Motivate Generosity
12600 Deerfield Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30004
Phone: (678) 353-3355

Circle of Influence

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Donors have spent a lifetime developing professional relationships to enhance the success of their business or career.

It’s their “circle of influence.”

Now, in retirement, that network has only occasional value.

Ask them, “What if you could bless a local nonprofit and bless your circle of influence as well?”

A portion of The Donor Motivation Program™ shows nonprofits how to help their best donors become “champions” and provides donors with a simple, step-by-step method to introduce their circle of influence to the transforming power of giving back.

Then ask, “How would you like to become a champion of our organization without having to write another check?”

Then… watch their eyes light up!

“There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother.”

Theodore Roosevelt
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Generations of Philanthropy

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Their jeans have always told the story of hard work and good value.

In 1866, Levi Strauss, a German-Jewish immigrant, built his first store and the foundation of five generations of private philanthropy, which would include numerous family foundations and the company-controlled Levi Strauss Foundation.

Fourth-generation Walter Haas, Jr., serving on the board of his parent’s private foundation, reflected, “It’s in the way we were brought up… I saw what my parents were doing. I guess we tried to emulate them.” Haas would later start his own foundation.

Philanthropy can link us back to former generations and the values that helped create the wealth.

You can be an example to everyone watching – your family, your friends, and business colleagues.

Help your donors pass on a heritage of giving back!

They’ll thank you for it!

“Be charitable and indulge to everyone, but thyself.”

Joseph Joubert
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Involuntary…

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Webster’s Dictionary defines a philanthropist as “a benevolent supporter of human beings and human welfare.”

When I grew up and heard that big word, guess who I thought about?

Andrew Carnegie. Henry Ford. The Kennedys. The mega-wealthy.

Who’s this, “Someone who surrenders up to one-half of their family’s wealth or one-fifth of their capital gains to support the general welfare of our country?”

The answer: a taxpayer.

In my vernacular, a taxpayer is an involuntary philanthropist.

Our tax code makes us all philanthropists… and tax is the ultimate loss of control. Don’t get me wrong; I’m wholeheartedly for paying my fair share of taxes.

That said… to avoid taking advantage of tax incentives that have been available for decades is… well… ludicrous.

The estate tax and the capital gains tax are both voluntary.

Your donors have the choice to opt out of both of them… and control where that money goes through a more joyful process: Voluntary Philanthropy.

Are you letting them know about all of their choices?

“If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives”

Robert South
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Rewrite Your Own Obituary

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A Swedish entrepreneur, who had made millions by inventing and manufacturing dynamite, hadn’t thought much about being remembered. Until…

He read his own obituary!

In 1888, while reading his brother’s obituary in a French paper, he realized he was reading his own. The paper had made a mistake and confused the two brothers.       

Shocked by how they described his life, he set out to “rewrite” his obituary.

He wanted to be remembered for championing human achievement.  

Eight years later when his obituary actually became necessary, his wealth plan left $9 million to fund the Nobel Foundation.

On the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, December 10, 1901, the first set of Nobel Prizes were awarded. Alfred Nobel had successfully rewritten his obituary.

Today, we still feel his influence.

Will your obituary include giving back?

Be sure to offer your donors the chance to rewrite their obituary.

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“To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.”

Abraham Lincoln

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How Giving Won WWII

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Philanthropy, even your philanthropy, no matter how big or small can make a difference in powerful ways.

You should never underestimate the impact of your philanthropy of the philanthropy you encourage in others.

Private philanthropy played a major role in the defeat of Hitler in World War II!

Alfred Loomis was a successful entrepreneur in the mid- 1930s, whose foresight and clairvoyance of sorts allowed him to profit from the Great Depression.

At the age of forty-five, Loomis made a “gift” that would later change the course of the war. His private philanthropy created a leading-edge physics lab that attracted the likes of Albert Einstein and others.

This 18-month philanthropic project gave the Allies what some have called the “single most important technology that helped win the war” – —radar.

The preferred vehicle for private philanthropy in the United States has long been the family foundation.

However, recent changes to the donor advised fund have made it a very popular vehicle for family giving.

If a donor has a family foundation, show them the advantages of a donor advised fund. Today’s donor advised fund offers nearly all the flexibility with much less cost and hassle.

An outright gift and donor advised fund gift can benefit the donor and the charities it names. Either way, decide to give.

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Planned Giving Program Tip

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How many times have you heard of many times have you heard of someone who sells their business or retires from their lifetime work only to pass away shortly after.

Why?

Lack of focus… direction? Maybe. I think it’s lack of valuable work. The “fire” dies… then so do they. Giving back is the perfect way to transition and create tremendous focus after your “life’s work” has stopped. Why not find your 2nd second life’s work? [Read more…]

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Planned Giving Program Tip

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Have you lost someone you love before you had the chance to tell them something you always wanted to say to them? A chance to honor them with your words. Of course you have… we all have.

Here’s a thought… write a letter to that someone you missed the chance with – a Tribute Letter. Share it with others who knew them as a way to honor the person.

Take a moment right now and write a Tribute Letter to someone you can still honor with your words – a family member, friend or colleague. Is there a donor you can honor with a Tribute Letter for their dedication to you and your organization?

As you know, creating a memorial fund is a wonderful way to honor others, as well. Not just for your lifetime, but for many generations. A memorial fund also keeps the work or cause that they cared about deeply going long after you’re gone. [Read more…]

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Planned Giving Program Tip

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Open door to fieldsThe Founder and CEO of The Donor Motivation Program, Scott Keffer, and his daughter, Anni, spent ten days in northern Africa with a team of 50 plastic surgeons, dentists, optometrists, nurses, and plain folk like you and me.

The surgeons healed. The dentists fixed. The nurses assisted. The optometrists brought sight. And they helped.

It was the second time Scott had been to Africa. Three years earlier, he and his son, Josh, went there with a team to teach English to poor students hoping to learn it as a second or third language to help them advance or become more attractive to the limited employment opportunities.

One day, driving by an older man and his children on the side of the road, he reflected, “You know, we could just as easily have been born here than in the United States… the land of opportunity.”

[Read more…]

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Young Girl Gets The Best Day Of Her Life

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Every night is a struggle for 10-year-old Katelyn Duvall, who suffers from a colon disability, but she recently received a beautiful gift, the “best day of her life” with the help of another young girl. Click here to view a video of this great story.

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Motivate Generosity, LLC launches new website

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Motivate Generosity, LLC has recently launched a new website designed to motivate and inspire people to be generous to the causes and people that matter, without causing regrets.

The firm has selected Get Noticed Get Found, a leading internet marketing company, to manage the site, which will include a blog featuring timely news, videos and even a way for users to track their generosity.

”Motivate Generosity, LLC is making its website as a part of its overall service to clients, with updated information and resources that promote generosity. We are upping our online presence to better provide information about our goal, which is to motivate and inspire people to be generous.  We are excited to offer this service to our community and look forward to further establishing ourselves as a fixture in the community.” said Barry H. Spencer, founder of Motivate Generosity, LLC.

Motivate Generosity, LLC has a goal of motivating a billion dollars in generosity. Visit their website today and tell your stories of generosity.

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