Raising Funds in the US?
9 October 2006 at 1:10 pm
Many Not for Profits are keen to test their fund raising capabilities off shore and the US is a tempting arena given the swelling funds of organisations like the Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation. But how do you go about it?
In partnership with CAF Australia and Macquarie Bank, CAFAmerica will hold two free breakfast seminars to launch its new ‘Friends of Charity’ Fund’ and explore ways to engage with American donors.
The seminars will be presented by Susan Saxon-Harrold, Chief Executive Officer of CAFAmerica and Duncan Power, Executive Director, CAF Australia and will take place in Sydney (7 November 2006) and Melbourne (9 November 2006).
It’s for any Australian Not for Profit currently fundraising from the USA, or thinking of doing so. Each seminar will include:
– Launch of CAFAmerica new ‘Friends of Charity Fund
– An outline of who in the U.S. gives to Australia and why?
– How CAFAmerica and CAF Australia can assist in attracting funds from donors in the U.S.
Dr Saxon-Harrold says the seminars in the UK received very positive feedback and were over-subscribed. Donors in the U.S. want to give as its tax deductible for them to do so.
Indeed, she says fifteen per cent of all private giving by U.S. donors goes outside of the United States to overseas charities and nonprofits and 2005 saw a huge 6% rise in U.S. charitable giving.
She says these are significant sums, enabling U.S. donors to help charities and NFP’s around the world to make an impact on serious social and environmental issues.
CAFAmerica exists to raise levels of effective American philanthropy around the world. It does this by providing international grant making and advisory services that allows donors to get a tax deduction and become engaged with foreign charities.
Around 130 charities in Australia and New Zealand already receive funds from CAFAmerica. The numbers are increasing all the time as U.S corporations give in the communities in which they operate and high-net worth individuals, now living in the USA, give back to Australia.
CAFAmerica’s new ‘Friends of Charity’ Fund is a service for charities looking to build a U.S. donor base.
CAFAmerica says it’s easy to use and there is no need to set up a costly, separate legal entity in the United States. In recent years, many non-U.S. charities have created their own ‘Friends of’ organizations to boost fundraising in the United States and attract tax-deductible contributions from U.S. donors.
However, this is a costly process with up-front charges of around AUD16,000 and annual fees of thousands more. CAFAmerica’s ‘Friends of’ Charity Fund is a simple and cost-effective alternative.
Refreshments will be included and to register for either of these free events simply send an email to Fiona Fountain (fiona@fionafountain.co.uk). Please include your name, organisation or charity name, telephone number, mailing address and email address as well as the date and place of the event you’d like to attend.
Please also put the reference PB1 in the subject line. Charities or NFP’s not able to attend are encouraged to help with the planning of future seminars by completing a very short survey (www.cafonline.org/cafamericasurvey).
For more information go to 🙁http://www2.cafonline.org/cafamerica/default.cfm?page=friends)
