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Over the past two decades, nonprofit organizations have undergone drastic changes. A large influx of new nonprofits are now contending for a limited number of contributions. In the wake of this competition, a new wave of professionals have entered the field and nonprofits are being run more like for-profit businesses (Barman). Each charity relies on government grants and generosity of individual and corporate contributions.
"Nonprofits vie with each other for revenues, board members, customers, contracts and grants, donations, gifts and bequests, prestige, political power and volunteers," (Tuckman, 176). Nonprofit managers find specific fundraising techniques to maximize income. Individual donor contributions are relatively easy to solicit and, in most markets, have great potential to raise significant funds. With new nonprofits, in competition with one another, they cannot rely on altruism alone, but need to help potential donors ?decide' to give to their cause (Rimel). Fundraisers need to actively search for people who have decided to give, and sway them to their charity.
Garcia and Marcuello use tax deductions as a variable in donor decision-making. While a nice tax break that is given when an individual or company donates to a charity, in the United States, the deduction is the same across the spectrum of charities. The tax deduction method only helps explain one reason of why people donate, but does not dictate to what charity they will give.
Professional fundraisers and nonprofit managers need to understand why people decide to donate before they can affect changes in donor behavior or tap into it properly to gain the most from their community. In order ...