Donor Demographics

Influencer relationships are still often an area of untapped opportunity for nonprofits and even for many commercial side brands. And it’s not because influencer marketing hasn’t been explored; in fact, in a lot of instances, the influencer space has become somewhat over-commoditized and so crowded with noise that it becomes challenging to differentiate the truly authentic partnerships...

Some New York fundraisers are bracing for donor fatigue after a historic run of hurricanes recently that put unprecedented strain on Americans' charitable giving. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma slammed Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico in the span of two weeks, leaving thousands homeless and prompting donors in New York and nationally to dig into their…

It’s amazing to Richard and me how nonprofits—that do such great things with the programs and projects they have making the world a better place—have a total disregard for their major donors. One example of this was a story I heard from someone who quit her position as an major gift officer several years ago...

Because I work for a disaster relief agency that also provides a variety of other important daily services, I am always interested in studying why certain donors only give for disaster relief. On a small sample, I noticed that more than 4,000 of our donors gave for the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005, but did not give in subsequent years...

Because I work for a disaster relief agency that also provides a variety of other important daily services, I am always interested in studying why certain donors only give for disaster relief. On a small sample, I noticed that more than 4,000 of our donors gave for the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005, but […]

Earlier this year, the Indiana School of Philanthropy predicted charitable giving would rise 3.6 percent in 2017. Based on the volume of individual contributions received during the first half of the year, it appears as if the industry is on pace to meet those projections...

Major philanthropic gifts by Chinese Americans have surged nearly fivefold to almost $500 million in recent years, with most of the money going to higher education, a new study has found. Philanthropy by donors in China also soared as the nation’s roaring economy produced more billionaires than in the U.S. and helped fuel a 430…

First of all, let me add my thoughts and prayers to those who lost their home and everything else after Hurricane Harvey. And I know we’re not out of the woods yet, with other storms coming near. Fortunately, there are many wonderful experienced organizations on the ground to help the victims. And, of course, fundraising activities have ramped up. People are literally walking in the door with donations...

If you have followed my blog posts through the years, you will quickly realize that I am a very proud West Virginian. I love my home state and city of Charleston. While my head rests in Indiana, my heart rests in West Virginia. The people do not have a great deal to give, but will gladly give the shirt off their back to those in need...

Who are my donors, and how have they engaged in the past? Most will answer this question in one of two ways. First, by quoting recency, frequency, monetary segments, complete with highest previous contribution and timing of the most recent gift. Second, by describing donor demographics/wealth with off-the-shelf segments or with their homegrown analysis...