A recent article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy by Maureen West titled “Charities Find Ways to Give Board Members Bigger Roles in Policy” caught our attention. So much of the work we have done with our clients for the past 23 years is meeting with the board members of nonprofits to discuss fundraising strategy and… Read more »
Corporate Giving: Strategies for Securing Support
Last week Lauren and I attended the AFP-Hampton Roads luncheon presentation titled, “Building Strategic Relationships with Corporations and Foundations.” Amy Nisenson, Executive Director of the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation, and Victor Branch, SVP/Market Manager for Richmond & Hampton Roads, Global Corporate Responsibility Office for Bank of America, were the two presenters. They began their discussion… Read more »
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Fundraisers: Notes from Virginia Fundraising Institute 2012
Last week The Curtis Group sponsored and attended the annual conference hosted by the Virginia Fundraising Institute (VFRI) in Richmond, VA. We have been involved in VFRI for nearly a decade and we always look forward to this gathering of fundraising leaders from across the Commonwealth. The conference, composed primarily of development professionals, provides an… Read more »
New Findings on Donor Behavior: Highlights from the 2012 Cygnus Donor Survey
For the past four years we have looked forward to reviewing statistics on donor behavior from the Cygnus Donor Survey. This is an annual research study of active American donors that charts recent giving experiences and future philanthropic intentions. It is led by author, researcher, and president of Cygnus Applied Research, Inc., Penelope Burk. The 2012… Read more »
Giving USA Discussion at the Hudson Institute: Advice to Nonprofits and their Board Members
On Friday the Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal, in partnership with Illinois University’s Center on Philanthropy, hosted a discussion titled “Giving USA 2012: Who Gave, How Much, and to Whom in 2011?” The Curtis Group’s Vice President, Wendy McGrady, along with Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy Executive Director, Patrick M. Rooney; Nonprofit Quarterly’s… Read more »
Komen-Planned Parenthood: The Importance of a Crisis Communication Plan
An article that ran last week in the Chronicle of Philanthropy got us thinking about the recent controversy between Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood. No matter where you stand on the issue, there are valuable lessons to be learned for any nonprofit. The most obvious to us is the importance of a solid crisis… Read more »
Growing Philanthropy
A recent article in The Nonprofit Quarterly posed the question, “How can we grow philanthropy in the United States?” It’s one that deserves some thought, especially in light of the fact that giving in this country has remained flat (approximately 2% of household income) over the past 40 years. As we highlighted in a post last… Read more »
Giving USA Spotlight: Relationship Cultivation Using Social Media
As most nonprofits are wrapping up the final week of their annual giving campaign and gearing up for the New Year, we wanted to share some valuable information from the latest edition of the 2011 Giving USA Spotlight series. The third and final issue of the year, entitled, “Relationship Cultivation Using Social Media” offers good… Read more »
Donor Awareness of Telemarketing
Because promoting philanthropy is our life’s work, we felt the need to comment on a series of articles, as well as an editorial that ran in our local newspaper, The Virginian-Pilot, over the past several days on “professional fundraising companies” (i.e., telemarketing firms and professional solicitors, who differ greatly from professional fundraising counsel like The Curtis Group)…. Read more »
Major Gifts: Guidance from the Experts
Last week Wendy and I taught a two-day Development and Fundraising course at Tidewater Community College’s Academy for Nonprofit Excellence. On the second day, Kay Stine of Norfolk Collegiate School, Billy Foster of TowneBank, and Christine Morris of Hampton Roads Community Foundation served on a panel that addressed issues surrounding major gift asks. All of… Read more »
