Stewarding Our Donors – Communication by Another Name!

Penelope Burk has released some preliminary information from the fourth annual Cygnus Donor Survey. The last survey question is always a doozy – What could unleash your philanthropy at a whole new level? And wouldn’t we all like the answer to THAT one!

#Givetober is Upon Us! by Zealous Good

Contributed post from Zealous Good about HelpAttack and Givetober. HelpAttack!, one of the most wonderfully named social enterprises around, is the magic in the middle of social campaigns that raise money and awareness for a colorful medley of causes across the country. They offer an easy way to help people turn “their social actions into social good”

Giving USA 2011 Report – How will you use it?

Fundraising professionals and some savvy donors know this report is published every June and adjusted in October. This year the report has received much press coverage from front page to page 2 in newspapers nationwide. Our donors and volunteers are reading about this report RIGHT NOW!

I know the statistical analysis is filling the blogs and news. While the statistics, look backs and information are interesting – it is how you use the information that really makes it a useful cultivation and solicitation tool. Here are some ideas…

How the Recession has Changed Us

Interesting graphics on how we are spending time and money in our new economy. Let’s see how they may or may not impact our ability to fundraise.

2010 Holiday Giving Survey – Most Charitable Time of the Year!

Edge Research conducted a national survey of more than 1,100 holiday donors from a census-representative population of adults for Convio from October 20, 2010 to November 8, 2010. The results are encouraging. Americans, by and large, are seemingly willing to put aside today’s economic challenges to support nonprofits and the beneficial work they do in our society.

Nonprofit Research

In the past decade, the nonprofit sector has looked inward and outward to determine best practices, survey our donors, volunteers, staff, Board and community members. The result is a plethora of research we can use to help us set priorities, focus our work and inform, engage and educate our friends, followers and leaders. A link to recent research is available in this post.

The Sharpe Group Whitepaper 2010 Tax Law Changes – Impact on Giving

Thanks to The Sharpe Group, nonprofit development executives, volunteers and donors have a clearer picture of what the 2010 tax laws mean to charitable giving. Highlights from the whitepaper and link to the report are included here.

Giving USA Report: Charitable Giving and the Millennial Generation

A new report published by Giving USA Foundation and researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University highlights the differences – and challenges – in reaching “Millennial” donors – adults born since 1981.

New Study: Consumers Demand Companies Implement CSR Programs

Would you leave your job if your company did things contrary to your values? Do consumers really expect companies to do CSR initiatives? How does an “average” company become considered a “good” company? Moreover, how does a “good” company get to be considered a leader in sustainability?

These are some of the questions answered in my company’s two public opinion surveys that were published today. We created two reports, one that focuses on consumer behavior, attitudes and awareness about cause marketing and another on consumer and employee perspectives on CSR issues. Here are some of the highlights:

What Can We Learn from High Net Worth Individuals?

To continue from my post last week on high net worth individuals, I was pleased to read the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch “The 2010 Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy”. This study helps inform the fundraising strategies and priorities for nonprofit organizations. If your fundraising pyramid has a big gap in the middle with a few very generous donors at the top (individuals, corporate or foundation), and many donors at the bottom, this report can convince you of the importance of engaging and involving your donors so they want to move up the pyramid.