Fundraising Talks
News and updates from the USM Office of
Advancement Research

Upcoming Events


Best Practice Webinar: The Politics of Philanthropy

When: January 11, 2023


Planned Giving Models: Explore the Data Enabling the Analytics

When: December 14, 2022


Portfolio Consultations: How the Philadelphia Museum of Art Evolved Their Frontline Fundraising Meetings

When: January 9, 2023

Tell Me More...

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. 


Burroughs Wellcome Fund Deadline: January 12, 2023


Spencer Foundation, Research Grants on Education

Deadline: January 12, 2023


ECMC Foundation

Deadline: Rolling basis

Contact Us


Sapna Varghese

Director of Advancement Research

301.445.2709


Lois Baker

Prospect Researcher


Bethany Jones

Office Clerk

301.445.1950

Letter from the Director

‘Tis the season of giving, which means fundraising professionals are doing their final outreach to potential donors at all levels to maximize year-end giving at their organizations. Furthermore, it’s the perfect time to demonstrate the value of existing donors by showing the impact of their gifts in creative ways. A report from Give.org affirms that Americans are willing to be solicited for gifts more than before, but there is still room for nonprofits to build trust with donors. While keeping momentum with individual and major gifts, nonprofit organizations should also seek grants from other funding sources such as corporations and foundations.


The Giving and Investment Trends Within Private Foundations report by Foundation Source provides insights into how wealthy families are pursuing philanthropy. The report examines approximately 1,000 private foundations with assets between $1 million and $500 million from 2020 and 2021, and it is worth noting that all private foundations granted more than their minimum distribution requirement of 5 percent in 2021. According to cof.org, private foundations are required to pay out at least five percent of their assets each year in the form of grants and operating charitable activities. Here are some other results found in the report:

  1. Accelerated giving: Private foundations increased giving in 2021, up about $40 million from 2020. This increase was aided by growth in their endowments, which is likely due to strong market performance during recent years.
  2. In 2021, foundations returned to giving to their core missions, while in 2020, their giving was directed to emergency assistance. There was growth in giving to education, the arts, and the environment in 2021.
  3. Larger foundations improved their giving in 2021, while there was a slight decrease in giving by smaller foundations.
  4. Grants were directed to recipients in the U.S. and thirty-two other locations around the world over the past two years.
  5. In 2021, grant-making activities by private foundations increased at the end of the calendar year, especially during the months of November and December.


The report provides promising evidence that foundations will continue to support education, the arts, and human services. Based on the report, foundations increased their grant-making activities at year-end. Institutions should take this into account as we near the end of 2022 and reach out to foundations that align with their mission for engagement and support. Each of us have so much to be grateful for and as we celebrate the season with an “attitude of gratitude,” let’s remember all those that may be going through difficult times this season and shower kindness and love on everyone.


Have a wonderful holiday season! 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

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 from AGN.
 
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.

Ten Year-End Giving Statistics Every Fundraiser Should Know

This article from Neon One breaks down ten year-end giving statistics and how nonprofits can leverage these stats and make a year-end campaign a success. Some interesting insights from the article include:

  • Nonprofits raise 17 to 31 percent of online revenue in December.
  • Ten percent of all giving happens during the last three days of the year.
  • The average gift amount in 2021 was $125, up from $111 in 2020.
  • 76 percent of people who volunteer for a nonprofit also donate.


Click here to read the full list of trends and how you can incorporate them into your campaign strategy.

The Four Biggest Challenges Facing Graduate and Adult Education Programs

Recently, EAB surveyed university presidents, provosts, and vice presidents of enrollment management to quantify the challenges institutions face in growing enrollment in graduate and adult-serving programs. They identified four challenges:


  1. Competition from other universities and from online "mega universities."
  2. Resource limitations which means there are limited budgets for graduate and adult-serving programs.
  3. Organizational uncertainty in coordinating efforts across institutions, as well as a lack of clear leadership for adult-serving programs.
  4. Lack of expertise in recruiting students, delivering online offerings, and designing academic programs prohibit enrollment growth. 


Click here to read EAB's full list of findings and more.

Data Investment Can Solve the Mystery of Your Missing Donors

This article from Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) aims to solve the mystery of the two to four year lapsed donor who seems as though they disappear, despite all of your institution's best efforts to engage them. According to RNL, these donors disappeared because they were no longer being asked to give. How does this happen? The most likely answer lies in data enrichment. In all likelihood, these donors moved, changed email addresses, or phone numbers and your current contact information for them is incorrect. By confirming that your data on donors is up-to-date and accurate, your institution can ensure increased ROI on donor engagement. Read more here.

Alumni Engagement: Measuring More Than Giving

This article from CASE discusses how their Alumni Engagement Metrics (AEM) survey came to be and how it has helped alumni offices at schools across the world. The survey is now in its fourth year of data collection. In Pennsylvania, The Haverford School found that collecting data on philanthropy and volunteering was easily exported from their database, but that collecting event registration and attendee information was not. As a result, the school now works more closely and collaboratively as a team to consistently gather event data. CASE has found that as a result of the AEM, many schools have integrated and collaborated with offices across campus that they normally would not have. Read more here.

Maximize Year-End Giving in an Unpredictable Economy

It may feel to you or your organization that economic conditions are challenging at the moment and you may want to convey that in your donor outreach. GG+A cautions against that and urges fundraisers to focus on the donor, the gift, and what the donor's generosity means to your organization. GG+A says to keep your message simple and to only ask for one thing. Donors are interested in hearing how their gift has impacted your organization and are not as concerned with hearing about how your organization is growing their social media presence. Resist the temptation to carry out a radical appeal that is a big shift in tone, design, or content at the end of the year. Go with your tried and true method. Click here to read more.