PhilanTech and GrantStation recently conducted the Spring 2013
State of Grantseeking, the sixth semi-annual survey of nonprofits
to learn about their grantseeking activities, successes, and
challenges.
Over three-quarters of respondent organizations received grant
awards in the last six months of 2012, and more organizations
received larger grants. Larger organizations fared better
than smaller organizations, with both private and community
foundations increasing the number of awards to large
organizations, while decreasing support for smaller
organizations.
The newly released study UnderDeveloped: A National Study of
Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising reveals that many
nonprofits are stuck in a vicious cycle that threatens their
ability to raise the resources they need to succeed. A joint
project of CompassPoint and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr.
Fund, the report found high levels of turnover and lengthy
vacancies in development director positions throughout the
sector.
NTEN partnered with Charity Dynamics to conduct the 2012
Nonprofit Donor Engagement Study.
This donor-focused study gathered feedback from consumers
spanning a wide range of giving levels ($25 – $5,000+) who
donated to a nonprofit in the past 12 months. Survey questions
sought to understand individuals’ preferences regarding
traditional and digital media for donating, volunteering, and
engaging with nonprofits.
Recent reports published by the National Committee for Response
Philanthropy analyze grant funding data collected between 2004
and 2009. They conclude that over this period, the
percentage of general support has remained flat at 16% and
multi-year grantmaking fell 21%. Download the full reports.
The Nonprofit Donor Engagement Benchmark Study from
charityDYNAMICS and NTEN reports on a survey of the self-reported
behavior of 1,022 people who donated to a nonprofit in the past
12 months. Participants were asked how they prefer to engage with
the nonprofits they support. The study probed deeply to
understand how people preferred to donate, volunteer, and support
nonprofits across traditional and digital media.
Looking for a book to teach you, inspire you, take your
fundraising up a notch? Whether you’re an expert or just
getting started, these reviews from
Charity Channel’s fundraising experts can help you find just
what you’re looking for.
Put your assumptions of Millennials aside and read the 2012 Millennial Impact
Report to learn about Millennials preferences to connect, get
involved and give to nonprofits. Hint: They may be more
charitable than you think. For the third annual Millennial Impact
Report, Achieve and Johnson, Grossnickle & Associates (JGA)
gathered information from an online survey of Millennials, ages
20-35, that included 6,522 responses from 14 institutions, three
focus groups, and an online survey of 89 nonprofit professionals.
Capital campaigns are generally considered to be fundraising
efforts for major capital purposes, usually to the tune of
millions of dollars and, on occasion, a billion dollars or more.
This capital campaign
website is dedicated to the discussion of capital campaign
fundraising for nonprofit organizations. It includes sample
materials, training guides and articles all related to managing a
successful capital campaign.
The
Case Foundation sponsored a study on how giving contests can
promote donor engagement, skills development, and new online
marketing opportunities for nonprofits. Read about the results
from Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington, and learn tips for
giving contest organizers and nonprofits that participate.
This detailed, impartial report from Idealware and NTEN walks
through the features that might be useful, summarizes and
compares 29 different donor management systems that cost $4,000
or less in the first year, and provides detailed reviews of 10 of
them. Fully updated in 2011, including all-new reviews and new
products. Get your
free copy.
The Giving Pledge is an effort launched by Warren Buffett and
Bill and Melinda Gates in 2010 to encourage the wealthiest
Americans to commit the majority of their assets to philanthropic
causes. So far, 81 high net-worth households have joined the
pledge, making public declarations that are shared on the
Giving Pledge web site.
For over 40 years, Giving USA has provided a broad national
picture of trends in philanthropy. Here are just a few important
statistics from this report:
Total giving for 2011 was 298.42 billion, a 12 billion
increase from 2010.
Individual Donors are still the largest base to receive
funding at 73%.
Most money was given to religion at 32% of total giving
totaling $95.88 billion.
Are you extroverted or introverted? Do you think analytically or
intuitively? Take the Asking
Style Assessment and find out your Asking Style. Just 30
true/false questions that you can answer in 2 minutes, and you’ll
be on your way to understanding your fundraising style and how to
be much more comfortable and effective asking for gifts.
If you are new to fundraising or just want to check your
organization’s fundraising strategy this article from Blue
Avacado offers some excellent guidance.
Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia have charitable
solicitation statutes that generally require nonprofits
soliciting contributions and, in most cases, their for-profit
fundraising professionals to register prior to soliciting
contributions or providing fundraising counsel services.
In the for-profit world, people are hired on commission all the
time. In other words, they are paid a percentage of what
they bring in. In the nonprofit world, this is considered
unethical. These resources explain why.
Veteran fundraising executive Tony Poderis has distilled a
lifetime of experience at his website. It includes a
special “Exhibits and Document Library” that has tons of sample
fundraising planning tools, including calendars, division of
labor, goal-setting, methods, tracking tools and general
development plans
Started by Ken Burnett, author of Relationship Fundraising, SOFII
is an easily accessible, free archive of the best fundraising
creativity and innovation from around the
world. At SOFII you will find:
Information on all aspects of fundraising
Tutorials
Opinion pieces.
A monthly column on the latest fundraising techniques.
Raising money is tough! If you’re looking for a little
inspiration to get your week started right, Movie Mondays for
Fundraising Professionals can help. Each week a
professionally edited interview with a successful development
director arrives in your email. These brief (3 – 5 minutes)
videos are full of great tips, inspirational stories and sound
fundraising advice. Sign
up for your free subscription.
October 28, 2011Stanford Innovation Review I Peter Kim, Gail Perreault, & William Foster I
Nonprofit leaders spend an enormous amount of time on
fundraising, but many typically have little idea how to secure
the money they will need over the next five years.
AFP is an association of professionals throughout the world that
advances philanthropy by enabling people and organizations to
practice effective and ethical fundraising. Every month, AFP
California Capital Chapter presents a monthly program, luncheon
or audio conference.
We express our gratitude to Wells Fargo for providing the funding
for our new website. The goal of this project has been to create
a highly accessible resource for all nonprofit organizations in
the region, providing information at the fingertips of executive
directors, staff and board members.
Wells Fargo has been a partner in the project from the beginning,
helping us to leverage the website grant into a regional resource
hub, and we appreciate their dedication.
The State of Grantseeking Report Spring 2013
A snapshot of the current state of grantseeking
PhilanTech and GrantStation recently conducted the Spring 2013 State of Grantseeking, the sixth semi-annual survey of nonprofits to learn about their grantseeking activities, successes, and challenges.
Over three-quarters of respondent organizations received grant awards in the last six months of 2012, and more organizations received larger grants. Larger organizations fared better than smaller organizations, with both private and community foundations increasing the number of awards to large organizations, while decreasing support for smaller organizations.
Donor Stewardship
How to do it well
Association of Donor Relations Professionals
The article Donor Relations and Stewardship Defined, from the Association of Donor Relations Professionals, outlines the four elements of donor relations: gift acceptance and management, acknowledgement, donor recognition, and reporting.
UnderDeveloped
A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising
The newly released study UnderDeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising reveals that many nonprofits are stuck in a vicious cycle that threatens their ability to raise the resources they need to succeed. A joint project of CompassPoint and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the report found high levels of turnover and lengthy vacancies in development director positions throughout the sector.
2012 Nonprofit Donor Engagement Study
Understanding donor preferences
NTEN partnered with Charity Dynamics to conduct the 2012 Nonprofit Donor Engagement Study.
This donor-focused study gathered feedback from consumers spanning a wide range of giving levels ($25 – $5,000+) who donated to a nonprofit in the past 12 months. Survey questions sought to understand individuals’ preferences regarding traditional and digital media for donating, volunteering, and engaging with nonprofits.
Among the high-level findings:
The Philanthropic Landscape
The state of general operating support & multi-year funding
Recent reports published by the National Committee for Response Philanthropy analyze grant funding data collected between 2004 and 2009. They conclude that over this period, the percentage of general support has remained flat at 16% and multi-year grantmaking fell 21%. Download the full reports.
Insights into Donor Engagement Behavior and Preferences
Why it's important to be your donor's #1 charity
The Nonprofit Donor Engagement Benchmark Study from charityDYNAMICS and NTEN reports on a survey of the self-reported behavior of 1,022 people who donated to a nonprofit in the past 12 months. Participants were asked how they prefer to engage with the nonprofits they support. The study probed deeply to understand how people preferred to donate, volunteer, and support nonprofits across traditional and digital media.
We Review – Book Reviews at Charity Channel
Fundraising experts review the fundraising literature
Looking for a book to teach you, inspire you, take your fundraising up a notch? Whether you’re an expert or just getting started, these reviews from Charity Channel’s fundraising experts can help you find just what you’re looking for.
The Millennial Impact Report 2012
How Millennials learn, connect and give to nonprofits
Put your assumptions of Millennials aside and read the 2012 Millennial Impact Report to learn about Millennials preferences to connect, get involved and give to nonprofits. Hint: They may be more charitable than you think. For the third annual Millennial Impact Report, Achieve and Johnson, Grossnickle & Associates (JGA) gathered information from an online survey of Millennials, ages 20-35, that included 6,522 responses from 14 institutions, three focus groups, and an online survey of 89 nonprofit professionals.
Capital Campaigns
The online capital campaign resource
Capital campaigns are generally considered to be fundraising efforts for major capital purposes, usually to the tune of millions of dollars and, on occasion, a billion dollars or more.
This capital campaign website is dedicated to the discussion of capital campaign fundraising for nonprofit organizations. It includes sample materials, training guides and articles all related to managing a successful capital campaign.
How Giving Contests Can Strengthen Nonprofits and Communities
The Case Foundation sponsored a study on how giving contests can promote donor engagement, skills development, and new online marketing opportunities for nonprofits. Read about the results from Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington, and learn tips for giving contest organizers and nonprofits that participate.
A Consumers Guide to Low Cost Donor Management Systems
This detailed, impartial report from Idealware and NTEN walks through the features that might be useful, summarizes and compares 29 different donor management systems that cost $4,000 or less in the first year, and provides detailed reviews of 10 of them. Fully updated in 2011, including all-new reviews and new products. Get your free copy.
Eye on the Giving Pledge
Tracking the 81 individuals and families that have signed the Pledge
The Giving Pledge is an effort launched by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates in 2010 to encourage the wealthiest Americans to commit the majority of their assets to philanthropic causes. So far, 81 high net-worth households have joined the pledge, making public declarations that are shared on the Giving Pledge web site.
Four Simple Ways to Get Out and Ask
So why don’t you get out and ask more often?
Have you met with any donors this month? If not, Four Simple Ways to Get Out and Ask will help you do just that.
Giving USA 2012
Free executive summary
For over 40 years, Giving USA has provided a broad national picture of trends in philanthropy. Here are just a few important statistics from this report:
Download the free executive summary.
Find Your Asking Style
Asking Style Assessment
Are you extroverted or introverted? Do you think analytically or intuitively? Take the Asking Style Assessment and find out your Asking Style. Just 30 true/false questions that you can answer in 2 minutes, and you’ll be on your way to understanding your fundraising style and how to be much more comfortable and effective asking for gifts.
What’s the Best Way to Raise Money?
Guidance from an expert
If you are new to fundraising or just want to check your organization’s fundraising strategy this article from Blue Avacado offers some excellent guidance.
State Charitable Solicitation Statutes
Registration required to raise funds in many states
Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia have charitable solicitation statutes that generally require nonprofits soliciting contributions and, in most cases, their for-profit fundraising professionals to register prior to soliciting contributions or providing fundraising counsel services.
Online Donation Engine Providers
Compare the options
by Marc Lee, CFRE of Affinity Resources LLC
Ethical Fundraising
In the for-profit world, people are hired on commission all the time. In other words, they are paid a percentage of what they bring in. In the nonprofit world, this is considered unethical. These resources explain why.
Vehicle Donation Programs
Here are two IRS booklets for organizations considering a vehicle donation program.
A Charity’s Guide to Vehicle Donations Publication 4302
A Donor’s Guide to Vehicle Donations Publication 4303
Why People Give: How to Increase Fundraising Dollars Using Evidence-based Approaches
Free webinar from The Network for Good
Ever wonder what motivates supporters to give to your organization? The answers might surprise you-as well as the science behind them.
Fundraising Costs
How much to spend
Money for Good II
Study shows what donors want
Click to see video.
Fundraising Planning
Offers a variety of sample fundraising tools
Veteran fundraising executive Tony Poderis has distilled a lifetime of experience at his website. It includes a special “Exhibits and Document Library” that has tons of sample fundraising planning tools, including calendars, division of labor, goal-setting, methods, tracking tools and general development plans
Showcase of Fundraising Innovation & Inspiration
Information on all aspects of fundraising
Started by Ken Burnett, author of Relationship Fundraising, SOFII is an easily accessible, free archive of the best fundraising creativity and innovation from around the world. At SOFII you will find:
Movie Mondays
Free fundraising and awareness videos for nonprofits
Raising money is tough! If you’re looking for a little inspiration to get your week started right, Movie Mondays for Fundraising Professionals can help. Each week a professionally edited interview with a successful development director arrives in your email. These brief (3 – 5 minutes) videos are full of great tips, inspirational stories and sound fundraising advice. Sign up for your free subscription.
Finding Your Funding Model
Article from the Stanford Innovation Review
Nonprofit leaders spend an enormous amount of time on fundraising, but many typically have little idea how to secure the money they will need over the next five years.
Association of Fundraising Professionals
AFP is an association of professionals throughout the world that advances philanthropy by enabling people and organizations to practice effective and ethical fundraising. Every month, AFP California Capital Chapter presents a monthly program, luncheon or audio conference.
Meeting: monthly luncheon