Nonprofit News

For nonprofit organizations, the decision to embark on a comprehensive campaign can be one of the most significant they will ever make. The magnitude of a campaign raises important questions, such as “who will lead the campaign?” or “are we using our database wisely?”

A campaign also calls forth well-founded worries, such as the perception that the annual fund will suffer. Since the most common early donors to a campaign are those who already make annual gifts, Campbell & Company decided to explore the conventional wisdom that campaigns cannibalize annual giving.

Scarce resources for Alaska’s nonprofits. A booming retirement age population in Idaho. A shaky economy in Montana following a year of dramatic growth. Oregonians embracing donor-advised funds. Tech professionals flocking to Washington.

The five states that make up the Northwest each face distinct philanthropic challenges and opportunities. While several major studies are published on U.S. giving each year, regional data is traditionally less accessible. To address this gap and help Northwest nonprofits adapt to the philanthropic landscape in which they operate, we created “Unique Northwest: Distinct Giving Trends and Strategies for Five Distinct States.”

Although it’s technically still summer, #GivingTuesday is fast approaching—mark your calendars for November 28, 2017!

Since its inception in 2012, we have seen exponential growth in the popularity and visibility of #GivingTuesday. Now a global movement engaging thousands of organizations worldwide, it’s a day when charities, families, businesses, community centers, and individuals around the world will come together for a common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give to their favorite causes.

Economic and cultural globalization has made American philanthropy an undeniably international affair. Nowhere is this more visible than in academic institutions, where the continued exponential  growth of international student enrollment from countries like China, India, Hong Kong, South Korea, and many others has changed educational culture and the fundraising environment that supports it.

In my experience with senior and C-suite level executive search, I have had the opportunity to look at various ways organizations aim to attract and retain talent. In an increasingly competitive market for fundraising talent, organizations have implemented performance incentive programs – which provide ways to increase pay beyond base salary – to boost their compensation packages. The questions often asked of me, however, is whether incentive programs are ethical or effective, and if so, how do they work. After conducting informal research, which consisted of asking peer nonprofit leaders for their thoughts on the topic, it became clear that there was an opportunity to further explore this area and understand more about how these reward programs work.   Particularly, healthcare institutions have found that performance incentive programs do encourage fundraising staff to meet goals.

For years, nonprofit organizations have motivated high-capacity donors to make leadership gifts by leveraging physical spaces or prestigious endowed positions as naming opportunities, especially during capital and/or endowment campaigns. Historically, these naming rights have been offered in perpetuity, with the legacy of a one-time gift often outlasting a supporter’s relationship to an organization – or outlasting the useful purpose of a space or building altogether.