From the Funder’s Mouth: Red Flags When Approaching Foundations

Posted , by Wesley Stanley, Marketing Director. Topic: Funds and Funders.

As a follow-up to last week’s post in which we offered some general advice from “real world” funders on how nonprofits should operate, this week we’d like to share with you some red flags that funders see when it comes to requests. The following are a list of no-no’s when it comes to putting together… Read more »

The Right Approach to Board Solicitation

Posted , by Keith Curtis, President. Topic: Boards of Directors, Fundraising.

Recently, we’ve had a lot of people ask about the best way to solicit leadership gifts from board members. As with any major gift solicitation (because that’s what you’re aiming for, right?), it’s always best to make an in-person ask. Having a board member solicit another board member in-person, is hands-down the most effective way… Read more »

Rethinking Your Annual Giving Approach

Posted , by Natalie McGaughey, Development Coordinator. Topic: Fundraising.

Last week Wendy and I attended an interesting presentation on annual giving at our Hampton Roads AFP chapter meeting. Kim Sperling, Director of Development at the Mason School of Business at William and Mary, revealed “Ten Truths and a Myth about Annual Giving,” which reiterated much of the advice we’ve been giving recently around the… Read more »

Most Nonprofits Miss Engaging With This Key Donor Demographic–Is Yours Keeping Up?

Posted , by Kaitlin Robb, Vice President. Topic: Donors, Fundraising, High-Net-Worth Individuals, Major Donors, Major Gifts Programs, Making the Ask, Planned Giving.

  At The Curtis Group, we’re committed to sharing timely, research-driven insights from trusted leaders across the philanthropic sector. As fellow members of The Giving Institute, we are pleased to feature this guest article from Ali Iqbal, President of TIAA Kaspick, a national leader in planned giving and long-term donor strategy. Middle donors are an increasingly influential—and often… Read more »

What the 2025 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy Reveals About Today’s Donors

Posted , by Keith Curtis, Chairman and CEO. Topic: Crisis Fundraising, Development Plan, Donors, Federal Funding Uncertainty, Fundraising, Fundraising by Sector, Gift Solicitation, Major Gifts Programs, Making the Ask, National Research Collaborative, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy Research & Events, Planned Giving, Year-End Giving.

  A version of this piece first appeared on Giving USA and The Giving Institute. We’ve expanded it here with added guidance for fundraisers. Turning Big Into Bigger: Engaging Your Major Donors With Data-Informed Strategies By Keith Curtis, Chairman and CEO Numbers tell a story, and research into donor behavior and giving trends gives organizations a roadmap to navigate… Read more »

FREE Webinar: How to Keep Your Donors Happy — and Giving!

Posted , by Elizabeth Vana, Client Coordinator. Topic: Fundraising.

Rethinking Donor Retention: Building Connections in a Changing Landscape     Current fundraising trends reveal a challenging paradox: charitable giving is up, but donor counts are down. That means more dollars are coming from fewer donors—raising the stakes for building lasting, trust-based relationships. So how can your organization remain relationship-focused in an increasingly transactional giving environment?… Read more »

Tax Policy Is Changing—Here’s How to Talk to Your Donors

Posted , by Ginny Reynolds Badgett, Consultant. Topic: Crisis Fundraising, Development Plan, Donor Communication, Donor Retention, Donors, Federal Funding Uncertainty, Fundraising, Funds and Funders, Gift Solicitation, Government, High-Net-Worth Individuals, Major Donors, Major Gifts Programs, Making the Ask, Planned Giving, Year-End Giving.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race: A Nonprofit’s Guide to Navigating the New Tax Policy with Donors   By Ginny Reynolds-Badgett Consultant In Aesop’s timeless fable The Tortoise and the Hare, the steady and focused tortoise overtakes the boastful, erratic hare. The tortoise’s persistence pays off in the long run. Today’s nonprofits face what may… Read more »

Webinar: Giving USA 2025 – Trends to Watch, Moves to Make

Posted , by Elizabeth Vana, Client Coordinator. Topic: Crisis Fundraising, Donors, Federal Funding Uncertainty, Fundraising, Giving USA, Philanthropy Research & Events, Webinars and Videos.

Free Webinar: Giving USA 2025 – Trends to Watch, Moves to Make   The philanthropic landscape is undergoing rapid change. The release of Giving USA 2025 provides fresh insights into donor behavior and giving trends — but this year, it arrives against the backdrop of significant policy shifts and growing economic uncertainty that are reshaping… Read more »

Is It the End of Philanthropy As We Know It?

Posted , by . Topic: Crisis Fundraising, Federal Funding Uncertainty, Fundraising, Major Donors, Philanthropy Research & Events.

Change Is the Only Constant: Prepare for the Future of Philanthropy By Wendy McGrady President and Chief Operating Officer The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is famous for noting that the only constant in life is change, saying “you cannot step twice in the same river.” Over 2,000 years later, this concept remains relevant—especially for the nonprofit sector… Read more »

AI + Fundraising = More Time for Donors

Posted , by Lindsey Rosenthal, Associate Consultant. Topic: Development Plan, Donors, Fundraising, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy Research & Events.

Want More Time with Donors? Start Using AI for These 3 Fundraising Tasks By Lindsey Rosenthal Associate Consultant As nonprofit fundraising professionals, we’re all too familiar with the pressures of doing more with fewer resources. Smaller teams. Larger goals. Greater expectations. But what if AI tools could help ease this burden—allowing us to focus on what… Read more »