
Culture of Philanthropy: 6 Steps to Demonstrate the Impact of Philanthropy
When an organization accepts, understands, and embraces a culture of philanthropy…the whole institution benefits from increased donor investment. A few weeks ago, I wrote about challenges facing development departments when an organization does not embrace their work or overall fundraising. This is when a majority people in the organization are not in involved in any level of fundraising because they

Look in Your Own Fundraising Yard for Gifts
Stop looking at your neighbor’s lawn. Just too many nonprofits think the grass is greener with someone else’s mission, donors, or…fill in the blank. Not true, most of the time.

5 Ways to Know If You Have a Legacy Fundraising Operation
The donors of today are searching for meaningful stories and engagement, want to be listened to, and need to understand how they can make an impact. In the movie, No Country for Old Men, Tommy Lee Jones Character, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, laments to Ellis that he is feeling outmatched. Barry Corbin’s character, Ellis then retorts, “What you got ain’t nothing new.

Dark Side of Fundraising: How to Avoid Pitfalls and Build Donor Trust
Here’s one fundraising takeaway I’d love to share: do NOT go to the Dark Side of fundraising, go to the light!

Thoughtful Stewardship Ensures a Memorable Moment
Stewardship shows a true relationship rather than a transactional relationship of cultivation and making an ask. Have you ever sent a card or a gift and then waited patiently for the receiver of that card or gift to respond to you…maybe even thank you? You wait patiently, thinking surely that person will know that because you made the effort to

Six Steps to Get Through an Economic Downturn
Last year’s significant growth in charitable giving was driven by donors’ desires to make an impact during the height of the pandemic and additional resources via a strong stock market. According to the Annual Giving USA Report, philanthropy grew 4.0% in 2021 over a solid year in 2020. However, this growth trend did not keep up with inflation, and we

MPW’s 2025 In & Out Fundraising List
Our team of experts is excited to share what we know will bring you fundraising success in 2025 and what you should leave behind in 2024. Leave us a comment below to let us know what you think is in or out in for fundraising this year!

Securing the Future of Education: Strategic Planning and Fundraising
Sustainable revenue models for educational institutions across the United States are becoming increasingly challenging to create and maintain. At Make Philanthropy Work, we urge student-serving organizations to consider integrating fundraising goals into their strategic plans to generate revenue long-term.

Development and Campaign Committees: A New Era
We experienced a dramatic transition for development and campaign committees. Pre-pandemic, these volunteer groups mostly served to obtain contributions for nonprofit organizations and universities. However, organizational needs have shifted over recent decades toward volunteers who can strengthen donor relations more than ever.

Crafting a Winning End-of-Year Giving Strategy
Preparing for end-of-year giving, or campaign season as we often call it, has a unique starting point for all organizations – I’m speaking toward those who have mid-level sophistication and an established routine end-of-year program.

Making the Case: A Development Team for the Long Haul
The why and the how of creating, cultivating, and keeping a development team long-term is no doubt, incredibly vague across the landscape of organizations facing rapid fundraising turnover.
We are excited to showcase how a fundraising team for the long haul will exponentially support your organization for years into the future – and practical ways to bring this into reality.

Unleashing Your Leadership’s Fundraising Potential
CEOs, Executive Directors, and Presidents play a significant role in an organization’s fundraising potential, and fundraising leaders who work with them can, in tandem, take development to a greater level of sophistication and effectiveness.