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

When: July 27-30

When: August 11, 1:00 pm EDT

When: July 29, 1:00 pm EDT
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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. 
 
(Deadline: LOI Deadline - September 1)


(Deadline: August 15)
Contact Us

Director of Advancement Research
301.445.2709

Prospect Researcher
301.445.1952

Office Clerk
301.445.1950
Letter from the Director
Dear Colleagues,

A “new normal” in higher education comes with many adjustments, but also fresh perspectives in the philanthropy and fundraising world. While restrictions on COVID-19 are lifted, institutions and nonprofits are enacting their return-to-office plans. In the fundraising world, we are analyzing giving data from the first half of 2021 to see if we can garner any insights about philanthropy as we move toward a new, post-pandemic world.

An article titled “Knocking on The Right Door” from CASE's Currents magazine talks about how data assists in identifying the right donors. The article highlights the importance of quantitative and qualitative data and research for advancement. Quantitative data can be measured or counted, such as dollar amounts or the number of donors. Qualitative data is non-numerical data, such as details from a meeting or an event and can be found through contact reports, event reports, and surveys. However, the article reminds us that qualitative data needs to be organized in a way that allows you to analyze it. Many fundraisers and prospect research professionals know the importance of combining quantitative and qualitative data to identify and gather meaningful insights and get a better picture of prospective donors. Institutions that analyze data can best understand the characteristics of donors, how much they give, and the reason for their support. 

According to the key findings in the 2021 First Quarter Fundraising Report from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, there has been an increase in the number of donors and dollars in the first quarter (Q1) of 2021. There was a 13.6 percent increase in new donor retention, as 2020 donors continued to contribute to the same organizations. However, the data shows that giving to the human services sector increased while donations decreased for all other types of charities. Take a look at the FEP report’s dashboard to read more insights from the report. In order to continue the momentum of increasing support to higher education institutions, donors should be communicated with regularly about the impact of their gifts. When communicating, use personalized messaging to strengthen engagement. Mining data on existing donors can help craft custom messages to specific audiences, thus enhancing your fundraising strategies. 

As we all know, when audiences and supporters feel connected to the mission of an organization and know the impact they can make with their support, they will be more willing to make generous contributions. We wish you a safe summer as we navigate through the second half of the calendar year. As always, 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 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.
We all remember MacKenzie Scott's historic $4.2 billion gift to more than 350 organizations, which included HBCUs within the USM. While Scott was not a graduate of the HBCU institutions she donated to, there is a whole network of alumni that HBCUs can leverage to increase engagement and giving. In this blog post by Diverse Education, Dr. Charlie Nelms provides strategies to increase support from HBCU alumni. Dr. Nelms encourages starting early and making new students aware of how philanthropic support has impacted and sustained HBCUs. Include all alumni in communications, whether they are members of the alumni association or not. Create and sustain a culture of giving and treat every gift as a major gift. Lead by giving - Dr. Nelms encourages that the highest paid employee at your institution (typically the president) become the biggest giver so they have credibility when asking for support from cabinet members, deans, department chairs, faculty, and staff. Finally, thank and acknowledge gifts in a timely manner. Read the full post here.
A social donor is anyone who self-reports to giving to at least one charity by attending a fundraising event, participating or sponsoring someone in a fundraising activity, or donating or requesting donations for an occasion or challenge. A recent Giving Experience Survey by OneCause has shown that the number of social donors who self-report has increased from 28 percent in 2018 to 47 percent in 2021. 27 percent of adults in the U.S. gave through events and peer-to-peer fundraising in the past year, which is up 23 percent from 2018. However, giving from White/Non-Hispanic donors was down 10 percent from the 2018 survey, while Hispanic and Black giving increased. 60 percent of donors said they feel comfortable attending an in-person fundraising event this summer. 38 percent of social donors said they would attend a virtual event, with 22 percent preferring in-person, and 30 percent expecting to attend a mix of both. Read more here.
As we discussed at the beginning of this newsletter, the landscape of giving is changing as we move to a post-pandemic lifestyle in the United States. The composition of who is donating and how has changed considerably in the past decades and will continue to do so at a faster pace, according to Forbes. As we have heard before, fewer individuals are donating, but the individuals who donate are donating more. With tax codes incentivizing the wealthy to give, Forbes predicts that giving from the wealthy will continue to accelerate. Additionally, a greater share of giving will come from appreciated assets instead of cash and giving will increase from millennials. In order to keep up with these shifts, Forbes encourages nonprofits to:
  • Be knowledgeable about common financial issues relevant to the wealthy
  • Understand and support your donors that use donor-advised funds. 
  • Understand and respect the role of financial advisors, wealth managers and philanthropic advisors.
  • Create good pathways for asset and bequest giving. 
  • Prioritize user experience and design.
This detailed, how-to guide from Aspire Research Group covers how to create donor segments, why donor segmentation works for fundraising strategies, and how segmentation and personalization builds relationships. By segmenting donors, your nonprofit can build outreach and marketing strategies around minor groupings. This ultimately will lead to greater social media engagement, event registration, click-through rates, and online donations. Read the full guide here.
Bloomerang offers tips for hosting in-person fundraising events:
  • Host a hybrid event that allows for in-person attendance as well as virtual attendance.
  • Host multiple events in the same year - offer in-person events as well as virtual events and let your audience choose what they feel most comfortable with.
  • Host an outdoor in-person fundraising event.
  • Stay safe and follow CDC guidelines.