Category Archives: Philanthropy Trends
Accidental Stewards
Are we accidental stewards? Even worse, are we careless stewards, realizing – only as it comes time to reenlist the support of a current contributor – that they haven’t heard from us in over a year? Or, are we deliberately, planfully, and thoroughly demonstrating responsible stewardship to our generous donors? Many well-intentioned development officers do [...]
Go Easy On The Cheap Champagne
At a recent Pride Philanthropy leadership conference, Senior Partner Jim Lyons made use of citrus, cherry tomatoes, red beans, rice, sand, and cheap champagne to illustrate the relative importance of fundraising activities. In his variation on the “put the big things in first” illustration, the bad bubbly represented special events, which “seemed like a good [...]
T’was The Season!
Turns out 2012 year-end online giving was strong, posting a 16.7% increase in dollars, and an 8.1% in number of gifts over the final quarter of 2011. The welcome holiday results follow a lackluster summer. The Network for Good data plots Monday as the biggest single day, and again shows midday as the busiest time.
There’s No Place Like Home
It turns out that Dorothy was right, all along, when she told the Wizard of Oz, “if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard.” According to a new study from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, there really is no place like home, [...]
Charities Report Positive Outlook
According to a new report from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative, more than 70% of U.S. charitable organizations expect donations to rise in 2013. The positive outlook follows a year in which 58% of not-for-profits reported an increase. The study was co-sponsored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. AFP President Andrew Watt – who will keynote [...]
Part 3 of 3: Story Telling In Philanthropy
The third in a three-part series by Larry Warkoczeski Tools for Story Crafters One very effective tool to use in crafting a story is provided by Chip and Dan Heath in their book, Made to Stick. Based on extensive research, they have found that ideas or concepts stick where they fit six principles (SUCCESs). 1. [...]
Part 2 of 3: Story Telling In Philanthropy
The second in a three-part series by Larry Warkoczeski What is Story? One of the most succinct definitions of story is offered by the author, Robert McKee, who says “story is a living proof of an idea, the conversion of idea to action.” Storytelling is also defined by McKee as the “creative demonstration of truth.” [...]
Part 1 of 3: Story Telling In Philanthropy
First of a three-part series by Larry Warkoczeski As Peter crawled into the dark, dank cave, he breathed deeply. He felt like he was carrying a ton of bricks on his shoulders. In fact, he was anticipating another failure, finding no hidden treasures to help better define the past. He knew he was perceived as [...]
Engaging The C-Suite In Development: How The Senior Management Team Can Support Fundraising
As published in the Georgia Association of Healthcare Executive’s Winter Newsletter: Before we talk about fundraising, let’s consider return on investment. What is your ROI in Cardiology? Oncology Services? How about the ED, Orthopedics, or Pediatrics? What is your return on healthcare marketing? According to the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy’s Performance Benchmarks, the national median [...]
Online Engagement
The Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report uncovered significant growth in Facebook and Twitter communities, and a corresponding increase in budget and staff allocations. The study projected the average cost of a Facebook like at $3.50 and a Twitter follower at $2.05; and went on to speculate that a Facebook “like” is worth $214.81 over the [...]
