By Sarah Sebastian, Director of Corporate Communications at OneCause There’s always some chatter about whether event fundraising still has its place in today’s nonprofit world. The answer, according to the first-ever 2025 State of Nonprofit Auctions Report, is a resounding YES. Auction donors gave an average gift
By Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Community Engagement, Neon One We’ve all seen the headlines: donor participation is declining, while overall giving remains steady. It’s a trend that paints an incomplete picture of what generosity really looks like today. So we decided to look closer. At Neon
By Laura Hutyra, CFRE, Vice President of M. Gale Last year, The Generosity Commission released its report on the shifting landscape of generosity and the extraordinary power of giving and volunteering. As a member firm of The Giving Institute, M. Gale launched a new education series
By Leya Simmons, CEO and Co-founder, BetterUnite When I transitioned from my career as a fundraising professional to co-founding a technology platform focused on empowering nonprofits, I witnessed firsthand the rapid evolution and the growing urgency around fundraising events. Today, as organizations face reduced government funding,
Giving is a passionate act. As fundraising professionals, we are always looking for strategies and pathways to elevate the fundraising discourse beyond budgets and business plans (though they are important) – because seeing the “big picture” will motivate a donor to understand the full value of their gift and thus
By Janell Johnson, MPA, Chief Growth Officer, Kinetic In the nonprofit sector, adaptability is key. Economic uncertainty, shifting donor priorities and evolving community needs all require nonprofits to stay adaptable, innovative and mission-focused. While these challenging times can pose threats to fundraising and program sustainability, they
By: Tom Osborne, Vice President of Creative at Parisleaf Every meaningful nonprofit has a mission—the baseline, the reason for existing, the north star that keeps an organization focused. Being mission-driven provides clarity and direction, ensures alignment, and builds trust. However, mission alone won’t get the job done
By Bonnie Devlin, Managing Principal, Washburn & McGoldrick Carla Willis, Managing Principal, Washburn & McGoldrick Over the years, women’s philanthropy has grown to be a powerful force in many higher education institutions and independent schools. With more women taking leadership roles in corporate boardrooms, entrepreneurial endeavors
By Nils Smith, Chief Strategist, Social Media + Innovation at Dunham+Company Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the nonprofit sector, offering powerful tools that enhance efficiency, engagement, and impact. From automating administrative tasks to improving donor outreach, AI enables organizations to focus on what truly matters—their mission. AI is
By Timothy R. Burcham, CFRE, President & CEO, Burcham Solutions Group Campaigns are fundamentally about change. Organizations most often mount major gift or capital campaigns to reach strategic objectives that expand their mission, add new and improved programs or services, or uniquely address significant needs of
By Michael Durnil, PhD, Director, Executive Search, Cooper Coleman LLC The political and economic landscape continues to shift dramatically, leaving many social sector organizations and advancement professionals scrambling to adjust to a host of executive orders, policy changes, public opinions, and donor anxieties. Whether you face economic uncertainties,
By Richard Tollefson, Founder & President, The Phoenix Philanthropy Group According to GivingUSA, the definitive report on charitable giving in the U.S., philanthropy has been amazingly resilient over the past 60 years. With only four years of decline over that period, philanthropy continues to grow, achieving new levels of investment
