News/Blog

by David Munshine
President & CEO, The Munshine Group

We at The Munshine Group are already looking forward to Fundraising Day in New York 2025, while still taking inspiration from the interesting ideas and exchanges from FRDNY 2024, where we were Thought Leadership Sponsors of the June 14th event.

Chances are you know the saying to never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world.  Well, the more than 1,000 fundraising pros who turned out for FRDNY '24 were a pretty sizable group, and left us with no doubt that our shared field of philanthropy is changing the world!  People are at the heart of what we all do, and finding the best people to carry out our vital work is never easy – and for many organizations it is a growing challenge.  But, by listening, learning and sharing, there are answers to be found.

By Margaret Holman
President, Holman Consulting

In today’s competitive nonprofit landscape, organizations must be strategic and collaborative in their fundraising efforts. The partnership between the board, CEO and fundraising team is not just nice to have; it is essential for long-term success.

When these three entities work together as a unified front, the results can be transformative. This partnership allows your organization to leverage the unique strengths of each entity, creating a more comprehensive and effective strategy.

How do successful fundraising organizations achieve this? By establishing a collaborative and strategic partnership that includes the following three entities:

By Lynsie Slachetka, Founder & CEO
aJuxt Media Group

Did you attend the 2024 FRDNY conference? If you did, you likely saw or interacted with marketing or social media specifically targeting fundraising individuals in New York City who were likely to attend. For the past two years, aJuxt Media Group worked with AFP-NYC to ensure packed Fundraising Day NY Events and I’m here to tell you how we did it.

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?