The donor pool is shrinking faster than a wool sweater in hot water. According to GivingUSA, two-thirds of households contributed to nonprofits 20 years ago. Today, less than half do—and individual giving as a percentage of disposable income has hit a 20-year low. It's like your potential donor pool decided to go on a crash diet just when you needed to ...

In research that would make statisticians weep into their spreadsheets, 400 advancement officers were given identical donor information and asked to determine appropriate ask amounts. The result? A variance wider than the Grand Canyon – from $50K to $3M for the EXACT SAME donor profile. That’s not fundraising science; that’s fundraising astrology. Let’s bring some science to this art before ...

There are three fundamental truths about philanthropic giving and today's tariff war. 1. People give from disposable income and assets and rarely to the point of affecting their lifestyle or financial security. 2. The tariffs outlined by President Trump yesterday will reduce everyone's disposable income. For small-dollar donors, this will likely substantially reduce their giving even more than the declining ...

Creating the case for support and launching a campaign are a heavy lift for most organizations. Now, campaign leaders must contend with the existential question from leaders and donors – will federal grant and budget cuts weaken your organization? Will your organization be able to fulfill its core mission-centric programs today and after the campaign is completed? Hospitals Take the ...

The role of government is being redesigned. It is comically safe to say the architects of this redesign do not know how our government works or what it does for Americans and people the world over. However, the chaos and redesign by a blunt instrument are nothing compared to what will likely happen when Congress needs to come up with ...

America’s nonprofit sector is facing an existential crisis. Appreciated stock contributions are at risk, federal funding is threatened, and a March government shutdown is not out of the question. This isn’t merely a downturn—it’s a constitutional crisis demanding radical adaptation. Success requires hard-nosed prioritization. Organizations must identify mission-critical programs and essential staff while considering previously unthinkable options, such as mergers, consolidations, ...