Looking for funding opportunities? We've identified a few funds that might be useful to you. Visit the links below to learn more about the requirements and deadlines for these opportunities.
Even though 2020 looked grim, we are seeing rays of hope with the prospect of the public getting COVID-19 vaccines next year. As we look ahead to 2021, 2020 will remain in our memories forever. While some pandemic experiences such as wearing masks and social distancing may disappear, others such as online education and virtual events may be here to stay. Regardless of what awaits us in 2021, we are grateful for lessons learned as we wind down the last few days of 2020.
During the pandemic, organizations witnessed many challenges and were also able to see—in certain sectors such as healthcare and social justice matters—an increase in giving. Many nonprofits launched virtual events to engage and cultivate donors and online education was largely adopted by higher ed. According to a recentarticle from The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 36 percent of donors surveyed in August 2020 said that they will “give more generously this month than they did last December.” Institutions with strong ties to major donors were likely to benefit from potential increases in their giving. It's evident through a recent survey by Marts & Lundy and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners that donors are showing increased interest in gift planning. Additionally, nonprofits may have benefitted from the 2020 CARES Act, which permits taxpayers to temporarily increase their deduction limit for cash donations made directly to qualified public charities. The CARES Act also temporarily allows individuals who itemize to deduct qualified charitable contributions up to 100 percent of their Adjusted Gross Income. Here is afact sheet for fundraiserson the CARES Act that lists several ways to encourage charitable giving by donors.
Lastly, here are some key takeaways from a recent survey by Fidelity Charitable which allows us to better understand donor behaviors, especially during the end of 2020. The survey was conducted with 491 Fidelity Charitable donors in August 2020 to find out how Fidelity Charitable donors are approaching charitable giving during COVID-19.
1.Forty six percent of donors say they’ve already given more to charity in 2020 than normal because of the pandemic—and four in ten say the pandemic has influenced their giving.
2.Nearly four in ten donors say they’ve given to different nonprofits due to the pandemic—but the vast majority also plan to support their regular charities this year.
3.Donors show widespread apprehension about the nonprofit sector’s ability to weather the pandemic—particularly small, community-based organizations and human services charities.
4.Looking to the future, only two in ten donors believe the pandemic will significantly influence their giving in 2021 and beyond—indicating that the majority of donors plan to stay the course with their usual giving behaviors.
As we begin the new year, I hope we can use the lessons learned from surveys and reports to bolster future fundraising strategies. These reports can help us all stay watchful and informed for the future. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and prosperous 2021.
As always, please feel free to reach out us with questions, comments or any assistance with prospect research!
Best Regards,
Sapna and USM Advancement Research Team
Did you know?
The University System of Maryland Foundation has access to a library of recorded webinars from the Annual Giving Network (AGN) that you may watch at any time from your computer. While we cannot currently gather in person for professional development events, this work from home period provides a great opportunity for you to learn on your own time! Please click here to see what webinars are available fromAGN.
If you are interested, please email Linda Bowman (lbowman@usmd.edu) and she will help you access these webinars for free. Please do not try to access these webinars on your own, as you will be charged a fee.
Please also note that the Foundation only has access to free AGN webinars, not workshops. Workshops are available at a marginally discounted rate.
The next generation of philanthropists is interested in results-oriented approaches to giving that will save and improve lives. In this article, Barrons.com highlights who they believe are the next generation of philanthropists - people such as Justin and Valerie Rockefeller and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha. The article also delves into each philanthropists' ideas on giving and what issues matter most to them.
For most nonprofits, end-of-year fundraising success is crucial. Bloomerang cautions against making the following five mistakes that can lead to year-end fundraising disaster. First, avoid not segmenting your emails. Make sure you are sending appeals and emails to the correct audiences and reaching the right people. Next, avoid not thanking a donor or reporting back before you ask again - late is better than never. Don't forget personalization in email appeals - make sure subject lines address your donors by name to get their attention. Remember to test run your emails before you send them out to avoid any errors. Finally, make sure you are making the ask multiple times in your appeals and sending your appeals often, even if it feels as though you are sending too many emails.
Successful fundraising, no matter if its for large capital campaigns, an annual fund, or a specific event, can benefit from gift charting. According to Philanthropy Daily, the fundamental idea behind a gift chart is that you will raise most of your money from a small number of donors contributing major gifts. A gift chart helps you understand how this looks for your particular fundraising initiative. Click here to see how Philanthropy Daily builds a gift chart, step-by-step.
Having a strong major donor base has never been more important. For many organizations, major donors provided a lifeline during the pandemic. Because major donors already have an established relationship with the organization, fundraisers have the opportunity to engage these donors and make them transformational givers. In order to do this at your own institutions, make sure you are having engaging and personalized conversations with your major donors to make them feel included in your mission. Donors want to hear about the impact of their giving and want to know how their gifts have been used. Ensure that your donors feel as though they are partners in the work your organization performs to ultimately make them ambassadors for your organization. Read more here.
With the authorization of the Pfizer vaccine on December 11, it stands to reason there will be implications for colleges, universities, and schools, according to EAB. This brief article provides a summary of vaccine development, the next steps the country is planning for distribution and production, and the impact the vaccine will have on colleges and universities. Click here to read the full article.
This opinion piece from World Economic Forum suggests that after COVID-19, universities could increase fundraising if they expand their social purposes off-campus. The authors also urge universities to become less isolated in their social agenda and fundraising actions. The article suggests that this shift has already been happening in the world of philanthropy with many foundations turning their attention and investments to support social issues such as racial justice, public interest journalism, and more. If higher education were to follow this lead, they could attract the younger generation of donors who are seeking to make deep and measurable impacts with their gifts. Read more here.
