Should You Be Optimistic About the State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy in 2024?

Posted , by Kaitlin Robb, Consultant and Marketing Director. Topic: Donors, Fundraising, Giving USA, Philanthropy Research & Events.

How to Meet Our Moment in 2024: Recent Trends in Philanthropy   By Kaitlin Robb, Consultant and Marketing Director At The Curtis Group’s December team meeting, Dr. Una Osili from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy joined us virtually to discuss changes in the philanthropic landscape. Dr. Osili is a global expert on philanthropy and widely recognized… Read more »

6 Practical Steps to Grow Your Endowment

Posted , by Abby Webster, Vice President. Topic: Donors, Fundraising.

How to Grow Your Endowment (and why you should put in the effort)   By Abby Webster, Vice President In the midst of what has been a constantly changing economic, philanthropic, and social climate, a nonprofit’s commitment to financial stability and diversified revenue streams has become increasingly important to fulfilling its mission. One way that many nonprofits are… Read more »

Foundation Funding Demystified: Your Roadmap to Success

Posted , by Lauren Greene, Associate Consultant. Topic: Cases for Support, Donor Prospects, Fundraising, Gift Solicitation.

Foundation Funding Demystified: Your Roadmap to Success By Lauren Greene, Associate Consultant Foundations are an important funding source for nonprofits across the country. As you are looking ahead at your philanthropic needs and considering potential foundation support, you need to have a good understanding of how foundation funding has changed over the last few years and how… Read more »

Maximizing Donor Retention: Key Findings from latest FEP report

Posted , by Ginny Reynolds Badgett, Associate Consultant. Topic: Donor Communication, Fundraising.

Making (Dollars and) Sense of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s Latest Report By Ginny Reynolds Badgett, Associate Consultant Each quarter the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) releases aggregate views of the current year’s fundraising data. Much of the data collected and analyzed focuses on donors – donor size, donation count and type (new, repeat or recaptured). These reports… Read more »

“There’s an App for That!”: The Role of Technology in Fundraising

Posted , by Emily Ruble, Associate Consultant. Topic: Fundraising, Philanthropy Research & Events.

“There’s an App for That!”  The Role of Technology in Fundraising   By Emily Ruble, Associate Consultant In a world where every day it seems there’s a new app, new website or new social media trend, we as fundraising professionals may ask ourselves how we can harness the power of technology to help us reach our… Read more »

Key Takeaways of Giving USA 2023

Posted , by Keith Curtis, President. Topic: Donors, Fundraising, Fundraising by Sector, Funds and Funders, Giving USA, High-Net-Worth Individuals, Major Donors, Philanthropy Research & Events.

What are the key takeaways of Giving USA 2023? According to Giving USA 2023, charitable giving in this country totaled $499.33 billion in 2022. Impacted by economic challenges, this is a 3.4% decrease in current dollars year-over-year; however, it comes after two record years of giving. Where Did the Generosity Come From? Contributions by Source The Headlines for Sources of… Read more »

Building Your Donor Pipeline for Major Gifts

Posted , by Victoria Dietz, Executive Vice President. Topic: Fundraising.

Building Your Donor Pipeline for Major Gifts   By Victoria Dietz, Executive Vice President What does it mean to have a pipeline of donors? In its simplest form, your pipeline is a structured way for you to convert prospective donors into current donors and to secure increasingly generous support from those current donors. At its… Read more »

Are You Eligible for Community Project Funding/Earmarks?

Posted , by Hilary Fulp, Senior Consultant. Topic: Development Plan, Fundraising, Government, Philanthropy Research & Events.

Are You Eligible for Community Project Funding/Earmarks?  By Hilary Fulp, Senior Consultant The U.S. House of Representatives recently released guidance on Community Project Funding (also called earmarks) for FY24. With the constantly changing political landscape, our goal is to provide you with a brief overview of where things stand with earmarks as well as what you… Read more »

Webinar: REAL Conversations with Major Donors

Posted , by Lauren Greene, Client Manager. Topic: Donor Communication, Donor Prospects, Donors, Fundraising, Gift Solicitation, High-Net-Worth Individuals, Major Donors, Major Gifts Programs, Making the Ask, Webinars and Videos.

Wondering what you could and should be doing today to prepare for a stronger major gift program tomorrow? Even during these constantly changing times, the fundraising cycle works- cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship- but what does this cycle look like in practice? This practical presentation will show you the proven steps to have meaningful conversations and build stronger relationships with… Read more »

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 »