Unusual times call for unusual solutions. This year many folks will not be able to gather in person with friends and family for the holidays. It feels sad. Rather than mourning this loss, how about turning the tables and giving your holiday a little something special with new holiday fundraising [...]
A confluence of a global pandemic, growing social unrest and a totally bifurcated economy is testing the capacity and potential of American philanthropy as never before. The stark reality is that already huge gaps between the haves (primarily the affluent and those who can adapt seamlessly to the contact-free economy) [...]
Black Gives Back. According to a study by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, black people give 25% more of their income than their white counterparts. We are, hands down, the largest group of givers in our country… and yet, we don’t see recognition in the media. Rather than realizing how generous [...]
Not long ago, I presented a webinar for Bloomerang on Organizational Planning in Times of Uncertainty. One of the questions that came up was how to meet, receive and be present for the challenging moment that we’re in: In our turbulent time, so many leaders, friends and colleagues are struggling [...]
The recent Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix has sparked the debate on the dark side of social media. And it's true, social media can have damaging effects on how we see ourselves and the decisions we make, but it can also be a tool for connection and change. I have [...]
The use of Donor Advised Funds as a means for individuals to make philanthropic gifts continues to rise and grants from DAFs are becoming a growing source of contribution income for charities of all sizes and shapes. An ever-broader group of Americans are embracing them to approach philanthropy in the [...]
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed on March 27, 2020 includes a number of provisions designed to rescue an economy being decimated by a pandemic the likes of which the world has seldom, if ever, seen. With plenty of news coverage of this legislation, little light has [...]
How will you and your nonprofit make it through these difficult times? Two words: EMPATHY. INNOVATION. These are the two qualities most needed in today’s topsy-turvy world. I’d like you to think of them as your newly essential communication and fundraising strategies. Apply them to everything you do for the [...]
In Part 1 of this two-parter we discussed why you need to build a culture of philanthropy as a management system. You can’t simply pay lip service to ‘culture of philanthropy.’ It has to become the air in your nonprofit that you breathe. When culture becomes the air in your [...]
This article was originally published during the 2008 financial crisis. It has been republished here with permission from the Panas estate. It's a puzzling phenomenon. It may seem counterintuitive, but in tough financial times people actually give more. But they give to organizations they care greatly about. Those organizations that [...]
I once had a boss who insisted employee morale didn’t matter. She even sent me articles from Harvard Business Review purporting to prove this (if you read them closely, they didn’t). Her insistence on this was directly related to her management style. Top down. Holding information close to the vest. [...]
I remember as a young girl, my father would have church in the living room of my home. After my father finished his congruous sermon he would occasionally say “sister or brother so-and-so is not doing well. Be sure to keep them in your prayers.” He would then pass around [...]