Best practices, strategies, and tips for fundraising.
Dementia currently affects more than 5.5 million people in the U.S., and this number is expected to double to approximately 16 million people in 30 years. This intersection between a growing population and donor demographic greatly emphasizes why all nonprofit organizations must become better aware of the ways in which their reputation, legal standing, and […]
Fiscal year-end is right around the corner for many of us. This is often a busy time, and year-end planning & goal-setting for the coming year is on everyone’s to-do lists. Regardless of whether the goal you’re setting is financial or based on activities, or whether it applies to your whole organization or only a […]
Women Give is an annual report from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University. This year’s study, Women Give 2019: Gender and Giving Across Communities of Color, examines the intersection of race, gender and giving, and asks how we can attend to this intersection in order to better serve our communities and shared futures. Read […]
Minneapolis, MN, March 18, 2019—Bentz Whaley Flessner (BWF), global fundraising consultancy, has announced changes in its executive leadership team. Joshua Birkholz, 11-year principal, will succeed Bruce Flessner as the Firm’s CEO. Flessner, company founder and principal, is stepping down from his role as CEO and leaving the Firm after 36 years of service. The BWF executive […]
For a growing number of hospitals, particularly nonprofit community hospitals, philanthropy is considered a necessity. Philanthropy is no longer seen as only supporting added extras—it’s now a source of revenue that supports the overall care of patients. In many community hospitals across the country, philanthropy is part of the revenue mix and is part of […]
What strategies do you use to identify, track, and vet potential board candidates? Board members are your top donors, your most vocal cheerleaders, and are fiduciarily responsible for your organization. Your organization needs sound practices in place to ensure you have a pipeline of philanthropic, committed, and enthusiastic volunteers. This advisory offers tips for each […]
Volunteers, especially in smaller nonprofit organizations, are an invaluable resource. Many of these small organizations are often run entirely by volunteers. According to Independent Sector, as of April 2018, “The updated value of a volunteer hour is the equivalent of $24.69, and 63 million Americans volunteered about 8 billion hours of their time, talent and […]
The newest report from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, Encouraging Giving to Women’s & Girls’ Causes: The Role of Social Norms, explores the intersection of social norms, gender, and charitable giving. This study analyzes how current giving behavior of others, future outlooks on giving, and gender affect donor behavior. The key findings that emerged from the […]
BWF is excited to share and celebrate the University of Sydney’s Inspired campaign reaching the $1 billion milestone, the first institution in Australia to do so. We are proud of our partnership and the efforts of the University and its leadership and staff. Congratulations!
It is with great sadness and profound respect that we announce the passing of our founder, and philanthropy colleague, Frank Bentz, on Monday, December 31, 2018. Frank Bentz led the development programs at Western Michigan University, Franklin College and the University of Minnesota before helping found Bentz Whaley Flessner in 1983. The firm grew from […]
Healthcare fundraising presents unique challenges, particularly relating to the prospect pipeline. Unlike educational institutions with naturally engaged alumni populations, most healthcare organizations and foundations have only a kernel of highly engaged and well-known prospects, donors, volunteers, and patrons. Outside of that kernel, however, the universe of constituents expands rapidly. In every healthcare community, there is […]
As 2019 begins, we can look back on 2018 and explore important trends that have shaped philanthropy and consider how they will affect the year ahead. The world of giving has been shaped by at least five trends: 1. Volatile markets impact giving. December 2017 was a record giving month for many nonprofits in the […]
We often talk about how today’s major gift donor is more sophisticated than ever, and thus more demanding. This is a good thing, because it makes those of us who are professional fundraisers more accountable and responsive to the needs of the donor. For example, a prospective donor, when approached with an idea that would […]
Every annual fund needs new donors and more dollars to grow and succeed (and meet increased expectations and budget goals). While that’s nothing new, what about trying a different and exciting way to acquire leadership annual fund donors? Hosting an acquisition event can be easy, fun, and low-budget. To have a successful event, you will […]
The past 10 years have seen an incredible advancement in analytics to support fundraising and engagement. Organizations of every mission and scale have created greater insight into who may give and how. Most analytics strategies, however, are constituent-focused and nearly entirely attentive to a single moment or outcome. This makes sense—it is a strong position […]
