Apr 1, 2009 12:00 PM

, By Daniel L. Daniels, & David T. Leibell, partners in the Stamford, Conn., office of Wiggin and Dana

By Daniel L. Daniels, & David T. Leibell, partners in the Stamford, Conn., office of Wiggin and Dana

We predict that donor-involved giving is going to increase in the long-term as Baby Boomers enter retirement, the time at which people tend to grow more philanthropic. Boomers will embrace giving with a vengeance, as they have every other phase of life. The robber barons among them, suffering guilt over the current Wall St. debacle, will try to give back. And all Boomers will be facing increased tax rates, always a prompt to search for charitable deductions.¹

But this massive giving won't happen just yet. Instead, this year probably will see a sharp, sudden downturn. Just listen to what foundations are saying about their intentions: Public pronouncements about their 2009 grantmaking reflect the fact that foundations have been hard hit by the stock market's recent plunge.