It's not so much that we care about your philanthropy, that's your business.
It's just that money in motion offers the opportunity to interposition between the donor and the beneficiary and perhaps turn some of that static lump of capital into dynamic fee income.
Or something.
From Wealth Management, November 4:
Channeling this destructive emotion by donating to an important cause is a way to take back power and make a difference.
As American citizens, we have the privilege of voting in the presidential election every four years. After witnessing months of intense campaigning and vicious debates, we determine which party represents our values and vote accordingly. Getting the chance to evaluate our priorities every four years helps us choose the causes that are most important to us and maybe motivates us to do better. We start to notice everything around us more and envision the changes we want to see.
To me, election years are a time of intensified philanthropic activity. Our data shows that our clients recommend more charitable distributions from their accounts during November of an election year than during November of a non-election year. In effect, they’re casting their vote for their chosen causes in response to who won the election.
For example, they may feel that one candidate’s platform may not be strong enough on women’s rights or aid to veterans. And they make up for that weakness with their philanthropic giving. In effect, they use their charitable dollars to support the causes they feel will not be supported by the president-elect.
We found that nonprofits politically aligned with the losing presidential candidate received a drastic spike in donations compared to those aligned with the winner. When Donald Trump won the White House in 2016, contributions to liberal nonprofits increased by 155%, while contributions to conservative nonprofits decreased by nearly 9%. When Obama won in 2012 and 2008, the opposite occurred. Liberal nonprofits saw an increase of only 4% in 2012 and a decrease of 11% in 2008, while conservative nonprofits saw increases of 12% and 23 %, respectively.
This phenomenon is appropriately known as “rage donating” – passionate donors channeling their anger over their candidate losing the election into a desire to create change.“The rage gift is a form of political protest,” says Dr. Jennifer Taylor, who studies donor psychology. “A charitable donation motivated by dissatisfaction with the political climate.”
We saw it happen again when the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade. NARAL Pro-Choice America, an organization that advocates for access to abortion, saw a 1,400% increase in donations within 24 hours.
It’s an exciting twist on the way that charitable impulses work. In times of crisis, we often respond by supporting the causes that we think will improve America for all its citizens. Each of us has a calling that tells us where we need to help. Does the ASPCA commercial make you cry? Do you feel empathy when you walk by a homeless person? Do you enjoy your local community garden? Emotions can be an extremely powerful motivator, and many organizations purposely weaponize pathos in the media to elicit reactions. All of this helps us determine what is important to us. We can take control and use those emotions to give our money to something that truly matters and makes a difference....
....MUCH MORE
