News/Blog

by Dee Dee Mozeleski
Senior Vice President of the Office of Institutional Advancement, Communications and External Relations, & Executive Director of the Foundation for City College

I am definitely one of the luckiest people I know. I say that with all of the humility that kind of opening sentence deserves. I moved to New York City in 1992 and the only people I knew were my then-husband, his family, and my soon-to-be best friend, my daughter who would arrive a few months after I did. I started working right away and was positive that I wanted to become a social worker. I spent my first four years working at a drug and alcohol treatment center and one day, a board member asked me to lunch to share with me that she thought I was missing out on testing out working in New York City. I’d spent my first few years living in The Bronx and commuting to Queens and hadn’t learned much in between. She offered to set me up on two interviews and if luck plays any role in life (and I think it does), I was about to get the luckiest break of all.

by Eric Pannese
Chief Product and Technology Officer, Classy
 

Introducing Classy's Intelligent Ask Amounts

With AI tools gaining traction in the for-profit sector, there’s growing interest in the potential for leveraging AI tools in the nonprofit space to advance fundraising and relationship-building with supporters.

While generative AI, such as ChatGPT, has garnered significant attention, other forms of AI, like machine learning, also present a substantial opportunity for fundraisers. They can facilitate personalized asks, predict donor behavior, and offer tailored fundraising strategies for each donor.

Meet Toni Levi, a new Board Member for the AFP NYC chapter and the Director of Development at the ICSC Foundation. There, she raises funds to build the next generation of talent in the retail real estate industry. Toni says, “What I love most about my work is connecting with people. It ultimately led me to pursue a career in fundraising.” Toni believes a career in fundraising is more rewarding than anything she could ever have imagined.

by Gary Weinberg, President
DM Pros

As the summer winds down and we approach the Giving Season, now is the critical time to review your fundraising plan.

Joshua Meyer, VP of Market Engagement for Bloomerang reports that, according to the Giving USA report on 2023, total charitable giving is up, but hasn’t kept up with inflation. Individual giving actually declined by 2.4% in current dollars.  

by Veronica Bainbridge
Fundraising Executive

It’s the height of summer, and – while I’m not sure there’s ever truly a slow season these days (looking at you, August deadlines!) – perhaps with donors and colleagues out of town, you’ll get a moment to take a step back from the daily churn and assess how your fundraising is positioned for success.

by Jason Ellinger
Co-Founder, Beard & Bowler Productions

Today, I'm going to be really honest with you all...

I've been seeing so many non-profits fumble millions of dollars by saying these 5 words:

“Please donate to our non-profit!”

Now, you may be reading this & thinking..."What's wrong with that?"

And honestly, you could argue nothing is 🤷🏾‍♂️

But my questions to you are:

Where's the impact?
Where's the urgency?
Where's the emotion?

No one is going to be able to connect or relate to that statement because really...

It could be seen as begging for donations 🤷🏾‍♂️

By David Langton
President, Langton Creative Group

The summer — when you’re not in the thick of things — is an opportunity to look at trends with clients and within the industry. It’s a time for more strategic conversations. For example, you can consider what it means to honor a Board member. How did you tap into their network? What can we learn from that? What does it take to get someone to open their Rolodex?

by Sonya Shields
Executive Director and President of Cause Effective

Bringing about real change takes time. And each time we take a couple of steps forward, there's pushback from the forces in society that don't want to give up their status and privilege.
But we have an obligation, to our kids and our grandkids, to keep pushing.
We've got to sustain our spirits, hope, and focus to make progress.   – Barack Obama

The racial reckoning in 2020 propelled nonprofit organizations to hire BIPOC leaders into CEO and Executive Director positions during a time of unprecedented turmoil in this country.  We all witnessed a paradigm shift in hiring BIPOC leaders and especially Black women, which finally acknowledged that we are a part of this country’s DNA and have contributed significantly to social movements and to building nonprofits.  Cause Effective was one of the organizations that made a commitment to hire a BIPOC person as the next Executive Director, and I assumed the role in July 2023.  But ascending to the leadership position and breaking the glass ceiling in the nonprofit sector for most BIPOC people came at a cost.  And once we are in the position, the ability to sustain and thrive is one of the biggest challenges in the nonprofit sector today. 

by Lynsie Slachetka
Founder & CEO, aJuxt Media Group

Social media is an effective and affordable tool that should be part of any professional fundraiser’s toolkit. According to one study, 32% of nonprofit donors are most inspired to give via social media, followed closely by email (30%), website (17%), print (15%), TV or radio ad (3%), phone call (2%), and text message (1%).

Meet Tay Hughes of The Trevor Project.

Tay Hughes (she/her) has supported initiatives to raise more than $12 million to elevate The Trevor Project's life-saving mission to end suicide amongst LGBTQIA+ young people. In her role as the Grants Manager she focuses on researching, stewarding, and cultivating a supportive community of institutional foundations and government entities. As a Black, lesbian fundraiser — an identity not often represented in her profession — Tay takes pride in the unique perspective and lived experience she lends to securing funds that uplift her community. “Working at an organization whose mission I can relate to and connect with, has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in my professional life span,” said Tay.