Philanthropy has become an increasingly important tool for individuals to drive change and express their values, with Millennial and Gen Z donors particularly engaged in addressing issues of systemic inequality and social justice. While a small number of funders...
Donors
Are Donors Prioritizing Themselves or the Organizations to Which They Donate?
In a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy piece, one of the donors interviewed suggests that, “When fundraisers approach donors with the idea that they’re going to help the donor do what the donor wants to do, that’s what works.” I must admit to shaking my head as I read...
Is the Glitter Gone?
In 1929, in the grip of a global depression, Americans flocked to theaters to escape the harshness of their lives and catch a momentary peek at the glittering one percent doing well. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s bleak outlook on the concept, “Let me tell you about the very...
Declining Giving Rates Should Catalyze the Philanthropic and Nonprofit Sectors
The American tradition of philanthropic giving should not be taken for granted, in part because it may well be in real jeopardy. “What’s the problem?,” you might ask. After all, charitable giving reached an all-time high in 2020 – some $471.4 billion given, according...
New Data Reveals A More Positive Outlook for Some, But Not All, Nonprofits
When CEP released a report last June about the state of nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic, prospects looked bleak. Nonprofit leaders from our Grantee Voice panel revealed that the pandemic was devastating their organizations as well as the people and communities...
Stretching Dollars without Straining Donors: The Case for Revolving Funds
Nonprofits large and small must strategically marshal resources to ensure that they have staff, resources and capacity to accomplish their goals. Such challenges are magnified when nonprofits take on systems change work where powerful opponents are arrayed against...
What does giving done right mean to you?
On this Giving Tuesday, as I think about how I can be a better donor in the closing month of a year that’s been challenging unlike any other, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what I learned from the inspirational guests my co-host Phil Buchanan and I interviewed this...
Introducing a New Podcast from CEP: Giving Done Right
Listen now to the season one trailer. Few topics get more personal than figuring out the why, how, and how much of charitable giving. A few years ago, when my husband, Tim, and I sat down to flesh out our giving priorities as a couple, it was an eye-opening experience...
The Continued Need for Vastly Stepped-Up Giving — and the Role of DAFs
On Upbeat Assessments of Giving, Comparisons to the Past, and the Realities of the Current Moment As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the challenges for nonprofits — especially those working with the hardest hit — will only intensify. This seems obvious. But recently...
This #GivingTuesday, Consider What Makes an Effective Giver
As you consider your charitable donations this #GivingTuesday — and throughout the rest of the end-of-year giving season — it’s important to think about how you can make the most of your giving as you seek to affect change in communities and on topics you care about....