Decoding Donor-Advised Funds

Posted , by Keith Curtis, President & Founder. Topic: Donor Advised Funds, Fundraising, Funds and Funders, Gift Solicitation, Giving USA, High-Net-Worth Individuals, Major Donors, Major Gifts Programs, Philanthropy Research & Events.

Decoding Donor-Advised Funds As posted at Giving USA Donor-advised funds began in the 1930s, but in recent years these funds have become the fastest growing vehicle in philanthropy. Giving USA recently released a highly anticipated Special Report on Donor-Advised Funds.  You can access the full report on the Giving USA Foundation website. My colleague Victoria Dietz also recently… Read more »

Decoding Donor-Advised Funds: From Data to Practical

Posted , by Keith Curtis, Founder, President. Topic: Donor Communication, Funds and Funders, Gift Solicitation, High-Net-Worth Individuals, Major Gifts Programs, Philanthropy Research & Events, Year-End Giving.

Donor-advised funds began in the 1930s, but in recent years these funds have become the fastest growing vehicle in philanthropy. Contributions to donor-advised funds grew at three times the rate of total charitable giving in 2016 according to the National Philanthropic Trust. Donor-advised funds defined: Donor-advised funds (DAF) are donor-established philanthropic funds that are maintained, operated… Read more »

Clients v. Donors: How to write without making a wrong

Posted , by Melissa James, Marketing Director. Topic: Donor Communication.

While we hate to disillusion anyone right after the holidays, I need to set the record straight about a certain mythical figure. You might have been sending letters to it for years. But unfortunately, there’s no such thing as… the General Public. All too often, nonprofit communications are written for this “audience,” and the message… Read more »

How to write thank-you letters your donors will actually read

Posted , by By Melissa James, Marketing Director. Topic: Donor Acknowledgement.

Acknowledgment letters are more than an obligation. They’re an opportunity—to build donor relationships, to educate and hopefully, to inspire future giving. But let’s face it, many of these missives leave us less than inspired. Do you read all the nonprofit thank-you letters you receive? Me neither. What’s different about the ones you do read? Here… Read more »

Top 5 pitfalls to avoid when thanking donors

Posted , by Victoria Dietz, Consultant. Topic: Donor Acknowledgement.

Are you effectively thanking and engaging your donors? I often encounter well-intentioned nonprofits that are hurting their acknowledgment efforts through common mistakes: 1. Slow response. You risk losing donors—and donations—by waiting too long to send thanks. Some say that 48 hours is the ideal turnaround time, but if that’s not realistic for your organization, aim… Read more »

Study Finds Next Gen Donors Driven by Personal Values & Desire for Social Impact

Posted , by Erin Phillips, Consultant and Marketing Director. Topic: Philanthropy Research & Events.

Rick Moyers, vice president of programs and communications at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, recently wrote in The Chronicle about a new report, “Next Gen Donors: Respecting Legacy, Revolutionizing Philanthropy.” The results included some interesting data from 300 high-capacity donors in their 20s and 30s. They are all individuals poised to become very influential… Read more »

Highlights from “Donor and Board Member Engagement” Webinar Hosted by Bloomerang

Posted , by Erin Phillips, Consultant and Marketing Director. Topic: Boards of Directors, Donor Retention.

Bloomerang, a company specializing in donor databases, hosted a webinar recently titled “Everything You Need to Know about Donor and Board Member Engagement.” We are cautious of programs that boast these superlatives—”Everything”, really? But we knew the hosts were authorities in their field and signed up to participate. While Jay Love, CEO of Bloomerang, and Bryan… Read more »

Higher Donor Retention Rate Translates to Higher Charitable Receipts

Posted , by Lauren B. Fenn, campaign consultant. Topic: Donor Retention, National Research Collaborative.

“Are higher retention rates associated with higher totals in charitable giving?” This is the question that the Nonprofit Research Collaborative sought to answer in their most recent survey focused on donor retention rates. More than 770 organizations across every subsector participated in the study. Interestingly, the results are almost exactly the same as the NCR’s… Read more »

From the Donor’s Perspective

Posted , by Lauren Fenn, Campaign and Communications Manager. Topic: Donors.

As a part of our daily work we spend a lot of time listening to donors share their candid impressions of our client’s organizations as a whole; everything from the effectiveness of the staff and board to the way they are cultivated. Through the planning study, development assessment and capacity building interview process we learn… Read more »