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6/27/2014
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Vol. 35, No. 26
Entire contents © 2014 by Crain Communications Inc.
$2.00/JUNE 30 - JULY 6, 2014
Local powers asking for a lot of help Cleveland’s passion for philanthropy remains strong as ever By TIMOTHY MAGAW tmagaw@crain.com
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onsider it the million-dollar — make that multi-billiondollar — question: Are Northeast Ohio’s pockets deep enough? The region’s powerhouse nonprofit institutions seem to think so, because they’re doling out their collections plates in record fashion.
Earlier this month, the Cleveland Clinic launched the public phase of an ambitious $2 billion fundraising campaign — one of the largest among academic medical centers in the country. That same week, PlayhouseSquare launched a $100 million effort. Also, Case Western Reserve, University Hospitals, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Akron Children’s Hospital, the Cleveland Museum of
Natural History and others are all in the throes of their own record-setting campaigns. “The capacity in this market just blows me away on a regular basis,” said Nancy Osgood, a local fundraising consultant who also teaches at Case Western Reserve University. “Cleveland is considered to be one of the most philanthropic towns in the country. When will we hit a tipping point? I’m not
sure, but I don’t think we’re close.” If anything, the sudden surge of aggressive fundraising is a sign that the economy is on the upswing. Fundraisers like to say that philanthropy is a trailing indicator of the economy. Many of these institutions have quietly raised money for years, but now that the local economy has recovered from the doldrums of the recession — to some extent, at least — many of these nonprofits report that giving has picked up consider-
ably, and it’s time to make an even louder pitch. “Giving is an emotional decision,” said August Napoli, the chief advancement officer for the Cleveland Museum of Art, which has about $50 million left to raise in its $350 million campaign that began in earnest in about 2002. See HELP Page 6
INSIDE: A look at what’s being raised in the area. Page 6
Browns’ fan board sounds off Members of adviser group give ‘honest’ opinions, thankful they’re being heard By KEVIN KLEPS kkleps@crain.com
SPECIAL SECTION
VETERANS EMPLOYMENT Last week’s Hiring Our Heroes job fair (above) highlighted the benefits of hiring veterans. For more about veterans’ role in Northeast Ohio’s work force, go to Pages 13-15.
REBECCA R. MARKOVITZ
Cleveland Browns president Alec Scheiner said he was looking for “honest feedback” when the franchise’s Fan Advisory Board met for the first time in Berea last Tuesday, June 24. The 18 season-ticket holders in attendance (two of the board’s 20 members were unable to attend) obliged. The group sounded off about feeling undervalued as season-tickets members, the frequent turnover at the top of the franchise, FirstEnergy Stadium being taken over on game day by fans of the opposing team and some of the countless mistakes made by past regimes. At one point early in the 90-minute meeting, Scheiner — who was hired by former Browns CEO Joe Banner in December 2012, about 14 months before Banner and then-general manager Michael Lombardi were fired — discussed the continuity of the Dallas Cowboys’ regime. The Browns president spent eight years with the Cowboys — the last five as senior vice president and general counsel.
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