We're well into the hectic holiday season at this point, and you may be finding that people are generally harder to reach right now than they will be come January. Financial planning and insurance needs probably aren't top-of-mind for clients and prospects for the next two weeks, but there is still one important topic that people most definitely ARE thinking about this time of year: Charitable giving.
It is the giving season – the time of year when individuals and businesses focus on philanthropy and make their largest charitable contributions of the year. Consider that charitable giving totaled $316 billion in the U.S. in 2012. Nearly 30 percent of all charitable donations occur in December, including 10 percent in the last two days of the year. This is a key time for charitable organizations, who are relying on these end-of-year contributions to fund their programs for the coming year.
Of that $316 billion, 72 percent was donated by individuals, with 15 percent coming from foundations, 7 percent from bequests and 6 percent from corporations. A lot of these individuals who will be donating before 2014 arrives could use your help, and it's a great excuse to start up a conversation with that client or prospect you've been looking to connect with but haven't found the right opportunity.
