Analyzing O.C.’s Charity Potential

* Your Jan. 11 article about Orange County’s robust economy and meager charitable giving underscores the fundamental pitfall most development professionals fall into.

Too many fund-raisers equate one’s capacity to give with his or her passion to give. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Raising money is both an art and a science. The artistry involved is the process of developing personal relationships with donors. Sometimes this happens quickly and sometimes it takes years. The larger the gift, the longer it usually takes.

The science involved is determining, among other things, what stage of life a donor is in: survival, accumulation or distribution. A 35-year-old entrepreneur, focused on building a company, most likely isn’t ready to make a major donation--even if he or she can afford to.

The area’s premiere nonprofit organizations like United Way, Children’s Hospital of Orange County and the Orange County Community Foundation, know that the real charitable dollars flow years after a donor becomes interested in their activities.

I suspect that when The Times writes its follow-up story on charitable giving 10 years from now, the numbers will look very different than they do today.

DENNY FREIDENRICH

Laguna Beach