PNNOnline

PNNOnline: "As Anonymous Gifts Increase, Pressure to Reveal Donors Grows
Date Thursday, January 10 @ 05:25:51
Topic General Fundraising


Anonymous giving to U.S. charities by major donors is increasing while nonprofits find themselves under increased pressure to disclose benefactors' names, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Last year, there were thirty-seven gifts of at least $5 million by donors who refused to have their names publicly announced, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. That figure is up from twenty-seven anonymous gifts in 2006 and thirteen in 2004. Publicity-shy donors say they choose to donate anonymously to give back to their communities while avoiding the headaches of a high public profile, such as pushy fundraisers, jealous relatives with less charitable plans for the money, and even risks to their personal safety and that of their families. Some give without fanfare for religious reasons, regarding anonymous gifts as a more sincere or even higher form of giving."