There is a new world order that seems to favor no one, and among the laundry list of industries that have suffered at the hands of the recession, nonprofits are near the top of the list. CNN and Money magazine gravely announced the rapid falloff of charitable donations in February, 2009, barely six months after the Wall Street collapse usheredin a pandemic downturn in the economy.
On Wednesday and Thursday, April 21 and 22, the Gift Planning Council of New Jersey will host its 15th annual conference on giving at the Trenton Marriott. According to CPCNJ president Jackie Bartley, the conference will focus on how to navigate the new world in a new way. “The world has changed,” she says. “The economy is unsteady, jobs have evaporated, wealth is diminished, and giving has decreased. We need more than a new method for pinpointing our location. We need a new map. And a new compass.”
The conference will kick off on April 21 at 4 p.m. with an address by Gail Freeman, president of Freeman Philanthropic Services in New York, on the habits of successful development professionals. April 22’s all-day conference begins at 7:30 a.m. and features a series of speakers and sessions designed that aim to throw away old idea. The keynote speaker is Dan Pallotta of Wells Fargo, who will discuss how old ways of thinking are handicapping philanthropy. Cost to attend is $225. Visit www.giftplanning-nj.org.
