers smile.
We’re on Twitter at @ukfundraising and @howardlake. Do join us.
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1. The power of two
Did you know that next year features #TwosDay? Matt Smith reckons there must be an opportunity for lots of charities to make something of this striking date. A matched giving campaign perhaps? What do you think?
2. Donated goods and tax incentives
Brian Mittendorf is a nonprofit accounting professor at Ohio State University. His latest research looks at how tax incentives to encourage companies to donate unsold inventory actually affect their donation practices.
3. Memorial to a fundraising dog
If you’re a regular at Slough railway station you’ll no doubt know about Station Jim, the fundraising dog who is honoured with permanent memorial. One for the @fundraisingdogs team.
4. Elon Musk and the World Food Program
Very, very occasionally a public tweet to a billionaire starts a conversation.
Elon Musk responded to a tweet suggesting that 2% or $6 billion of his money could “solve world hunger” by offering to sell Tesla stock to that amount and donate it. But only if the WFP could describe exactly how the donation would achieve that aim – and insisting that the figures be shared transparently and publicly.
There followed a prompt response from David Beasley, Executive Director of the WFP, and brief conversation in which Beasley asked to meet with Musk to discuss in more detail, ideally at a location where Musk could see its work and people in action.
There is no indication as to where the conversation has got to beyond this.
Musk’s approach to philanthropy is different, but not everyone is convinced it is the most effective approach:
5. Educate yourself – and others
Philanthropy and social justice don’t always go hand in hand. Fortunately that is being recognised and some efforts made to tackle that in areas such as the climate crisis.
Mike Zywina at Lime Green Consulting reminds us that major donors can still skew the number and type of beneficiaries of their donations on a large scale.
- Five tweets for fundraisers on 11 October 2021 (11 October 2021)
- Five tweets for fundraisers on 20 May 2021 (20 May 2021)
- Five tweets for fundraisers on 10 October 2017 (10 October 2017)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.