Tuesday, October 13, 2026
1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT
Register Here
For many nonprofits, the case for long-term financial strength has never been clearer.
Government funding uncertainty, rising demand for services and continued economic volatility are forcing organizations to think beyond the next budget year. At the same time, Giving USA 2026 points to significant opportunity, with bequest giving rising sharply in 2025. The growing use of appreciated assets and other noncash gifts is also expanding the ways donors can make meaningful philanthropic investments.
Together, these trends create a timely opportunity to consider endowment. But organizational need alone is not enough to inspire donor investment.
Before making endowment a significant part of or the focus of your next campaign, nonprofit leaders need to understand what donors are willing to invest in, how endowment should fit alongside other priorities and what level of support may actually be possible.
Join The Curtis Group’s Chairman and CEO Keith Curtis and Vice President Hilary Fulp for a practical conversation about three critical considerations for organizations considering endowment building campaigns:
- Challenge common myths and make permanence compelling. What misconceptions can hold organizations back, and how do you move beyond “we need financial sustainability” and identify the big ideas that inspire donors to invest in what your organization should be able to sustain, protect or make possible for generations?
- Understand what makes an endowment campaign different. How do the case, donor conversation and gift structure differ from a capital campaign, and when should endowment accompany capital, programmatic or capacity priorities?
- Recognize why now may be the right time. How can rising bequest giving and the growing use of appreciated assets, retirement assets, estate gifts, beneficiary designations, donor-advised funds and other giving vehicles expand the pool of donors and the possibilities for an endowment campaign?
The session will challenge nonprofit leaders to think differently about endowment: not simply as a financial goal, but as a philanthropic opportunity shaped around donor motivation, organizational vision and long-term impact.
Keith and Hilary will also explore the role of campaign planning as essential due diligence. Before setting a goal or taking a campaign to market, organizations need to test the case, assess donor interest, understand how donors may want to give and discover what is truly possible.
Participants will leave with a clearer framework for determining what role endowment should play in their next campaign, what needs to be tested and what questions must be answered before setting the goal.
