A Case for Donor-Centric Gift Planning Early in Donors’ Cycle of Generosity
Published August 5, 2021
By Wm. David Smith, CAP®, President and CEO at Heaton Smith Group, LLC Fundraising professionals frequently ask themselves: How can we secure more blended and estate gifts to advance our mission? This question is especially relevant to nonprofit sub-sectors such as healthcare, arts and culture, social services, etc.) as they often have less mature gift […]
Middlegame Philanthropy: Lessons from Queen’s Gambit
Published August 4, 2021
By Bharat Krishnan, MBA, Counsel at The Hodge Group Like much of America, The Hodge Group’s team binged Queen’s Gambit when it came out on Netflix in October 2020. In fact, many of our teammates finished it in one weekend. We also identified one application to philanthropy: the under-appreciated value of having a solid middlegame […]
Knowing Your Audience: 4 Tips for Growing Your Donor Base
Published May 18, 2021
By Sarah Tedesco, Executive Vice President at DonorSearch Developing your donor base and overall support network is a critical aspect for encouraging organizational growth. As a nonprofit, you want to do more for your constituents and make a greater impact on your community—but doing so doesn’t come cheap. In other words, if you want to […]
Do You Have the Guts to Blow Things Up?
Published May 17, 2021
By Rick Dunham, CEO at Dunham+Company Years ago I wrote a blog on the gravitational pull of mediocrity. My point was that the natural pull for an organization was toward mediocrity not excellence or success. In reality, success requires hard, intentional and often disruptive work that rattles the status quo. That’s why I believe one […]
Disruption and the Future of Higher Education and Advancement
Published May 3, 2021
By Dr. Karen Baldwin, Senior Consultant at Lighthouse Counsel With a pandemic, a national reckoning with social injustice and political turmoil, the past year has brought what might seem like an unholy trinity when it comes to disruption in the status quo. No segment of society, business or community has gone untouched, including higher education […]
Making the Ask – Even Virtually
Published April 30, 2021
By Victoria Dietz, Vice President at The Curtis Group Can you ask for a major gift via phone or over a video chat? Just over a year ago, this would not have been a strategy recommended by a seasoned fundraiser. However, the shutdown has rewritten the rule book for major gift asks and shown that […]
7 Critical Roles You Need on Your Capital Campaign Team
Published April 19, 2021
By Aly Sterling, founder and president of Aly Sterling Philanthropy All nonprofit fundraising efforts require the coordination and support of strong teams to help them succeed, and this is especially true of capital campaigns. Capital campaigns are intense fundraising periods that span multiple years and are meant to achieve a substantial, significant goal for your […]
Engaging the Next Generation of Philanthropists
Published April 16, 2021
The future of philanthropy revolves around engaging our next generation of donors—Generation Z and Millennials. Understanding how to attract, retain, and grow your young professional pipeline will ensure long-term sustainability for your organization. When considering how to engage donors across generations, demographics, or backgrounds, it is important to remember that every philanthropist is unique. While […]
The New (Digital) Normal
Published March 22, 2021
Even with all its numerous challenges, a silver lining could have emerged from 2020. As the doors of many organizations closed, nonprofits were forced to leverage the resources and tools they had available. With galas and runs canceled and direct mail paused, the sector braced for what was to come. If connecting with our colleagues […]