Association of Fundraising Professionals

Seven in 10 nonprofits expect their donations to increase this year, after 2011 became the first year since the recession started that a majority of nonprofits reported a rise in the amount they raised.

Still, the recovery is uneven, according a report of 1,600 nonprofit. Thirty-one percent, mostly small organizations, said contributions dropped in 2011, and 41 percent said they did not meet their fundraising goals.

The study was conducted by the Nonprofit Research Collaborative, a coalition of nonprofits and fundraisers that report on the state of giving twice a year.

In November, 2011, Ipsos Reid, on behalf of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, conducted a Canadian survey on “What Donors Want.” The good news for the sector is that most Canadians consider charities to be important in filling a gap of needs not being addressed by the public and private sector. However, a challenge remains in communicating and educating donors about fund allocation. Many donors fail to make the connection between investing in administration and effective operations, despite having high standards for how charities operate.

Announcing the 2012 Fundraising Professionals of the Year Lifetime Achievement award winner: Geoff Peters, president and CEO of CDR Fundraising Group.

Charitable giving will grow slightly this year but charities still will need to work to raise more money. That was the prediction of Michael Walden, an economist at N.C. State University who spoke to an audience of 175 people on Jan. 30 at the fourth-annual Philanthropy Forecast sponsored by the Triangle chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Giving follows the economy, and the economy is starting to pick up after a deep plunge during the recession, Walden said.

Blackbaud announced that fundraising has returned to pre-recession levels. Through the first 11 months of 2011, overall giving is up 3.4 percent over 2010, and is now officially above the level of giving last seen in 2007.

Chuck Longfield, Blackbaud's chief scientist and creator of The Blackbaud Index, noted that while giving is up, the increase is not uniform across all sub-sectors. However, most nonprofits saw greater stability and predictability in their 2011 fundraising than in the past few years.

I have many blessings in my life. And if you know me at all, or are a regular reader of FundRaising Success, you know that I count among them the opportunity to work with some of the most selfless, dedicated, passionate people in the world — you, our readers, the fundraising professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes to help nonprofit organizations make the world a better, safer, saner, more beauiful place.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the Association of Fundraising Professionals' National Philanthropy Day in New York to honor some of the fundraising sector's best and brightest — including FundRaising Success' very own editor-in-chief, Margaret Battistelli.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has bestowed the Barbara Marion Award for Outstanding Leadership to AFP, the association’s highest volunteer and leadership recognition, to Susan Earl Hosbach, CFRE, of Nashville, Tenn. Hosbach is currently the executive director and CEO of The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation and has been a member of AFP since 1994, serving in a variety of leadership positions and spearheading several important initiatives for the association.

DMW Direct, a leading direct response advertising agency, today announced that effective January 1, 2012, Debbie Merlino will be appointed President of DMW Direct Fundraising — a division of the company which serves non-profit organizations nationwide in support of their fundraising and membership-building programs. Current President Tom Hurley will continue to play a key role, serving as a Senior Advisor to the business.

Blackbaud announced the release of the 2011 Global State of the Nonprofit Industry report, featuring survey results from 2200 international respondents covering nonprofit general operations, fundraising, technology and Internet usage, and impact reporting and board performance. The results were also released today at the International Fundraising Congress (IFC) in the Netherlands.

A key finding from the report is there is a growing sense of optimism in the global nonprofit sector regarding growth in staffing and earned and charitable income in 2012.