News/Blog

Fundraising Day in New York is right around the corner being held this year on Friday, June 22 at the New York Marriott Marquis.  This annual gathering of nearly 2,000 fundraisers, philanthropists, nonprofit leaders and service providers serves several purposes.  It’s the unofficial kick-off to summer.  It’s a great opportunity to connect with friends and former colleagues.  It is the place to pick up the latest tricks of the trade and trends while reinforcing best practices.  I’ll admit the first two purposes are what makes the event so much fun.  But I think what makes it so special is the opportunity to be reminded just how large our NYC community of fundraisers is.

Montgomery Alabama 1957, Martin Luther King Jr gave a speech in which he challenged those in attendance to ask themselves “What are you doing for others?”

Fast-forward 60 years; I think this generation's youth is rising to MLK Jr’s challenge. Despite popular sediment, this generation is not a generation of apathy, but instead of action and impact (just look at recent events).  So much so that 84% of young people consider it their duty to make the world a better place; and an overwhelming number, over 90%, of them want to make this impact by volunteering!

It’s June and that means Fundraising Day in New York is just around the corner. One session on my radar is Plan Now for a Successful Year-End Giving Campaign. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with one of the session speakers, John Mix. John is a Senior Director of Marketing at the Human Rights Watch and he kindly gave us a sneak peak of what’s to be expected in this highly anticipated session.

How to create an effective annual plan after a nonprofit develops a strategic plan? At Fundraising Day in New York, Jennifer Flowers, Founder and CEO, Accreditation Guru, Inc., will respond to this question at her session aptly titled: What’s the Plan?

Cecilia Clarke, President & CEO of Brooklyn Community Foundation, will be presenting at Fundraising Day in New York on a hot-button topic in philanthropy  – “The Double Bottom Line: Diversity, Inclusion and the Future of Grant Funding.”

VP of Development and Alumni Relations, Pace University

This is an exciting and interesting time for philanthropy professionals. Charitable giving is changing rapidly—donor decision making is becoming more sophisticated; new giving platforms are growing in number and use and retention rates are moving both up and down in wide bands.

VP of Development and Alumni Relations, Pace University

This is an exciting and interesting time for philanthropy professionals. Charitable giving is changing rapidly—donor decision making is becoming more sophisticated; new giving platforms are growing in number and use and retention rates are moving both up and down in wide bands.

It’s a sunny Friday afternoon and I’m at our designated meeting spot, a restaurant in midtown with a killer lunch special. I’m joined by a new friend with infectious passion and energy, Linlin Chen Reid. Linlin is a Research Manager at Weill Cornell Medicine. We’re here to discuss her upcoming presentation at Fundraising Day in New York on June 22, 2018. Titled Asia: A Continent in Perspective, the session is a part of the Prospect Research track and will discuss the overwhelming wealth in East and Southeast Asian countries, the tools used to identify that wealth and insights on how to evaluate it.

How Smart Is Your Organization?

In the last issue of Fundraising Matters, Chapter Secretary Jill Scibilia wrote a fantastic piece about who was the smartest person in the room.  I thought that I would build on that concept by asking who is the smartest nonprofit?

Mild-mannered Clark Kent famously pulled off his glasses, ripped open his shirt, and revealed his inner superhero, ready to save the day. Wouldn’t it be great if your donors felt inspired to do the same thing for your nonprofit?

While we may not want to encourage too much shirt-ripping, the notion that a donor can reveal their true commitment and make a big difference is heady stuff. And capital campaigns do just that: give donors an inspiring new way to demonstrate their support and make their own mark on your organization.