The Curtis Group | Planning - Fundraising - Marketing
Focus on Philanthropy
A blog by the staff of The Curtis Group
Giving USA 2012 Snapshot
Posted June 27, 2012 by Lauren B. Fenn, campaign consultant.
As one of 40 members of the Giving Institute, each June we anxiously await the early release of the Giving USA Report—the longest running, most comprehensive report on philanthropy in America. This year marks Giving USA’s 57th consecutive annual report.
In 2011, U.S. Charitable giving totaled $298.4 billion, a four percent increase, and the second year to see an increase following two years of declines. One fact that continues to be noteworthy year after year is that the majority of giving in our country continues to come from individuals. Of the $298.42 billion given in 2011, 88 percent came from individuals when combining bequests and individual and family foundation giving.
Make the Most of Your Data
Posted June 12, 2012 by Wendy McGrady, Vice President.
Last week we participated in a webinar on donor databases titled “Data Data Everywhere. Mining for Gold in your Donor Database.” This hour-long discussion was conducted by Fundraising Success magazine and featured three presenters: Amanda Mallinger Reinartz, Manager, Product Development, Metafile; Jodi Scheib, Vice President, Fundraising, DMW Direct; and Joe Hamilton, Director of Development, Franciscan Friars. We often counsel our clients on the importance of having a well organized, updated database in order to manage their donors. One of our first questions when meeting with a client to discuss plans for a campaign is what type of database do you use, how far back does it go, and what do you do to keep it current? The Fundraising Success webinar echoed our counsel when it stressed the necessity of “clean data.”
Raising Money Like an Entrepreneur: “Selling” Advice to Nonprofits
Posted June 06, 2012 by Erin Phillips, Marketing Director and Campaign Consultant.
This week we came across an interesting article in our Twitter feed by Charles Moldow, a partner at a Venture Capital firm. Although the blog post from the website Tech Crunch is written for entrepreneurs seeking start up investments, there are clear parallels to be drawn for small nonprofits soliciting gifts from individuals. At the end of the day, it’s about how well you can “sell.” Whether it is a product, a service, or, in The Curtis Group’s industry, a cause. Each potential donor is a potential investor in the cause.
