Why Donating Is More Popular Than Voting

These are, to say the least, intimidating times for non-profits. With the coffers of even the wealthiest companies and individuals under such pressure, efforts to find a donor can seem fanciful and futile. Luckily, as today’s guest and president of the Lincoln Center Rey Levy makes clear, such fear is unjustified. Even when money is scarce, the prospects for donors are still ripe, as giving has shifted to the most legitimate form of active citizenship in America today, with more people donating to charities and non-profits each year than vote.

The key, as Levy explains, lies in how you approach such donors. It’s an exercise that is as much psychological as it is strategic. When it comes to seeking out specific companies for contributions, one needs to understand and articulate the precise intersection between their interests and the services your institution provides. When dealing with people, there are three essential promises that every donor wants to hear.

Levy also discusses the plans for the future modernization of Lincoln Center, where the historic conference will be opened up for the appreciation of a more diverse crowd and patrons will be greeted with an “architectural strip tease.”