Charities Around the World Struggle to Raise Sufficient Money as Demand for Services Rises

For my article this week, I chose this one by Hall Hall:
http://philanthropy.com/article/Charities-Around-the-World/125041/

The article describes donation patterns for non-profits around the world. When comparing any sort of business or non-profit's trends, it's important to look not only at similar organizations locally but also worldwide. According to this article, charities around the world use face many of the same issues as American charities but often incorporate different strategies. For instance, non-profits in all ten countries surveyed feel that attracting new donors is important. Some contacted donors through direct mail; others use special events and personal relationships with potential individual donors.

Trends amond donor demands also differed among countries. In some places, donors are more likely to earmark donations to specific projects and request updates on how their money is being used, while in others, donors usually make general donations without specifying what they want them used for.

I think another thing to consider, that the article doesn't mention, when comparing donation trends across countries, is the always important why factor. Cultural values and practices can have a huge influence on the ways people donate, and it is often difficult to culturally different places without that backgorund information.