Welcome to September’s Fundraising Talks. Did you know that this month marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month? Institutions should celebrate and honor the achievements and contributions of their Hispanic communities. This would also be a good time to encourage them to support areas of need for current and future generations. As we step into fall, it is time for fundraising professionals to strategize year end activities once again. To successfully do so, we must rely on existing data on philanthropy to formulate innovative methods and strategies to fundraise. Identifying trends that impact charitable giving - especially in the realm of economics and technology - is critical when thinking about future fundraising performance.

The 2023 Philanthropic Landscape Report by CCS Fundraising is here. The report can help us understand the current state of philanthropy in the U.S. and key trends on giving by individuals, foundations, and corporations. The report examines topics such as changes in giving following the pandemic, the impact of economic status on giving, and DEI efforts in fundraising and artificial intelligence. Even though Giving USA’s initial 2023 data shows a decline in giving in 2022, the 2023 Philanthropic Landscape report points out that the philanthropy has grown steadily.

The research findings from the report include the following:

• Individuals, foundations, and corporations donated $499.33 billion in 2022.
• Giving in six out of ten charitable sectors saw an increase in current dollars from 2021 to 2022.
• Individuals were the largest drivers of US philanthropy in 2022, giving $319.04 billion in 2022, though dollars and donors went down.
• The total amount donated by individuals and the number of donors both decreased in 2022. Factors that might have contributed to the decrease in individual giving are poor stock market performance and decrease in disposable personal income due to inflation.
• Giving from younger generations continues to rise. Younger generations prefer online giving.
• Foundation giving grew by 2.5%, to an estimated $105.21 billion in 2022.
• Corporate philanthropy as a giving source increased by 3.4% in 2022 to $21.08 billion.
• Bequest giving increased by 2.3% over 2021 to $45.60 billion in 2022.
• Grants from DAFs increased by 9% to $11.2 billion in 2022.

What does all this reported data mean for nonprofit organizations? What I found most helpful were the insights from the 2023 report, which can be valuable as they indicate the best approach for nonprofits to reach out to donors. High net worth individuals continue to drive philanthropy in the U.S. The reports suggest that predictive modeling can be used to find donors in your database who are likely to give larger gifts to your institution. For instance, to improve donor acquisition and retention, organizations can invest in personalized and multi-channel communications. We can incorporate this by sending targeted emails, invitation to events, or invitations to small group meetings. There is so much more included in the report, which can be accessed here. As always, please feel free to reach out to us with questions, comments, or any assistance with fundraising research!

Best Regards,

Sapna and USM Advancement Research Team

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