Nonprofit News

The Campbell & Company East Region team is pleased to announce the addition of a new Senior Consultant, based in the Boston area. Caitlin Bristow joined the team in May from Campbell & Company’s Chicago office.

Since joining the firm in 2014, Caitlin has worked with clients across regions and sectors. She has also developed deep expertise in higher education and independent school fundraising, exemplified by her work with the Fenn School in Concord, MA on a successful two-year, $20 million campaign.

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In an interview last month, our executive team discussed the fundraising trends they will be watching in the year ahead. To keep the conversation going, we asked our vice presidents to share their 2021 fundraising priorities and what’s top of mind for their clients.

Keep reading for their reflections on major giving, multi-year planning, and more.

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After an unprecedented and unpredictable 2020, what’s in store for 2021? Our executive team came together to share their reflections, forecasts, and advice for the coming year.

Read on for Peter, Julia, and Kate’s perspective on the effects of the pandemic, the racial justice movement, the economic downturn, and more.

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2020 brought more changes to the nonprofit hiring and talent management landscape than any other year in recent history. What can we expect in 2021? We spoke with three of our Executive Search team members to learn what they are watching as we move forward.

Keep reading for our conversation with Kris, Marian, and Dan. We discussed the future of remote work, how racial justice has influenced nonprofit hiring, what skills will be in demand in 2021, and more.

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At the start of each year, we sit down with our Executive Search team to talk trends in nonprofit hiring and talent management. What’s in store for 2020? Our team members Kris McFeely, Marian DeBerry, and Dan Nevez weighed in.

Keep reading to explore what developments they’re watching, from in-demand skills to recession concerns, high fundraiser turnover to a focus on equity.

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After closing out one decade and moving into the next, the Campbell & Company executive team came together to discuss fundraising trends facing the nonprofit sector moving forward.

From recession worries to fundraising ethics to broad-based giving, Peter, Julia, and Kate commented on the challenges, opportunities, and new developments that have their attention. Read on for their insights and recommendations.

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2018 was a year of mixed results for charitable giving, influenced by a strong economy, a volatile fourth quarter for the stock market, significant tax law changes, and a complicated policy environment. How did this complex landscape impact organizations in communities across the country?

We unpacked the Giving USA 2019 report’s nuanced results in four in-person events—in Chicago, Cleveland, DC, and Milwaukee—and two webinars throughout the month of June. In all, over 1,000 nonprofit professionals attended our events and 23 speakers weighed in on the data and discussed prevailing trends.

Read on for five key themes that emerged during our National and Northwest webinars, as well as our in-person events.

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Donor-advised funds. Fundraisers across the nonprofit sector see enormous opportunity in this increasingly popular giving vehicle, but many don't feel confident in their knowledge of DAFs.

In recent months, we shared introductory information on donor-advised funds, we advised on how to engage DAF holders, and we hosted a webinar to explore the latest trends in donor-advised funds. 

During that webinar, our panelists received many insightful questions from the over 250 fundraising and nonprofit professionals in attendance. Our team compiled the most common questions and shared quick answers to help fundraisers understand DAFs and incorporate them into development strategies. 

Download donor-advised fund FAQs.

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The specter of tax reform has been looming over development programs since the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017, but has it made an impact so far?

There’s been plenty of speculation about how these tax changes—especially nearly doubling the standard deduction—may have affected giving in 2018, and the national nonprofit community is deeply concerned. “In the face of diminishing broad-based giving, it’s even more important to monitor how tax reform is impacting the average donor choosing to make a gift,” noted President and CEO Peter Fissinger of Campbell & Company.

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In the rapidly-changing world of online fundraising, you should never underestimate the power of an email. According to the M+R Benchmarks 2018 Study, email accounted for 28% of online revenue in 2017, with nonprofits raising an average of $42 for every 1,000 fundraising messages sent.

Email still matters—but it’s getting more and more important to craft those messages strategically. The same study reported that response rate to fundraising emails declined by 6% in 2017. Following the same formula and crossing your fingers for better results won’t cut it.

So how can you start refining your fundraising emails? Through A/B testing.

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