Fundraising Talks from the USM Office of Advancement Research

Fundraising Talks

News and updates from the USM Office of

Advancement Research

Upcoming Events

Apra Partner Webinar - Moves Management 101: Defining the Stages of Moves Management and the Processes that Support Turning Prospects into Donors

When: June 25, 2025, 12 PM

Apra Best Practice Webinar - From Chaos to Clarity: Reimagining Workflow in Prospect Research

When: July 8, 2025, 11 AM

The Path Forward: Creative Solutions for Prospect Development in a Changing Landscape

When: July 29, 2025, 12 PM

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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.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Research to Advance Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Deadline: July 16, 2025

France-Merrick Foundation Deadline: August 22, 2025

The Campbell Foundation Deadline: August 29, 2025

Baltimore Community Foundation – Stronger Schools, Stronger Neighborhoods Grants Deadline: July 8, 2025

Useful Links

Research Resources

Office of Advancement

University System of Maryland

Sapna Varghese

Director of Advancement Research

301.445.2709

Lois Baker

Prospect Researcher

Bethany Jones

Office Clerk

301.445.1950

Letter from the Director

Welcome to the June edition of Fundraising Talks.

It’s hard to believe we’ve already reached the halfway point of the year. As we move into the beautiful summer season, I hope development professionals are planning time to rest and reset before heading into the latter part of 2025.

Higher education continues to face a number of challenges, including budget cuts, staffing shortages, and other uncertainties. During these difficult times, fundraising and philanthropy can play a critical role in supporting academic programs and operations.

The Blackbaud Institute’s report, Philanthropy Through Recession: How Savvy Organizations Weather Uncertain Times, offers insights into how past recessions have impacted the philanthropic sector. According to the report, only the Great Recession had lasting effects on charitable giving. Historical trends show that high-net-worth individuals tend to give the most to causes with the greatest need. The report outlines seven steps that can help recession-proof organizations: diversifying revenue, embracing digital transformation, identifying major donors, improving donor retention, investing in sustained giving programs, expanding donor pools, and leveraging peer-to-peer fundraising. These strategies, grounded in past experience, offer hope that today’s fundraisers are better equipped for the future.

Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) can be especially valuable in times of declining donor counts and reductions in federal funding. In 2023, there were approximately 1.8 million DAF accounts, holding over $250 billion in assets. A recent report from the DAF Research Collaborative, Reinventing the Cycle: Adapting Relationship Fundraising for Donors Who Use DAFs, highlights how fundraisers across the U.S. engage with DAF donors, the challenges they face, and opportunities to strengthen these relationships. According to the report, fundraisers overwhelmingly agreed that relationship-building is key to successfully securing support from DAF donors.

The report identifies six key challenges in DAF fundraising:

Verifying the organization: DAF sponsors may require additional documentation to confirm grant eligibility.
Investigating donations: DAF gifts may be anonymous, complicating donor recognition.
Entering DAF grants: Proper data entry should include information from grant checks and correspondence, and accurately credit the donor and their sponsoring organization.
Thanking the donor: Even though DAF sponsors issue tax receipts, donors still expect a thank-you from nonprofits.
Understanding DAF regulations: Fundraisers must navigate IRS rules around DAF grants and multi-year pledges.
Exchanging information: Gaps in communication can lead to errors or missed opportunities for stewardship.

Despite these challenges, DAF fundraising presents meaningful opportunities. DAF gifts indicate both affinity and capacity—suggesting that donors may be open to deeper, more strategic conversations. Fundraisers can feel confident when soliciting funds already earmarked for charitable purposes. By analyzing granting patterns, fundraisers may also gain insight into donor behavior, such as timing and giving capacity.

Fundraisers working with DAF donors often wear many hats—as investigators, strategists, educators, facilitators, and collaborators. These roles are all vital to aligning organizational priorities with donor intent.

To make the most of DAF opportunities, fundraisers should:

Proactively identify and collect DAF-related information,
Train teams on DAF grant processing and stewardship protocols, and
Use CRMs effectively to track and segment DAF donors.

As DAFs continue to grow, organizations should adapt their relationship-building strategies to meet this evolving landscape. While DAFs add complexity to donor identification, acknowledgment, and data management, they also offer significant opportunities to deepen donor engagement and secure long-term philanthropic support.

As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or requests for assistance with fundraising research!

Best regards,

Sapna and the USM Advancement Research Team

Prospect Development: Tips to Build a Smarter Donor Pipeline

This article from BWF emphasizes the importance of prospect development in building a sustainable donor pipeline for nonprofits, especially given that 88 percent of fundraising revenue comes from just 12 percent of donors. It outlines how prospect development helps identify high-potential donors using wealth, philanthropic, and warmth indicators. A successful strategy can include internal data analysis, wealth screening tools, personalized outreach, and ethical data practices, all tailored to specific fundraising contexts like capital campaigns or planned giving. The article also warns against “scope creep” and encourages ongoing staff training to maintain focus and efficiency. Click here to read more.

Time to Take Your Temperature: Warm vs. Cold Prospecting

Many nonprofits are seeking out new major gift prospects, often turning to "cold prospecting" to find donors with capacity and mission alignment but no prior connection. However, the Helen Brown Group emphasizes starting with "warm prospecting," which means identifying and nurturing potential donors already in your database, because these individuals are more likely to engage and give. Warm prospects offer higher conversion rates and are easier to cultivate due to their existing connection to your organization. Cold prospecting should be reserved for specific scenarios, such as launching a new initiative or expanding into new regions. Ultimately, leveraging internal data first is a more effective and strategic approach to donor development. Click here to read more.

Four Ways Advancement Leaders Can Make the Most of the Summer

This article encourages advancement professionals to use the slower summer months to reset, reflect, and refocus. EAB suggests celebrating team wins and taking intentional breaks, as well as revisiting strategic plans with fresh eyes to boost morale and build momentum for the year ahead. Summer is also a prime time to invest in professional development, particularly in areas like AI where many teams still lack confidence. Simple acts like clearing out an inbox or hosting a lighthearted team activity can go a long way in creating clarity and motivation. Ultimately, we should use this quieter season to recharge and prepare for what’s next. Click here to read more.

Consent and Ethical Data Storage: What Can We Learn From GDPR?

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), effective since May 2018, strengthens individuals' rights over how their personal data is used and affects fundraising, marketing, and prospect research globally, including U.S. based organizations working with international donors. Key concerns for prospect development professionals include obtaining clear consent for storing and using personal data and determining whether to use an opt-in or opt-out approach for communications. GDPR also requires organizations to justify data use under “legitimate interest” if consent isn't obtained and to give individuals the ability to opt out. There are no fixed timelines for data retention, but data should only be kept as long as necessary for the stated purpose. To comply, organizations should establish clear privacy and data retention policies and regularly review how they handle donor data. Click here to learn more about GDPR and its affect on fundraising.

Hackers Want Your Donor Data: How to Ensure Your Nonprofit Isn’t at Risk

Continuing the thread from the previous article, nonprofits often collect more personal data than necessary and may lack clear ownership over data privacy, putting these nonprofits at risk of breaches and legal consequences. Data privacy involves collecting information transparently, securely, and with consent, which is distinct from but closely related to data security. With varying data privacy laws across U.S. states and strict regulations like the EU’s GDPR, it’s safest for organizations to follow the most rigorous standards. Many nonprofits struggle with understanding what data they collect and why, leaving them vulnerable to both legal penalties and cyberattacks. To protect themselves, organizations should conduct audits, minimize unnecessary data collection, use secure platforms, and seek tailored expert support when needed. Click here to learn more.