November 12, 2009

A Former Fund Raiser Urges Charities and Donors to Focus on Small Gifts

By Ben Gose

Wendy Smith is a cheerleader for the small donor. Charities may focus on the big donations, but in Give a Little: How Your Small Donations Can Transform Our World, Ms. Smith reminds Americans that giving by individuals adds up to a huge sum — $229-billion in 2007.

She says most of that total comes from households that earn less than $100,000 per year­­­ and fund raisers ignore such modest donors at their own peril. "Collectively, it is everyday citizens