NonProfit Pro

A big part of life—as we know from our profession—is continually giving and continually learning. Continue to associate with great folks and be part of a cause larger than yourself. Don't make leading or giving a "season of life." Make it a lifelong habit and commitment.

More tweets from the 2015 Association of Fundraising Professionals International Fundraising Conference (#AFPICON).

(Press release, April 1, 2015) — The Blackbaud Index today reported that overall charitable giving to nonprofits increased 3.5 percent and online giving increased 9.9 percent for the three months ending February 2015 as compared to the same period in 2013-2014.

People on the move in the nonprofit world for April 2015.

It's that time of year again … time to honor the best and brightest in the nonprofit sector. So get your submissions in today for the NonProfit PRO Nonprofit Professionals of the Year Awards. The deadline is April 17—just two weeks away!

In order to take a look at the current fundraising landscape, nonprofit software provider Blackbaud recently released its latest study, Diversity in Giving: The Changing Landscape of American Philanthropy. The study, conducted in October 2014, surveyed 1,096 U.S. adults who say they have donated to a nonprofit in the past 12 months. What it found is that "nearly three-fourths of donors today are non-Hispanic whites, despite the fact that whites make up only 64 percent of the population. Conversely the study finds that both African-Americans and Hispanics are under-represented in the donor universe. Asian donor participation appears congruent with the Asian population size."

How are you sharing your stories? Through words, through photographs, through video? Think about the stories that inspire your donors and how you can share them more effectively.

The nonprofit world is rife with educational and networking opportunities. And with our industry growing and changing so much, at such incredible speed, how can one keep up? When planning our events this year, our short list to work around was 36 events. Thirty-six! And those were only the easily identifiable ones from less than a handful of major associations.

There are lots and lots of very good, very worthy nonprofit organizations out there. But how many truly "great" charities are there? You know, nonprofits that run efficient programs, maximize fundraising and operate as a unified, holistic organization?

Any nonprofit organization that is launching a capital campaign needs clear policies about how it will recognize donors and what it will do if donors fail to pay pledges, says the head of the national association for Canada’s philanthropic sector.

“It’s incumbent on organizations before they embark on this kind of hugely visible campaign to have done their homework,” said Bruce MacDonald, chief executive officer of Imagine Canada, which acts as a service organization and advocate for charities.