Research is revealing a not-so-attractive side to Giving Tuesday, one which could turn this innovative fundraiser into just another ask at the end of a long year of solicitations: http://www.burksblog.com/burk-donor-survey/is-giving-tuesday-helping-or-hurting-fundraising-1052/?utm_source=Campaigner&utm_campaign=Thursday_December_7_2017_-_1&cmp=1&utm_medium=email
Mindshare
Mindshare describes the level of awareness that your nonprofit has in people’s minds. It’s less about what people think about your nonprofit and more about how much they think of you. If they aren’t thinking about you much, you lack mindshare, and that’s bad for fundraising and advocacy:...
Foundations Step Up & Join the Resistance
In PA, one files an amicus brief in a state gerrymandering case; in CA, funders develop a rapid-response ethos & inject more than $40 million in emergency support to DACA nonprofits: https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/pittsburgh-foundation-files-amicus-brief-in-state-gerrymandering-case...
Debunking Conventional Wisdom
Will the new tax act reduce charitable contributions? The answer is not a definite “Yes.” Instead, “It depends.” For some, the impact will be positive, but for others negative; two contrarian views: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-2018-tax-law-increases-charitable-giving-russell/ What Tax Reform Means for Charity: more Money, Money,...
Local Politics
Why it’s important for community-based nonprofits that receive grants & contracts from local government to be fully engaged with local politics—the City of San Antonio is rethinking the way it funds local charities in the wake of a couple of scandals: http://tpr.org/post/city-review-funding-agreement-process-nonprofit-agencies
Two Tools to Help You Advocate
Two helpful public policy and advocacy downloads for nonprofit leaders—how changes in federal law and regulations will impact you this year, and how to track pending legislation in whatever state you are in:...
A Money Quote
“Millions of middle-class donors will be effectively shut out from claiming any charitable deduction under the new tax law . . . [while] the wealthy will get a still larger share of the tax benefit, even when sacrificing a smaller share of their income:” ...
It’s Not Lobbying
So What is the Technical Advice Exception? It means your nonprofit’s representatives can provide technical advice, assistance or testimony to a governmental body, committee, or agency in response to a written request, and it’s NOT lobbying: https://bolderadvocacy.org/blog/technical-advice-exception
For Folks Not Used to Traditional Fundraising
How to start a development program in a small nonprofit & and an unconventional approach to fundraising at a successful nonprofit news site: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-major-gift-fundraising-program-even-your-cabral-ma-cfre/ How the Texas Tribune is enlisting the newsroom to grow membership...
Juicing Up Philanthropy
Fundraising and nonprofit leaders plan to meet in February to come up with a plan for a national push to increase giving past the stagnant 2% of Gross Domestic Product; meanwhile, year-end online giving spiked in 2017: Fundraisers, Influencers Plan Summit To Move Giving Needle...
Getting Your Board on Board
There are strategies you can use to infuse some energy and enthusiasm into your nonprofit’s board members, and actually get their help with fundraising; this works for engaging them in advocacy, too: https://www.gailperry.com/how-to-engage-board-members-in-major-gift-fundraising/?inf_contact_key=61f3c4078bfe3536949fa1e859e2b4da0b40f308549e69783e518dff660fd955
A New Way to Fund Advocacy
A mix of union dues collection, workplace solicitation and rage fundraising has cropped up in NYC, where workers can request that money be taken out of their paychecks and donated to nonprofits that advocate for them: ...