Nonprofit News

Access the latest news in the nonprofit sector.

Caitlin Bristow

Caitlin Bristow is a Senior Consultant at Campbell & Company. A leader of our Higher Education practice and alumni engagement work, she partners with nonprofits across sectors to help them build philanthropic support and deepen donor relationships.

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How do I build relationships with alumni? Every higher education institution is grappling with this question, from the largest public universities to the smallest liberal arts colleges.

Campbell & Company addressed this challenge in the 2018 study, “Alumni Engagement: Best Practices for Building Long-Term Relationships,” and our team continues to focus on creative solutions to the alumni engagement question. While there are no silver bullets, applying best practices from online fundraising to your alumni engagement efforts can help move the needle.

Download our strategy sheet to engage alumni online.

Campbell & Company Research Findings, Higher Education, online fundraising

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Head of School transitions can happen for any number of reasons—from retirement to a new opportunity arising. Planned or unplanned, the transition presents both an opportunity and a challenge for independent school communities. Whether an internal candidate is becoming the new Head or an outside candidate is taking over the role, you need to create a sound plan to ensure a smooth onboarding for the new leader.

Independent Schools, Fundraising Tips, Fundraising, Midwest Region, Blog

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Alumni engagement is a perennial concern among higher education advancement professionals—and for good reason: a strong program can not only sustain your institution's annual fund over the long term, it can also help build your major donor pipeline and provide your school with some of its most effective volunteers.

Although institutions of every stripe would stand to benefit from engaging their alumni more effectively, the challenges of building support among alumni are of particular relevance to small and mid-size liberal arts colleges. These institutions’ strengths and weaknesses present them with a unique set of opportunities and challenges.

Download the report and proprietary maturity model.

Higher Education News, Fundraising Tips, Campbell & Company Research Findings, Fundraising, Midwest Region

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Co-authored by Vice President Adam Wilhelm

Congress passed a major tax reform bill on Wednesday, December 20th—including many provisions that could impact nonprofit organizations. Nonpartisan analysts have projected that the bill may cause charitable giving to drop by as much as $20 billion in 2018.[1]

As the sector regroups, what high-level information do all leaders need to understand, and how can fundraisers prepare for the weeks ahead? To help organizations plan their next course of action, Campbell & Company put together a primer on the standard deduction and estate tax changes, along with key recommendations for development staff.

Nonprofit News, Fundraising Tips, Fundraising

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On Friday, December 18, 2015, President Obama signed the Permanent IRA rollover into law. H.R. 2029 retroactively reinstates the IRA Charitable Rollover provision originally enacted into law in 2006. The Charitable Rollover provision gives donors age 70 ½ and older the opportunity to transfer up to $100,000 from their IRA to a qualified public charity free of federal income tax.

Nonprofit Trends, Marketing

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Chicago, IL (December 1, 2015) – Today marks the fourth annual #GivingTuesday event and we are eager to see this year’s participation continue to grow exponentially. Nonprofits across the globe have been sharing their stories and promoting their cause through various social media platforms resulting in more support leading up to #GivingTuesday. This year at Campbell & Company we shared our #GivingTuesday tips and tricks through our toolkit, webinar, and blog. It has been a pleasure assisting our nonprofit partners make the most of #GivingTuesday over the past few months and we are looking forward to hearing the results of these efforts.

Nonprofit Trends, Marketing

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GivingTuesday is fast approaching and excitement around the day is growing. Plans are being executed, tweets are being posted, and gifts may have already started to arrive as a result of your efforts. If this describes your #GivingTuesday campaign then you are likely on your way to success. However, the reality of day to day demands and expectations of your other fundraising programs can get in the way of a fully executed plan, so if you are struggling to gain momentum these last few weeks before December 1st, here are some quick tips to jump start your progress: 

Nonprofit Trends, Fundraising Tips, Marketing

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In 7 Benefits to Starting a Planned Giving Program, we learned how planned gifts can benefit an organization. However, when approaching individuals for a planned gift, it is important to understand and then explain to a potential donor how a planned gift can benefit him or her as well as the organization. Planned gifts can come in many different forms and they each have their own nuances, but below are a few key donor benefits to giving a planned gift.

Fundraising Tips, Planned Giving