Dave Gibbons

4 Components of a Culture of Philanthropy "Development staff are always included in organizational decisions. Program staff play an active role in relationship building. Fundraising and engagement are inextricably linked. Transformational relationships take priority over transactions." More insights and explications of these points can be found in this important article by Claire.

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The final Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP Global) Fundraising Effectiveness Project report on #donoractivity for 2023 was released April 7. There is a lot of data to interpret. 📈 📉 📊 💻 Please join us on Thursday April 25 for a conversation with Ben Miller, Chair of FEP, to do a deep dive on the data and discuss ways in which we can improve our proficiency and efficacy. While overall numbers are down, we are optimists, and appreciate the fact that there is an area of brightness and hope in last year's #nonprofitsector : an increase in new #donoracquisition – the first time since 2020! – our challenge for 2024 is to retain those donors! This presents an opportunity to revisit how we thank and engage the donors who improve the quality of the world in which we live. Register via 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eeSmPPS5 Access complete report via 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e_SnRgR4 Visionary Philanthropic Consulting, LLC Tim Smith Michael Shippam David Krause Melanie R. Sabelhaus Jason Blumenthal Jelena Spasic Ava Willis-Barksdale Linda C. Coughlin Jon Kevin Gossett, ACFRE #fundraising #philanthropy #industrytrends #dataanalytics

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 Starting a Nonprofit in Oregon? Here's How to Secure Funding! 💰 Starting a nonprofit is a rewarding journey, but securing funding is crucial for turning your vision into reality. Funding not only helps you cover initial costs—like filing fees, marketing, and program development—but also builds credibility with donors and stakeholders. For Oregon-based founders, the state offers a range of funding opportunities tailored to diverse community needs. #ChangeTheWorld #finance #StartupFunding #ngo #NonprofitFunding #OregonNonprofit #Startup

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Maximize your fundraising with proven strategies from the Gravyty Donor Engagement Benchmark Report. Did you know that in 2024, fundraisers will invest in ‘improving donor engagement’ and ‘enhancing pipeline development and qualification’ to achieve goals? ADage is here to help your community understand what works in donor retention and engagement to fuel your nonprofit's mission. #EngageToInspire #NonprofitSuccess

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"You can't manage what you can't measure." But, measuring the RIGHT metrics is also important for managing effectively. Are you measuring and valuing the right metrics? This article points out a few.

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"Orticio argues that, given children’s natural skepticism and early exposure to the internet’s boundless misinformation, it is crucial for adults to teach them practical fact-checking skills. Instead of attempting to completely sanitize their online environment, he said adults should focus on equipping children with tools to critically assess the information they encounter." A great piece by Jason Pohl on equipping kids to fact check what they hear and learn. (We should probaly be equipping some adults with this too!) https://lnkd.in/eJnJpwte

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What if your funder built their grant application or reporting requirements around a conversation? Trust-based philanthropy is the practice of funders making it easier for grantees to do their best work by loosening budget, application, or reporting structures. How could this practice change your relationship with funders? Listen to the latest episode of our podcast, Natural Collisions, featuring Kalamazoo Community Foundation Community Investment Officer Lily Salas, wherever you get your podcasts. #CoactDetroit #MichiganNonprofits #TrustBasedPhilanthropy #Wellness

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A session for new Deans on how an inclusive strategic planning process can help you architect the common cause you need to succeed. https://lnkd.in/ghW9JvtS

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Thank you Linda Wood and The LeadersTrust team for your leadership in lifting up this critical intervention of raising independent revenue in the field. With rising fascism and backlash on our power building/wielding work across the country, we need to make some critical shifts in our mindset and practices. In particular, we need to prepare for and support the growing number of multi-entity organizations in the country that are building self determination and preparing to govern. Here are 6 mindset shifts from the report. For the full report click here https://shorturl.at/dLbc5 SHIFT #1: “INDEPENDENT REVENUE SUPPORTS SELF-DETERMINATION AND FREEDOM.” Individual giving offers organizations the flexibility to act on urgent needs and priorities, and to take advantage of emerging opportunities, without the restrictions of foundation grants or government contracts. SHIFT #2: “ORGANIZING, COMMUNICATIONS, AND RESOURCE GENERATION ARE NOT SEPARABLE.” Fundraising is organizing, and messaging and digital commu- nications are crucial to both. SHIFT #3: “RAISING RESOURCES IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY.” Development directors cannot do this work alone; organizations and movements need to build and sustain the fundraising capacity of their entire board and staff teams. SHIFT #4: “ORGANIZATIONS AND MOVEMENTS APPROACH FUNDRAISING WITH AN ‘INVESTMENT MINDSET.’” Shared responsibility for fundraising starts with a deeper understanding of all sources of an organization’s revenue, as well as the costs and returns associated with each one. SHIFT #5: “WE TRANSFORM HOW WE THINK AND FEEL ABOUT MONEY AND FUNDRAISING.” Asking for money doesn’t come easy for everyone. As we broaden responsibility for resource development, it’s important to understand our varying experiences and perspectives vis-à-vis money, while reframing fundraising so it’s not about scarcity. SHIFT #6: “FUNDRAISING CAN BE ABOUT LOVE RATHER THAN CHARITY.” Placing love and belonging at the heart of fundraising can make it more empowering and lead to greater success. Shifting from a charity frame expands the possibilities of who belongs, how they contribute, and what it looks like when we all win.

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Who will be the superpowers of philanthropy in the next 25 years? Who will have the capacity and resources to influence social, economic, and political arenas? The answer is women. Historically, women have always played crucial roles in philanthropy. Early social service work was seen as “women’s work.” Female philanthropy started with parochial institutions, where nuns, deaconesses, and women of all faiths offered comfort to the marginalized in their communities. Now, with women holding more than half of private wealth in the U.S. and the capacity to influence global change, their impact is poised to grow exponentially. Despite progress, support for women's and girls' organizations remains low, receiving just 1.8% of charitable giving. However, women are stepping up to fill this gap, often giving broadly, holistically, and collectively. They focus on aligning their passion with their resources, working collaboratively, and demanding transparency about the impact of their contributions. Women’s philanthropy offers vast opportunities: from supporting traditional nonprofits to becoming angel investors and engaging in impact investing. In my role as a philanthropic advisor, I work to help women donors align their values with their charitable giving, grow their confidence and celebrate their achievements. #PhilanthropyConcierge #WDM2024 #WomensPhilanthropy #WomenInLeadership https://lnkd.in/gSZhsadi

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Recent meetings with local foundation leaders reminds me that this still needs to be said... trust-based philanthropy and tracking outcomes are not mutually exclusive. At Social Impact Advising Group, we know that giving grantees the flexibility they need doesn’t mean we lose sight of the impact. When funders, consultants, and nonprofit leaders focus on strong relationships and trust, we create space for real needs and true collaboration, while still setting clear goals. Finding that balance between trust and accountability isn’t just doable—it’s key to making real, lasting change. 

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"The fullest expression of trust-based philanthropy's goals is when it creates space for both parties' relative strengths and assets to fully contribute toward a shared impact objective." Thanks to The Bridgespan Group for this thoughtful analysis of trust as a critical facet of social impact, and for inviting me to add my perspective (link to my article in comments). https://lnkd.in/gQUJnJJQ

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𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐚𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝: 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞'𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 🌟 Salesforce's collaboration with the East Oakland Collective (EOC) through a pro bono project at Venture2Impact has yielded impressive outcomes in community development and resilience. The partnership aimed to launch a business and entrepreneurship curriculum to empower the local community, particularly its most vulnerable members through Skills-Based Volunteering. The impact of this initiative is profound: 100% of EOC staff who participated in the training now report enhanced capabilities and confidence in delivering business education to their community 📈. The initiative has instilled a strong sense of empowerment among EOC staff, with 100% feeling equipped to implement the training effectively 💪. This project not only boosted the community but also enhanced job satisfaction among Salesforce volunteers, with 100% expressing a positive shift in their view of the company ❤️. This successful engagement highlights the transformative power of corporate-community partnerships in fostering local economic and social resilience. Read the case study in detail: https://lnkd.in/e5bPHfdS #CommunityDevelopment #SocialImpact #CorporateResponsibility #ProBono

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Inclusive philanthropy matters. Have you ever been at a fundraising conference or training and realized that critical voices are missing? We see it everywhere, and this gap highlights the urgent need for inclusive philanthropy – where everyone’s voice is heard and valued. Thanks to a recent introduction from Sterrin Bird, CFRE (thank you!) I have gotten to know Tesha McCord Poe and her incredible work. She is doing so many wonderful things in our space but I'm particularly excited about a new offering - The Academy. On September 27, 2024, her company Joy-Raising is hosting a day designed to equip you with the skills and insights needed to incorporate an inclusive lens in your philanthropy efforts. Here’s what you’ll gain: Inclusive Strategies: Learn to craft events and solicitations that truly resonate with diverse communities, refine your messaging for broader impact, and enhance board engagement. Expert Insights: Hear from leaders who are actively creating more inclusive philanthropic practices. Community Building: Connect with fellow changemakers committed to inclusivity and social impact. If you're interested, there are some great earliest (love that) and early bird discounts available as well, so snag one quickly! You can learn more and register here! ➡️

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Such a privilege to sit, learn, and share about place-based philanthropy with my long-time mentor, Garland Yates, and my co-conspirators, Fred Blackwell and Tony Iton. Thank you, Oakland Thrives for a dynamic conversation! Here are my top three points: 1) Be Relentless for Results Focus on the vision that the community deeply desires, by setting co-created goals and benchmarks, which are monitored and tracked by the collective. Community accountability is more than enough and recognize that philanthropy is just one actor. Remember that data and metrics inform you, they don't define you. And they definitely shouldn't stigmatize you. Use it to help you pivot and learn, which you have a responsibility to communicate loudly and regularly. Use it to help you reach community goals, because they deserve it. 2) Don't Wait on the Moment, Make the Moment Of course, you need to build capacity, seek the right conditions, peek around corners, account and raise resources, and line up partners, but don't get those things confused with the intent of the work. The work is to the fruit of these efforts, so you are capable to leap strategically and opportunistically. There is never a time or moment when you will be completely ready to be bold and courageous, you just have to be willing to be bold and courageous when the time arises. Make the moment. 3) Do It with Love Love and respect the people you work with and serve, in that you honor every contribution they make, including showing up and contributing despite the issues going on in their lives. Honor them by privileging their voices at the table. Show them esteem by ensuring they have a seat at the table, and it isn't a folding chair. Give them the regard that when in conflict, you will combat about ideas and behaviors. That you will fight fair like you want to stay in relationship and not divorce from it. Love them like our success depends on it. Love them radically by going after the toughest challenges before us with the biggest gains.

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🌟 What's your favorite philanthropy podcast? I'm always on the lookout for insightful podcasts about philanthropy and fundraising. What’s your favorite podcast related to philanthropy or fundraising? Whether it features expert interviews, compelling stories, or practical advice, I'd love to hear your recommendations. Share your favorites in the comments below! #Philanthropy #Fundraising #Podcasts

I thank our Accelerate and ProvenTutoring friends for highlighting REACH’s work in their “Leveraging Community-Based Organizations: High-Dosage Tutoring Pilots in Review” report. We’ve seen success with our Liberator Model — which upskills parents and caregivers to become effective and paid tutors in the schools — because it’s all about putting parents in the driver’s seat to improve academic outcomes for children. We value measurable results — that’s the only way we know what we’re doing is working, and that’s the commitment we’ve made: only to do what works to improve outcomes for our children.  Thanks to our partnership with the Center on Reinventing Public Education, we have data that speaks for itself: “Kindergarten students receiving small group SIPPS instruction by a [Liberator] had 38% higher growth than those not receiving any SIPPS instruction.” You can read the full Accelerate and ProvenTutoring report here:

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The Telling and Troubling Way We Continue to Teach Fundraising Consider all the fundraising texts, blogs, articles, podcasts and conferences. Evaluate the content and note how often and carefully they parse and re-parse the process of fundraising, providing tips, tactics and tools for: ⏺ Identifying prospects ⏺ Acquiring donors ⏺ Engaging prospects ⏺ Making appeals ⏺ Soliciting prospects ⏺ Stewarding donors Note how infrequently they touch on, much less delve into, the predicates of sustained fundraising success including: ⏹ The architecture and process, including step by step strategies and tactics, for building communities of shared purpose that allow donors to believe, belong and make the world better ⏹ Building trusting relationships and developing partnerships in ways that are not unduly fundraising forward ⏹ Creating civic collaborations and community-based coalitions that demonstrate how purpose-driven organizations are working together to address the root causes of social ills or steadily widen the circle of opportunity The predicates are what too many fundraising organizations are oblivious of or have taken for granted for too long, which has contributed to the decline in philanthropic participation, more rapid rates of donor attrition, and the steady decline in the effectiveness of fundraising forward approaches. That, in turn, has led to the tendency of unaware bosses and board members to fault fundraisers and double down on traditional tactics, ignoring the laws of diminishing returns. As a consequence, fundraisers' effectiveness is sorely sub-optimized, leaving them discouraged and looking elsewhere. The predicates are what most fundraising organizations need to turn to with urgency and imagination if they are to stem the longstanding trend of "donors up, dollars down," the greater reliance on the wealthy, aged few, and avoid the inevitable, steady "dollars down" that will come as the wealthy few pass on.

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New Resource Alert! 📊 Digitunity’s latest report, "A Simple Guide for Conducting Nonprofit Evaluation for the Digital Equity Community", is here to help nonprofits strengthen their evaluation efforts. Co-authored by Dr. Amy Gonzales ( UC Santa Barbara), this guide draws on insights from 22 nonprofits actively involved in digital equity work. Download to discover practical tools to measure impact, build trust with funders, and make data-driven decisions for digital equity programs. https://lnkd.in/evPxwN88 #NonprofitEvaluation #DigitalEquityPrograms #NonprofitResources

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