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Even if the megabill boosts charitable giving, nonprofits providing social services are likely to find themselves financially squeezed, an economist says. By Daniel Hungerman Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Plus Tax policy changes can influence how much Americans donate. Even if the megabill boosts charitable giving, nonprofits providing social services are likely to find themselves financially squeezed, an economist says.
When Arika Wells, CNP, MPA , moved to Tucson, Arizona in 2002, she didn’t expect to stay long. She had just graduated from the University of San Diego , where she earned the nationally recognized Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP ) credential, married her college sweetheart, and left everything behind. Tucson felt unfamiliar and quiet. It would take years, but Arika would eventually become a central figure in Tucson’s community.
When supporters were persuaded to give using their donor-advised fund, many gave twice as much. Some donors who'd given only $100 before increased their gifts to $5,000. By Rasheeda Childress Getty Images/iStockphoto When supporters were persuaded to give using their donor-advised fund, they gave the same or more 85 percent of the time, new research finds.
Nonprofits are under more pressure than ever to demonstrate financial accountability while continuing to expand their impact. Traditional budgeting models often fall short, reinforcing silos, limiting flexibility, and stalling growth. Enter collaborative budgeting: a dynamic, team-driven process that enables smarter resource allocation and builds financial resilience at scale.
Over the years, I’ve realized the importance of keeping things simple. This is even more important now during this time of chaos and uncertainty. I’m sure you’re experiencing those both professionally and personally. I often find pleasure in simple things such as taking a walk, reading (I’ve found the Thursday Murder Club series to be a nice escape right now), and doing yoga.
Image credit: Jordan Spraggins on Unsplash Over the past few weeks, states across the country have experienced scorching temperatures. From Texas to Maine, nearly 160 million people were placed under heat alerts as forecasters predicted temperatures up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above seasonal averages. In the Southeast, conditions were so severe that, in late June, the Department of Energy declared a power emergency , allowing Duke Energy Carolinas to temporarily operate certain electric generati
Image credit: Jordan Spraggins on Unsplash Over the past few weeks, states across the country have experienced scorching temperatures. From Texas to Maine, nearly 160 million people were placed under heat alerts as forecasters predicted temperatures up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above seasonal averages. In the Southeast, conditions were so severe that, in late June, the Department of Energy declared a power emergency , allowing Duke Energy Carolinas to temporarily operate certain electric generati
Nonprofits are crucial for communities, but they face significant hurdles. These organizations face many common challenges like securing sustainable funding, managing volunteer engagement, and navigating internal dynamics that can hinder their vital work. When we recently asked the Blue Avocado community “What do nonprofits struggle with the most?
Ike Anand, the organization's chief operating officer since 2020, previously worked at travel-tech firm Expedia. By Glenn Gamboa, Associated Press Courtesy ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Ike Anand has spent most of his career working at for-profit businesses. The group, which is in the midst of a global expansion, chose Ike Anand, the organization's chief operating officer since 2020, who previously worked at travel-tech firm Expedia.
The summer slump Imagine it is a hot July afternoon. Your team recently sent out a fundraising appeal—and the response is underwhelming. You have seen this before. Each year, summer rolls in with sunshine, vacations, and, unfortunately, a sharp dip in donations. This seasonal lull , often referred to as the “summer slump,” can leave nonprofits scrambling to meet their fundraising goals.
Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Community Engagement
There’s more than one way to end the year with impact—and we’re letting you decide the direction. In this "choose your own adventure" community-led webinar, attendees will vote in real time to pick one of three year-end event strategies to explore in depth: Volunteer Appreciation Events 🧡 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaigns 🌈 Mission/Program Celebrations 🎉 Once the path is chosen, we’ll dive into a step-by-step engagement workflow plan tailored to that format, showing how
In 2025, gender disparities in the technology sector remain firmly entrenched. According to AnitaB.org , women account for just 29% of the tech workforce and only 15% of engineering roles. Representation drops further at the intersections of gender and racial/ethnic identity. According to Forbes , Black, Latina, and Indigenous women collectively comprise less than 5% of the sector’s workforce.
By Nicolás Ríos Documented, an immigrant-facing nonprofit newsroom, shares the creative and innovative ways they've gone about reaching underserved communities.
Co-leaders of a Louisiana community group share what makes their norm-defying intergenerational partnership a boon for their staff, their community, and their personal growth. By Drew Lindsay Illustration by The Chronicle of Philanthropy; Photos courtesy of Metromorphosis. Co-leaders of a Louisiana community group share what makes their norm-defying intergenerational partnership a boon for their staff, their community, and their personal growth.
If you think public speaking is scary, asking for money is like doing it while skydiving—with no parachute.” So, you’ve been asked (forced or voluntold) to help raise money for your favorite charity. Well, welcome to the Nonprofit Fundraising Club. You are not alone. In fact, you’re in a massive, sweaty-palmed club of nonprofit tribe of do-gooders and boardroom escape artists who would rather wrestle a porcupine in a vat of Jell-O than ask someone for money.
Speaker: Lee Andrews, Founder at LJA New Media & Tony Karrer, Founder and CTO at Aggregage
This session will walk you through how one CEO used generative AI, workflow automation, and sales personalization to transform an entire security company—then built the Zero to Strategy framework that other mid-market leaders are now using to unlock 3.5x ROI. As a business executive, you’ll learn how to assess AI opportunities in your business, drive adoption across teams, and overcome internal resource constraints—without hiring a single data scientist.
Knowing what fundraising campaign prompted a gift to your nonprofit is important, but often difficult. Here are some fixes to common attribution challenges.
Credit: Fabrice Florin on Flickr This is the fourth in a series of six NPQ articles that first challenge—and then change—the way we think about volunteers. In this series, The Unexpected Value of Volunteers , author Jan Masaoka takes on the underappreciated topic of volunteerism, provides some unexpected ideas, and points the way toward a public policy agenda on volunteerism.
"Most nonprofits don’t have a branding problem—they have a clarity problem." Discover how refining your verbal identity can transform your nonprofit's outreach and engagement. The post Branding Beyond the Logo: What Nonprofits Must Know appeared first on The Charity CFO.
Too often, nonprofit leaders view a grant as a guaranteed win when everything seems to align. But seasoned grant writers know better. This blog breaks down what’s in our control, what’s not, and how to communicate the unpredictability of grants with confidence and clarity. “Our mission perfectly aligns with the funder’s priorities, the program officer invited a proposal, our program is rock solid, and we have an amazing grant writer in place.
Speaker: Gareth Webb & Phil Selley, Founding Partners at Intouch Business
For many nonprofit organizations and NGOs, managing grants and monitoring projects with spreadsheets and manual processes feels familiar—but is it holding your organization back? As funding requirements become more complex and stakeholder expectations for transparency grow, relying on outdated methods can lead to inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and compliance risks.
In Ecosystems Come and Go , Seth Godin writes: “We can lament the end of an ecosystem. After all, we worked hard to get here and we counted on it. We’re comfortable with it and we understand it. Or, we can accept that ecosystems come and go, and focus our energy on how the next ecosystem gives us a chance to do our work, new work, different work, but work that matters, for people who care.
In San Diego, California, refugees displaced from Myanmar (formerly Burma), Somalia, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and other countries have resettled in Mid-City. Over the decades, they’ve transformed this once-blighted area into an urban village of small businesses, restaurants, and cultural spaces. Today, due to rising real estate prices, families who have resettled here—many after enduring war, persecution, and climate disasters—are finding themselves housing insecure and displaced ag
By Ben Gose People’s Action Institute The organizer, who immigrated to the United States from El Salvador at age 13, has an ability to understand people who don’t think like she does.
Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.
Tima Miroshnichenko, Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels , public domain. These days, the phrase “return to office” is as inescapable as “work from home” was circa 2020. Fortune 500 firms that were once remote workplaces are now publishing white papers and executive letters that argue the necessity of getting employees back into the office. Yet a March 2025 Gallup poll indicated that 93 percent of remote-capable workers (as in, workers whose jobs can be performed remotely) prefer either compl
This Article is Certified Gold Avocado Gold never goes out of style — and neither does good advice. The Gold Avocado series showcases some of the very best content that Blue Avocado has for nonprofit leaders, based on overall popularity, reader response, and quality. Taxes are no fun, but even nonprofits need to take them seriously. Do you ever have a question about your IRS Form 990 and can’t seem to find the answer?
Social media is one of the most visible ways that help nonprofits reach their community, share their stories, and build support for their cause. But with the platforms constantly making changes and audience behavior always shifting, it can be confusing what the most effective approach would be. So, we’ve curated our favorite Candid insights articles focused on improving your nonprofit’s social media.
The Black Freedom Fund has raised $100 million — and plans to double that amount — in a rare effort to build a Black-led endowment. By Alex Daniels Justin Bench UnCommon Law, which helps people navigating California’s discretionary parole process, is a grantee of the California Black Freedom Fund. The Black Freedom Fund has raised $100 million — and plans to double that amount — in a rare effort to build a Black-led endowment.
Traditional budgeting and forecasting methods can no longer keep pace with today’s rapidly evolving business environment. Static budgets, rigid annual forecasts, and outdated financial models limit an organization’s ability to adapt to market shifts and economic uncertainty. To stay ahead, finance leaders must leverage a future-forward approach—one that leverages real-time data, predictive analytics, and continuous planning to drive smarter financial decisions.
When starting out with any voter registration event, our Voting in Your State voter registration drive guides are the first resource we recommend going to. Even if you’re a seasoned pro and register folks like clockwork, it’s always a good idea to keep up to date with state laws on voter registration. As laws change rapidly, checking these protects your organization while empowering your community to vote!
Many board members believe their role in fundraising is to open doors, approve budgets, or review campaign reports. All of that matters—but if that’s where their involvement ends, something vital is missing. Fundraising is not just strategic. It’s emotional. And if your board doesn’t understand the emotional journey of the donor—or their own internal resistance to asking—they’re likely to stay on the sidelines.
How Nonprofits Can Use Visual Storytelling to Drive Engagement and Donations Nonprofits and mission-driven organizations face a daunting challenge getting their message heard, remembered, and acted upon. Whether you’re trying to attract donors, raise awareness, or mobilize volunteers, your story is your most powerful asset. But a powerful story needs powerful delivery, and that’s where visual storytelling comes in.
Speaker: Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand
Do you really know your donors? Not just what they give, but who they are? 👥 In this interactive session, we’ll break down how nonprofits can use behavioral indicators (affinity, recency, frequency, and monetary value) to build prospecting segments that go beyond wealth screening and actually align with donor identity. You’ll walk away with practical strategies to move beyond basic demographics and cultivate supporters based on how they already engage with you!
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