Year-end revenue is essential to the well-being of many nonprofits. According to Classy, 31% of annual giving occurs in December. It’s important to communicate with supporters in such a way to maximize not only short-term income but subsequent giving as well. A feature of most year-end campaigns emphasizes the tax benefits of charitable giving. But if messaging isn’t well constructed, it’s possible to trigger what psychologists call the “exchange fiction,” which can result in a loss of affinity for the organization down the road.

A 2002 study, titled "Committing Altruism Under the Clock of Self-Interest: The Exchange Fiction," examined people's willingness to help a charitable organization when the act is presented as an economic transaction instead of an act of charity. It involved giving people a small gift — a candle — in exchange for a donation. They found that participants donated more money to a charity when offered a candle, even though the item held little appeal for them.

The interesting thing was why the offer of a gift stimulated giving. Social psychologists have documented people’s reluctance to make long-term commitments in many settings. Instead, people want to keep their options open to make choices whenever possible.

Passwords are the barrier between you and your personal information. Ensuring your passwords are strong and incorporating a two-factor authentication (2FA) process is critical to securing your accounts and preventing a breach of your most important data.

Many online accounts and services now offer 2FA, which means that in addition to entering your password, a second verification is required for you to log in. This usually happens with a code sent via text message or email, which will require you to manually enter that code on the site. Even if someone has stolen your password, they can’t get into your account without access to that code. This makes two-factor authentication even more important because if you lose access to an account, it can cost you time and money.

2FA protects user credentials from password guessing software, and it eliminates the collateral damage from successful phishing attempts. 2FA also includes an additional level of protection for consumers. Make sure you are taking advantage of any notifications or alerts set up on your accounts for banks, credit card companies, and emails. Those notifications — along with 2FA setup — can help you stop any targeted attacks before they become a reality.

Episode 22: Join Bryan Orander as he speaks with Damian Dunn of Your Money Line. Dunn shares insights about student loan forgiveness programs that could benefit nonprofit employees. He also talks about an innovative program that gives companies the ability to provide on-call financial advice and coaching as an employee benefit that enhances job satisfaction and retention.  Listen

The Junior League of Indianapolis is accepting applications for its Trust Fund Grant program. Nonprofit organizations that serve children with physical or developmental disabilities in Marion County are eligible and may request funding of up to $5,000 for a program or project. Letters of Intent are due by Nov. 1. Apply

Modern Apprenticeship, which prepares Marion County high school students for the workforce with paid, hands-on experience that complements traditional coursework, is seeking employer and student participants. Apply

Central Indiana Senior Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation, has announced grant funding of more than $1 million to 44 organizations serving Central Indiana seniors. The fund supports programs that serve seniors, ages 55 and older, who have low- to moderate-income or are isolated from community resources and opportunities. Read

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps is seeking proposals that address a compelling community need through traditional or disaster response projects. Typical projects are six to eight weeks long, although shorter periods are possible. Learn more and apply

Keep up with the latest nonprofit news! Follow Charitable Advisors on Instagram

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is seeking volunteers for the Brookside North Neighborhood Great Indy Cleanup on Oct. 22 at 9 a.m. Kick-off for the clean-up will begin at Oaks Academy at 9 a.m. Register

Charitable Allies How to update your nonprofit’s name, move to another state, and other changes

Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy New research examines how gender affects giving to racial justice causes

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Executive Director - Paws and Think, Inc.

Job Seekers, what do you think of Charitable Advisors’ new job board? We moved our job board to HiringOpps in late April. Now, we are anxious to find out how the new system is working as a job seeker. If you have applied for a job using the new system, could you please take 2-minutes to let us know how it is going?