2017 Trends That Could Influence your Philanthropy

January 6, 2017

Lately I hear increasing discussions and concerns from nonprofits and churches alike. They are planning and anticipating what the new-year will bring. Right now there are a lot of questions and even some predictions, but not many answers.

Still there are a few themes we can count on, and they promise to have a significant effect on organizations of all kinds. In the next few blogs I’ll discuss some of those themes.

Avoid Public Expression of Political Viewpoints

Political differences are increasingly more polarizing. We’re now to the point where we attribute evil to those who disagree with us politically. We even have labels: right-wingers, liberal elites, hyper conservatives, left leaners and many more.

Then there are the pundits and the presidential candidates. I thought about sharing some of their comments as examples of the vitriol that exists, but I feared that repeating their words might make some of our readers angry.

However, my point here is that these comments by pundits, candidates and supporters have inflamed the environment. Accordingly, if you’re either a non-profit executive, the head of a school or the pastor of a church, my recommendation is to stay as far away as possible from political rhetoric, unless it directly affects your mission.

First, in most cases you’re not hired for your political opinions. You’re hired to advance the mission of your organization. Second, when you take positions publicly you run the risk of polarizing your organization. That will surely hurt your revenue stream and fundraising. I’ve seen too many worthy non-profit organizations lose supporters and members, because they got involved in political debates that aren’t anywhere near the mission of the organization they represent.

Wise Advice to Follow

When I was a VP in higher education, my mentor told me, “Len, I have a lot of political opinions, but as President my first responsibility is to advance the mission of this university. I keep my opinions to myself (that includes refraining from sharing them on Facebook or Twitter) because if I spout off, I’m jeopardizing the mission of this university.”

It was great advice from a wise sage! That’s why I suggest to the extent possible, that you start doing the same. The alternative is simply not worth it!

Utilize Technology in New Ways

Technology will be used more effectively. While an increasing number of organizations are using e-mail, online giving and social media, there are other vehicles that only a few nonprofits employ. For example, we often hear from board and staff members that to be successful they need to focus on increasing donations from new donors.

While many organizations know who their top donors are, there are other prospective donors in their database who have a high capacity to give, but they know very little about them.

A Wealth of Information Available

This is bound to happen, particularly with a database that numbers in the thousands. That’s why we recommend conducting a wealth screening before embarking on a major gifts or capital campaign.

Our strategic partner provides an overview of the top 800-1000 donors for a reasonable price. This includes information on asset value, real estate holdings, liquidity, gift capacity and more. One client was a bit nervous about spending extra to do this. However, the screening uncovered 18 new multi-millionaires about whom they knew nothing.

Make Your Direct Mail Efforts More Targeted

As fundraising consultants, we have also been able to use technology to help our clients increase direct mail productivity. Another strategic partner provides service through which they can map IP addresses to home addresses. Having accurate addresses combined with online messaging and direct mail, greatly improves the connectivity, visibility and results. These are just a few examples of how non-profits are using technology to enhance results and increase productivity.

In future blogs we will look at additional trends that are sure to influence your philanthropic efforts.

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2017 Trends That Could Influence your Philanthropy

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