A Tale of Two Gifts: Extraordinary Philanthropic Reporting and Why It Should Be Required Reading
Published October 28, 2019
By Stuart Sullivan Senior Vice President at Graham-Pelton. The date of Friday, September 27, 2019, was extraordinary in the coverage of philanthropy in journalism. In the same edition of the Wall Street Journal on that day, there appeared an article and an opinion/editorial piece that should be required reading for all executives, board members, and […]
Humility in Grantmaking: The Rise of Local Investing
Published October 7, 2019
By Bobby Thalhimer Senior Consultant at The Monument Group. As a nearly lifelong participant in the work of charitable foundations, it is humbling to conclude that on the whole we have not been very successful at our work. Yes, we have had many targeted successes with our grants, but intractable societal problems such as poverty, […]
Does 1+1=2? The Ripple Effect of Challenge Gifts
Published October 4, 2019
By Wendy McGrady Executive Vice President at The Curtis Group. At The Curtis Group, we believe that 1+1 can equal much more than 2 when we leverage gifts to encourage and motivate others. We like to call it the ripple effect, when one gift has the power to spread far beyond a single donation. In […]
The Gift of Listening
Published September 24, 2019
By Avrum D. Lapin President at The Lapin Group, LLC. The art of conversation lies in listening.” –Malcom Forbes When engaging in conversations, we usually believe that we are listening, but in reality, we are often barely hearing. Too many times while we hear people speaking, we are consumed with formulating our response, rather than […]
Driving Hyper-Philanthropy Through New Technologies
Published September 19, 2019
By Russ Hodge, CFRE Principal at The Hodge Group. Experts tell us that the face of philanthropy is changing rapidly. The Giving Institute’s data reveals that individual giving makes up less than 70% of our $400 billion industry for the first time ever, and online/mobile giving rates are up almost three times the rate of […]
Highway to Your Fundraising Metrics
Published September 17, 2019
By Mariah Fosnight, Client Service Associate, and Jennifer Shin, Consultant, at The Alford Group. Congratulations! As you near year end, you can momentarily rest in cruise control knowing that the craze of event season is an image in your rearview mirror. Imagine you’re in a position where both the total number of attendees and the […]
Three Practical Ways Your Tech Tools Can Help You Retain Donors
Published September 5, 2019
By Abby Jarvis Nonprofit Education Manager of Qgiv. Did you see a dip in individual donations to your organization last year? If you did, you’re not alone! According to Giving USA’s Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2019, gifts from individuals decreased 1.1% (or 3.4%, if you adjust for inflation). Individual donations still accounted […]
Seeking Big Gifts: Steps to Build Your Major Gifts Program
Published August 6, 2019
By Angela E. White, CFRE Senior Consultant and CEO of Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates. Building a systematic major gifts program can have a dramatic impact on your fundraising ROI (Return on Investment). Establishing a major gifts program that is systematic involves creating a purposeful, organized, and ongoing program for identifying and cultivating relationships with donors […]
Why Aren’t We Getting Grants from National Foundations?
Published July 31, 2019
By Lauren Steiner, JD President and Founder at Grants Plus. Nonprofit fund development directors may get this question from their executive directors or from members of their boards. It’s easy to understand why nonprofit leaders want national grant funding: grants from national foundations are typically large compared to grants from local foundations and may come […]
