Tapping into $74 billion
The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act created a provision for non-itemizers starting this year. Taxpayers taking the standard deduction can deduct cash donations to charities up to $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for married couples filing jointly. (Note: Donor-advised fund donations are excluded.) Why this is important: · Nonprofits can […]
Giving Days: Opportunity or Just Another Date on the Calendar?
You’re probably already familiar with some of the seemingly endless “National Days” on the calendar: National Pi Day (March 14), National Siblings Day (April 10), and many, many others. Some are serious. Some are decidedly less so. Personally, I’m partial to World Chocolate Day (July 7), National Coffee Day (September 29), and National […]
Just W.A.I.T.!
Before a donor meeting early in my career, someone offered blunt advice: Don’t show up and throw up. In other words: don’t walk into the room, assume you know what the donor cares about, deliver a monologue about your programs, and keep talking until you’ve diluted your own case. It happens more often […]
Ben Franklin’s Forward-Thinking Generosity
Celebrating a Great Founder during National Make-A-Will Month In 1789 Benjamin Franklin established a 200-year endowment by leaving money in his will to educate youth in trades and applied science. The initial gift equaled over $160,000 in today’s dollars and, by the 1990s, the endowment had grown to almost $10 million. Franklin was a strategic […]
Mass Communication vs. Meaningful Contact
Years ago, I heard the phrase, “Don’t mistake motion for movement.” In fundraising, that warning is especially relevant. It’s easy to stay busy all day and still avoid the work that actually advances donor relationships. Mass communication is a good example. Sending an email update to your entire donor list is efficient and often necessary. […]
The Lies We Tell Our Board
Building a strong, engaged board is not accidental. It requires discipline, clarity, and a willingness to set — and enforce — high expectations. Yet many organizations undermine themselves from the start by lowering the bar. They do it subtly, often with the best of intentions. It sounds like this: “It’s OK if you just give […]
Little League season is in full swing! (Swing…get it?).
Normally, I would not know this except for the fact that my husband is once again coaching a team of 8- and 9-year-olds! One of the (many) things I appreciate about my husband is that he approaches baseball as more than just a game. It’s an opportunity to teach discipline, resilience, and how to handle […]
It’s Time to Stop
As a new fundraising year accelerates, urgency takes over. A proposal is due! The website needs updating! An event is coming up! The to-do list expands. Activity increases. Results don’t always follow. If you feel busier than ever but are not achieving meaningful outcomes, do something counterintuitive: Stop. · Stop reacting to every […]
Generous George
February 22 is George Washington’s birthday, so it’s fitting to reflect on his life, leadership, and extraordinary service to the cause of freedom. What’s less widely known is his lifelong commitment to charitable giving. Washington gave generously to higher education, supported the care and education of orphans, and contributed—often anonymously—to hundreds of churches and charitable […]
The Year of You
According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, today begins the Year of the Fire Horse typified by dynamic energy, independence, innovation, and rapid change. Whether you celebrate the lunar new year or not, the broader idea holds: moments of transition create opportunities to rethink habits, improve our skills, and recommit to important work. For fundraising purposes, […]