MARCH 2021 HIGHLIGHTS:
1) How can you identify a potential endowment donor?

2) Endowment should always be part of the conversation.

3) The #1 thing you can do to educate and inform your donors about endowment giving is just to have a conversation.
2021 Training Calendar
Our Charitable Organization Endowment training sessions are back for 2021 - and this time, they are all virtual! Sign up below!

Zoom in on Success

Zoom in on Planned Giving
Making Your Case
Apr. 13 | 2 to 3 p.m.

Zoom in on Endowment
Case Study
Apr. 21 | 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Why is graduation day too late for high school seniors to worry about financial aid for college? This month on Creating Impact Through Giving, Jessica Schwager, director of scholarships at OCCF, divulges the tips and tricks behind a successful scholarship application. You'll also learn about a great scholarship opportunity for students in foster care, and hear the impactful story of one of our recipients, Savien Johnson.
How and When to Talk With Someone About Endowment Giving
A recent Gallup poll has the percentage of Americans giving to charity at 73%. That’s a drop from recent years, but it still means that nearly three out of every four people you talk to are potential donors, and they have a lot of options – other than your organization – available to them for charitable giving. The deciding factor for them may be your mission, geographic focus or how well you tell your story.

Organizations with endowments, especially those with a gift-matching campaign, have a unique advantage – an additional ‘menu item’ that is attractive and coveted. It's known as strategic giving. Organizations that are not actively advertising this menu item to everyone they meet are missing a valuable opportunity to cultivate deeper, lasting relationships with each person they talk to. Even worse, not sharing this with historical endowment donors deprives them of the opportunity to engage in a way they have already indicated is important to them.

Who makes a good endowment donor?
Someone who…
  • has given to endowment in the past
  • has given to your organization for many years
  • has given a major gift to your organization
  • is interested in strategic giving
Why donors DON’T give to endowment.
They… 
  • don’t know you have an endowment
  • don’t understand endowment
  • think endowment giving is for millionaires
  • have never been asked
The answer to the above-mentioned challenges is education and information. Research your donors’ preferences by looking at your account portal to see who has given directly to your endowment at OCCF or who has earmarked gifts for endowment. A simple conversation with a donor to find out why they give and what they might have in mind for their philanthropic goals can go a long way.

As you seek to grow your endowment hand-in-hand with your annual giving, I encourage you to share the secret power of endowment and make sure you are offering this amazing opportunity to your base. Endowment giving is not for everyone all the time, but it definitely needs to be part of your menu. 

Director
Charitable Organization Endowment Program

(405) 606-2951
COE Spotlight
Every day, more than 130,000 kids in Oklahoma leave school with nowhere to go. They are unsupervised, unguided and unsafe. Over the last eight years, the state has cut more than $7 million in funding that was used to help meet the needs of at-risk students. Thankfully, there are the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County. Learn how the power of endowment is helping perpetuate their youth-serving programs.
GiveSmart Tips for Transparency
What does your GiveSmartOKC profile tell discerning donors about your organization? Find out what donors are looking for by scheduling a one-on-one virtual training session today!

Please email givesmartokc@occf.org.
Nonprofit Resources

View the balance of your endowment fund and gifts from donors. 

Tools to help you promote your endowment.

Guidance, compliance and requirements to help you in your nonprofit journey.  
About Us
Founded in 1969, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that works with donors to create charitable funds that will benefit our community both now and in the future. For more information, visit www.occf.org.