American individuals, estates, foundations and corporations contributed an estimated $390.05 billion to U.S. charities in 2016, according to Giving USA 2017: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2016, released today. Giving USA is the longest-running and most comprehensive report of its kind in America. It is published by Giving USA Foundation, a public… Read more »
Resolve to focus on major gifts: 4 tips to get you started
I love New Year’s. I love New Year’s resolutions or really any reason to think fresh, set new goals and take stock of progress. If you’re like me, you’ve probably made one too many New Year’s resolutions you didn’t keep. What are your goals for your development program next year? If you want to focus… Read more »
Giving USA Discussion at the Hudson Institute
I was honored to be invited again and to participate in The Hudson Institute’s Giving USA Release 2014 panel. My colleagues on the panel represented The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, The Urban Institute, and the Nonprofit Quarterly. Once the numbers were delivered, my comments were focused on how… Read more »
How to Find New Donors
Recently several people have asked me about prospect research—how to find and manage new potential donors. After asking some questions, it became clear that these organizations were thinking more about new prospects than they were about renewing or increasing past donors. When I mentioned this to Keith, he said that in the last three trainings… Read more »
Most Nonprofits Miss Engaging With This Key Donor Demographic–Is Yours Keeping Up?
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
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 »
Six Strategies to Raise More at Year-End
Close the Year with Purpose: Six Strategies to Raise More at Year-End By Kaitlin Robb Consultant and Director of Marketing Now that Fall is officially here, we have also officially entered a crucial time for nonprofits. According to most sources, nearly 30% of charitable giving happens in the last quarter of the year. Planning now… Read more »
What are the Key Takeaways of Giving USA 2024?
What Are the Key Takeaways of Giving USA 2024? According to Giving USA 2024, U.S. charitable giving in 2023 reached a new high in current dollars at over $557 billion (growing by 1.9%). Nevertheless, with inflation rates higher than average for another year, giving did not outpace inflation (dropping 2.1% when adjusted for inflation). The U.S. Is Resilient,… Read more »
Try the new, interactive platform “Generosity For Life”
What does the term “philanthropist” mean? Would you consider yourself to be one? What factors influence how and when people give, whether that means volunteering time or donating money? These are the key questions addressed by a new, interactive, online platform from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy called Generosity For Life. GenerosityForLife.org makes… Read more »
7 mistakes to avoid in your year-end fundraising
It’s fall, so if you haven’t started planning your year-end appeals, you’re late—but not too late! Over 40% of giving occurs in last four months of year. But Google has found that donors begin their research in August, and that online donation-related searches increase 30% from August to September. Of course, December is still king for when… Read more »
