The Fluency Gap: Why Your Campaign Team Can’t Articulate What Your Donors Need to Hear
Published September 29, 2025
By Doug Diefenbach, Vice President, Strategy & Brand, Foster Avenue And How to Bridge It Without Another Communications Overhaul Your campaign has stunning materials. The case statement is compelling. The website is beautiful. Yet your major gift officers come back from donor meetings with $50,000 gifts for specific projects when the donor […]
From Crisis to Confidence: Building Stronger Recruiting Practices
Published September 4, 2025
By Claire Waiksnoris, Senior Director, Arthur Alley Search Solutions Think back to the last time someone left your team. What did it cost you? Not just in dollars, but in energy, morale, and momentum. A vacancy almost always leaves a ripple effect: extra responsibilities fall on already-stretched staff, projects slow down, and […]
Concentrated Generosity: Are We Headed to a Two-Tiered Giving Future?
Published August 25, 2025
By Matthew Mielcarek, SVP Analytics & Insights, Allegiance Group + Pursuant (AGP) Mega-donors are increasingly steering the ship. Their gifts – at time in the hundreds of millions – are making headlines, shaping capital campaigns, and shifting the direction of entire sectors. At the same time, participation from small and mid-level givers […]
The State of Modern Fundraising
Published August 18, 2025
By Carrie Cobb, Chief Data and AI Officer, Blackbaud At the Blackbaud Institute, we’ve been closely watching how fundraisers are navigating today’s evolving landscape—and what we’re seeing is both inspiring and instructive. Yes, 2025 brings its share of uncertainty. Economic shifts, changing donor demographics, and policy changes are all reshaping the way […]
From Scarcity to Strategy: Reframing Your Nonprofit’s Fundraising Mindset
Published August 12, 2025
By Ann Fellman, Chief Marketing Officer, Bloomerang Fear is not a sustainable fundraising strategy. Yet, too many nonprofits operate from a place of anxiety and uncertainty. Budgets get slashed, bold plans are shelved, and decisions are shaped by “what if” scenarios. This reactive approach can lead to missed opportunities, low morale, and […]
How To Build Your Fundraising Dream Team
Published August 5, 2025
By Lieve Hendren, Senior Consultant at Alford Group If you’ve ever spent a day in a development office, you know it’s a bit like herding cats — except the cats wear blazers, carry clipboards and are split between those who can’t wait to work the room at a gala and those who’d […]
How to Talk About Giving USA So Board Members Will Listen
Published July 15, 2025
By Gail Perry, President & Founder of Gail Perry Group You may be thinking… how do I bring Giving USA data to life for my board members? You’re in the boardroom. You’ve got the latest Giving USA report in hand. Charts ready. Statistics memorized. You launch into your presentation about billions […]
Have we been here before?
Published July 8, 2025
By: Laura MacDonald, CFRE, Founder & Principal of Benefactor Group Last week, I met with the board of a historic property. They had spent years preparing for a campaign to create a new education center and enlarge their endowment. Each step was carefully taken: strategic planning, building the capacity of fundraising […]
Do You Need a Feasibility Study? 5 Nonprofit Considerations
Published July 1, 2025
Before committing resources, time, and energy to a major campaign, you have to be sure your nonprofit is ready. This is where feasibility studies come in. However, feasibility studies are an investment in and of themselves, and there’s some debate in the nonprofit world about how necessary these assessments are. While many experts insist that […]
