April 28, 2020 A Prescription of Joy for Sick Children Takes Flight by Building a Diverse Funding Stream April 28, 2020/ Sydney Petty The Children’s Cancer Association has raised tens of millions through a fundraising effort that’s cultivated multiple revenue paths. Its success offers a case study of how to mobilize resources for health work that evokes powerful emotions.Read More
January 09, 2020 Raising Money for a Clean Water Future January 09, 2020/ Sydney Petty With pollution growing, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has been fighting an uphill battle for years. But loyal donors and diversified revenue sources have made it a fundraising powerhouse. We look inside its development operation. Read More
December 19, 2019 A Legendary Development Leader Dishes on How She Directed a Fundraising "Miracle" December 19, 2019/ Sydney Petty She helped raise the billions of dollars that brought New York University from the brink of financial disaster to high-profile success. Now, in a new book, Naomi B. Levine offers 16 simple rules for bringing in the big bucks. Read More
November 01, 2019 Behind a University’s Fundraising Breakthroughs, Stories of Donor Loyalty November 01, 2019/ Sydney Petty Indiana University has long been a superstar when it comes to exciting its alumni and landing gifts. Now, two key figures who helped build that track record are out with a book that explores the motivations of standout donors to the school.Read More
August 29, 2019 "Freeing Minds.” A Closer Look at St. John's Bid to Cut Tuition—and Why Donors Are All In August 29, 2019/ Sydney Petty Starting this year, St. John’s College is lowering tuition dramatically. The move is part of a carefully orchestrated campaign to buck prevailing trends and is made possible by some donors with deep pockets. Here’s the inside story. Read More
August 06, 2019 New Study Finds Minimal Tax Reform Impact And Offers Fundraising Guidance August 06, 2019/ Sydney Petty Despite dire predictions that charitable giving would drop when tax reforms took effect last year, giving was actually quite healthy in 2018, according to a new study that also offers a range of insights about how nonprofits can reel in donations. Read More
July 23, 2019 When Fundraisers and Marketers Get Together, This is the Kind of Stuff They Talk About July 23, 2019/ Sydney Petty A top annual conference that brings together fundraisers and marketers offers a glimpse of new strategies and ideas for raising more money—including drawing on neurological research to prime donors to write larger checks. Read More
July 22, 2019 Out of Prospects? These Tax Credits Might Raise Millions of Dollars for Your Project July 22, 2019/ Sydney Petty A small but growing group of charities has been able to raise millions of dollars apiece using little-known federal tax credits that have been around for nearly 20 years. Here’s a look at a promising funding source that more nonprofits should know about. Read More
May 14, 2019 Giving by Women’s Funds Has Soared. And They’re Getting More Savvy and Strategic May 14, 2019/ Sydney Petty A new study of more than 200 U.S. women’s foundations and funds shows this ecosystem hasn’t just been growing, it’s also becoming more inclusive and getting better at collaborating and using research to drive grantmaking. Read More
May 02, 2019 Avoid These Grant-Seeking Mistakes: Advice From Foundations and Seasoned Proposal Writers May 02, 2019/ Sydney Petty Program officers and fundraising consultants see a lot of really bad proposals. So we asked some of them to candidly identify the most common blunders that ensure a grant request is dead on arrival at a foundation. Read More
April 15, 2019 Making a Will and Checking It Twice: Advice For Donors and Others April 15, 2019/ Sydney Petty A new book on wills, “Becoming One of the Grateful Dead,” explores issues around planned giving and bequests, but also the complex and often fraught family dynamics that can surround charitable donations. Read More
March 21, 2019 Power of the Purse: Report Finds Women Lead in Giving and Deserve More Focus in Fundraising March 21, 2019/ Sydney Petty The latest research on women and philanthropy from the Lilly School suggests that women of all races take a lead role in prompting charitable giving and fundraisers who ignore them do so at their peril. We dig into these important findings. Read More
February 04, 2019 “Joy Budget.” How This Company Expanded its Giving to Build Employee Power February 04, 2019/ Sydney Petty Tito’s Homemade Vodka now calls itself a charity company that “just happens to sell vodka on the side.” Its expanded philanthropy pays keen attention to improving employee satisfaction, productivity, and—of course—the bottom line.Read More