View as Webpage

June 26, 2025

What do you love about the GC Nonprofit News? What would you like to see change or added to the website or the newsletter? We would love to hear your feedback, thoughts or suggestions. Send an email with your suggestions to jane@gcnonprofitnews.com or happy to schedule a call if that is more convenient.  

In partnership with local nonprofits and our sponsors, GC Nonprofit News strives to create a more informed, open and connected community, by sharing nonprofit news, job openings, and resources. 

Be informed and stay connected by reading GC Nonprofit News every week. Jane😊

Jane Page-Steiner, Owner & Publisher – jane@gcnonprofitnews.com

Kelli Tarantino, Editor - kelli@gcnonprofitnews.com

*REMINDER: Please submit your news by 2pm on Tuesday and jobs by 10am on Wednesday for Thursday's issue of GC Nonprofit News. Jobs submitted after 10am on Wednesday will appear in the following week's eNews.



How to Use the Summer Slump to Maximize Year-End Giving

by Jena Lynch

The slow days of summer have arrived. Kids are out of school, families are taking vacations together, and everyone is outside enjoying the sun and warm weather. As a result, fewer people are dedicating attention to their favorite charities. For nonprofits, this annual summer slowdown is an expected part of the ebb and flow of charitable giving. 

This year, the summer slump comes with additional challenges as nonprofits face a triple squeeze of funding:

1. Many organizations expect to see spending cuts or freezes due to shifting federal budget priorities that have already resulted in nearly $400 million in cuts to active grants, leading to the shutdown of more than 1,000 programs. 
2. Individual donors are giving less and to fewer organizations. 
3. Nonprofits face rising demands for services across all sectors.

The summer season presents an opportunity for nonprofits to recharge and adopt a strategic approach. According to recent data, 25% of annual giving comes in between GivingTuesday and Dec. 31 — with a 5% occurring on Dec. 31. With these facts in mind, nonprofits should deploy strategies to turn the slower summer months into a time for building momentum and strengthening donor relations in preparation for a year-end fundraising blitz.  

The Retention Reality Check

Many nonprofits fall into the trap of prioritizing new donor acquisition over donor retention. However, this approach runs counter to several important facts. First, according to the most recent information from Giving USA, charitable giving grew by 1.9% in 2023, which did not outpace inflation, resulting in a slight gain turning into a 2.1% loss. Second, nonprofits, on average, lost 80% of their first-time donors last year, and acquiring new donors costs 10 to 20 times more than retaining existing ones. 

This acquisition-focused approach forces nonprofits to work harder while sidelining their most valuable resource: existing supporters. Instead, nonprofits can bolster their fundraising efforts by creating strategies to retain existing donors while still pursuing new ones. After all, existing donors have already bought into the mission and have decided to give. Nonprofits that can effectively engage this group and deliver a 10% increase in retention could yield up to a 200% increase in donor lifetime value. Talk about delivering bang for your buck!

This approach can yield exceptional results and offer a much more cost-effective path forward than constantly chasing new support. The summer slump is the ideal time to develop a strategy to engage your existing donor base before the year-end giving season kicks off with GivingTuesday. 

The Four-Month Summer Strategy Framework

Many nonprofits operate in a perpetual survival mode, which makes it challenging to conduct consistent donor outreach, let alone create a proactive plan for summer communication. When September arrives, organizations that haven't prepared appeals, drafted campaigns or segmented donor lists will be left scrambling. The 2025 giving season could be the most important one yet, and failing to do any strategic preparation for the fall would be a significant misstep. 

This four-month framework is built on the four S's of successful donor nurturing...READ MORE...



PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

LifeSciKY welcomes Amelia Wares as its Executive Operations Fellow. 

HealthSource of Ohio proudly announces that Emily Nickolas has joined the organization as Sr. Director of Philanthropy.

The Last Mile Food Rescue Foundation is excited to welcome Ken Schlachter, CFA, as a newly elected trustee.

Central Clinic Behavioral Health has announced three key leadership hires. (L to R): Lisa Portune has joined the organization as Director of Compliance. Stephanie Phelps is Chief Human Resources Officer. Barbara Bergan, LPCC, has been promoted to Chief Development and Program Officer.

Transform Cincy has received its largest donation to date with a $50,000 grant from Interact for Health to Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati supporting Transform's work addressing mental health needs of local trans youth.

At Best Point’s 161st Annual Membership Meeting and Dinner the organization proudly presented the inaugural Bridge Builder Award to Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas. This award honors individuals who have made a meaningful and lasting impact by connecting at-risk families to the support, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. 

Cancer Support Community Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky invites the entire community to join a milestone celebration: this year's Backyard Bash honoring their 35th Anniversary and National Cancer Survivors Month. This free, family-friendly event is this Saturday, June 28, 11:00am – 1:00pm, Lynn Stern Center (4918 Cooper Road). RSVP here. 

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the Cincinnati International Wine Festival to further its mission of providing crucial support for families navigating medical care with their critically ill children. 

Florence Christian Church will host a church-wide Yard Sale on Saturday, June 28 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 300 Main Street in Florence. All proceeds will go directly to purchasing school supplies for Boone County students.

In May, the Healing Center set out with a bold goal--to raise $150,000 to fully fund the Healing Center Marketplace. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the community, they not only met the goal—they soared past it and raised more than $225,000. 

Veteran Companion Animal Services (VCAS), a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing shelter dogs and pairing them with military veterans in need of emotional support, is proud to announce the opening of its first expansion office in Cincinnati, Ohio. VCAS, headquartered in Delaware, Ohio, will have the ability to reach and impact hundreds more veterans across the state with this new initiative.

Green Umbrella is hosting the Cincinnati premiere of the award-winning documentary, How to Poison a Planet starring Mark Ruffalo, at Cincinnati World Cinema on July 15. Following the screening, a discussion will feature Robert Bilott a renowned environmental attorney. 

COVERD Greater Cincinnati has a new home in Walnut Hills, and we are making affordable warehouse space and services available to the Cincinnati nonprofit community. Do you have to turn down product donations or deals because you don't have a loading dock or the space to receive and store it? We can receive deliveries, store your inventory, and provide space for you to process, make kits, etc. if needed. Email Nick@coverdgc.org to arrange a visit. 

Women100 Cincy's mission is to empower, connect, and support Greater Cincinnati charitable organizations through a range of avenues, including donations, grants, and services. We are honored to open our first grant application process: Community Connections Grants. Email info@women100cincy.com Attn: Community Connections Grant to apply. Our grant committee will email you an application form. The W100 Advisory Board will be in contact with you regarding your status. Our goal is to empower, inspire, and support local nonprofits in their current and future initiatives. 

As part of his commitment to ensuring all Ohio children have the opportunity to build strong foundations for success, Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) Director Kara B. Wente announced the availability of $5 million in grant funding to support training for teachers at early care and education programs on how to harness the Science of Reading to enrich their young students’ literacy skills from an early age. To learn more about DCY and its priorities, visit here. 

Aviatra Accelerators announces the launch of its Capital-Ready Women (CRW) program, the only fundability assessment and guided program in the U.S. that is not government-affiliated or associated with a financial institution. This program is specifically designed to help women in non-tech industries prepare to successfully access capital through loans or investments. Look here for more information about Aviatra's Capital-Ready Women program or to apply.



Introduction to Finding Grants, July 8, 2:00pm-3:30pm. Discover what funders are looking for in nonprofits seeking grants and how to find potential funders in this introductory course. You will learn the 10 most important things you need to know about finding grants, including: who funds nonprofits and what their motivations are, what do funders really want to know about organizations and how do you identify potential funders and make the first approach. Free. Registration required.



Grants Research Lab – Introduction to Foundation Directory, July 10, 2:00pm-3:30pm. This class demonstrates how to use Foundation Directory, the most comprehensive prospect research tool for fundraisers, with over 240,000 grantmaker profiles. Participants learn how to search for grantmakers who have funded organizations working on causes and with communities similar to those they serve. Free. Registration required. 

Looking for great talent? Reserve your FREE recruiting table at the Kenton County Library Career Fair August 7; 10am-1pm. Space is limited! Register by July 7.

Want to support Tour de CROWN and enjoy it too? Tri State Trails is looking for experienced riders to serve as ride guides and sweeps. Ride guides help lead pace groups and navigate the route, while sweeps bring up the rear to make sure every rider finishes safely. It's a great way to be part of the team and help make the Tour de CROWN a smooth and supportive experience for all. Sign up here. 

Celebrate Independence Day while supporting Ohio River Foundation. Our team will be pouring beers at MadTree Brewing Red, White & Blue Ash on Friday, July 4th and we need volunteers to work with us. Contact Rich (rcogen@ohioriverfdn.org) for more information or to sign up. 

New study shines light on impact of donor advised funds Every year, more donor dollars are diverted to donor-advised funds (DAFs), while nonprofits on the ground struggle harder for donations. In the absence of adequate oversight, DAFs are ripe for abuse.

When to quit: a simple framework for life's toughest decisions Annie Duke views decision-making as a teachable skill that many people never learn how to do systematically. We tend to judge decisions by the outcome, but Duke argues that what really matters is the quality of thinking behind them.

Our sponsor and partner marketplace serves to further connect our readers with our advertisers who are focused on serving nonprofits. To learn more about a sponsor's nonprofit services, click on their ad. Contact Kelli Tarantino, editor, at kelli@gcnonprofitnews.com to discover how your business or organization can become a sponsor/advertiser of the Greater Cincinnati Nonprofit News.

Impact Coordinator (Community Based), Forever Kings Inc. (part-time) (Posted 6/26/2025)

Director of Publications & Digital Content, Music Teachers National Association (Posted 6/26/2025)

Vice President of Advancement, DCCH Center for Children and Families (Posted 6/26/2025) 

Community Relations Coordinator, DCCH Center for Children and Families (Posted 6/26/2025) 

Donor Relations Coordinator, DCCH Center for Children and Families (Posted 6/26/2025)

Major Gifts Officer, CHNK Behavioral Health (Posted 6/19/2025)

Community Prevention & Wellness Coordinator, Cincinnati Music & Wellness Coalition (part-time) (Posted 6/19/2025)

Transition Coach, The Spina Bifida Coalition (part-time) (Posted 6/19/2025)

Medical-Legal Partnerships Legal Aid Liaison, Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati (Posted 6/19/2025)

President & Chief Executive Officer, Lighthouse Youth & Family Services (Posted 6/12/2025)

Administrative Assistant, CancerFree KIDS (Posted 6/12/2025) 

Community Resource Navigator, Mercy Neighborhood Ministries (part-time) (Posted 6/5/2025)

Development Coordinator, Cooperative for Education (Posted 6/5/2025)

Manager, Non-profit Services, Ignite Philanthropy (Posted 6/5/2025)

Care Services Coordinator-Greater Cincinnati, ALS United Ohio (Posted 6/5/2025)

Grants Manager, Mount St. Joseph University (Posted 5/29/2025)

Development Director, Mill Creek Alliance (Posted 5/29/2025)