Nonprofit News

According to Giving USA 2019: The Annual Report on Philanthropy, charitable giving in the United States reached $427.71 billion in 2018. This represents a slight increase of 0.7 percent in current dollars and a decline of 1.7 percent when adjusted for inflation. Following four years of steady growth in giving, these mixed results for 2018 reflect a complex giving environment, influenced by economic conditions, public policy, and significant tax law changes.

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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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Studies in philanthropy often focus on the strong fundraising presence of baby boomers as well as the increasing importance of appealing to the millennial generation as a part of your development strategy. However, something that gets less attention in the philanthropic landscape and in the media is the role of Generation X, those born in the early-to-mid 1960s to the early 1980s.

As Gen X philanthropists come into their own—and we celebrate the 25^th anniversary of their era-defining film “Reality Bites”—2019 is the perfect time to give this often-overlooked generation the attention it deserves.

We’ve outlined some thoughts on the matter below, but we also want to hear from you! Drop us a note in the comments section and let us know your impression of what’s working (or not working) as you think about reaching Gen X.

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What’s on the horizon in 2019 for philanthropy and the nonprofit sector? We took a moment to discuss emerging trends with our executive team as the year gets going.   

Peter, Julia, and Kate shared their insights and predictions on tax reform, broad-based giving, online fundraising, and beyond. Read on for their perspective and advice for the year ahead.  

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As nonprofit fundraisers look at the year ahead, it’s clear that rapid changes in technology show no signs of slowing. As technology moves forward, your donors’ expectations for their online giving experiences and their behavior online change too.

While nobody can fully predict where online fundraising is going, it’s likely that these four noteworthy online fundraising trends will shape the success of your operation this year. I’d love to hear what other online trends you’re seeing. Drop a note below or send an email to me at sarah.barnes@campbellcompany.

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As 2019 continues to unfold, what external forces and organizational priorities are likely to impact nonprofit hiring and talent management?

We sat down with three of our Executive Search team members to discuss trends and topics that deserve attention from nonprofit leaders and board members, including emotional intelligence, the tight labor market, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Read on for our interview with Kris, Marian, and Dan for insights and advice to guide you in the year ahead.

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According to the M+R 2018 Benchmarks Study, total online revenue for nonprofits grew by 23 percent in 2017. With online giving becoming increasingly essential to nonprofits’ fundraising models, every organization will need to make sure giving online is easy and fast.

In my work with nonprofits, I typically see three critical yet simple tactics that can boost giving. As you read through these, feel free to email me with any questions at sarah.barnes@campbellcompany.com or weigh in below in the comments section.

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In my post, Three Critical (and Simple) Tactics for Boosting Your Online Fundraising, I talk about simplifying the path from clicking on your website or email to making a donation. For this blog, I want to dig in a bit more on a subject that I think makes a big difference in optimizing your email fundraising efforts AND one that I love talking about: calls to action.

CTAs are those buttons or graphics that grab donors’ attention, getting them to focus on what you want them to do. Whether you’re trying to get donations, volunteers, or signatures on a petition, call to action buttons are the number one driver of click-throughs on your emails, website, and other marketing materials, according to Campaign Monitor.

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In 2017, charitable giving in the United States reached a new milestone, surpassing $400 billion for the first time and recording the highest inflation-adjusted level ever. Responding to a growing economy, Americans contributed $410.02 billion to organizations across the nonprofit sector, according to Giving USA 2018: The Annual Report on Philanthropy.

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2017 was a tumultuous 12 months, full of highs and lows for the nonprofit sector—both nationally and regionally. How are organizations in the Eastern United States coping with the change and uncertainty the past year wrought, and what are they expecting 2018 to bring?

To complement our East team’s 2018 fundraising outlook published in December, we gathered perspective from individual voices in the area. We spoke with four nonprofit leaders to understand what trends are affecting their organizations and how they plan to respond in 2018.

Read on for their most salient insights and advice for the coming year.

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