05
2021
2021: Ten Trends for Significant Nonprofit Survival
2021 will be a year of transition for nonprofit organizations as well as for the rest of society. Transition does not mean heading back to the business as usual of 2019, but movement toward a blending of what was, what has been learned, what has changed and what is needed for a more equitable and just society. The Pandemic taught us many things and reminded us of things we knew, but were easy to push to the back burner. It changed patterns of thought, behavior and action. Our culture, society, economy, technology and all other aspects responded. We hear of…
24
2020
“Ask a Fundraiser” A Pilot Program
Jim and I are trying out an idea that we have been discussing for awhile. A “Ask a Fundraiser” service. What if someone at an organization could just text us a quick question? It might be about fundraising, or an upcoming event, or a new Executive Director just wants a second opinion? How can we make it easier for clients to reach out, especially now when many of us are working from home, in between family obligations and the stress of the pandemic. I’m excited because recently I found a way for nonprofit organizations to reach me via text, and…
19
2020
2020 1/2 In the Time of the Virus, Ten Trends for Significant Survival
Essay By Jim Toscano with additions by Dania Miwa. As we typically do, we released our 2020 predictions in December of last year. Then, in March all bets were suddenly off, as the infection and death rates started climbing and we began to realize the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for nonprofits. This is our attempt to re-forecast based on what we are telling clients, experiencing first hand and as we are seeing some national trends emerge. Leap Year 2020 did occur in February as did so many more events. We celebrated many of the anniversaries:100 years of women having…
28
2020
Here We Are
Is it over yet? It’s been almost a month since I posted last, which has both flown by, and seemed like several years. Jim and I will continue to host Pay it Fwd. (9:00 am PST, Wednesday’s on zoom Link here.) When we launched Pay it Fwd, I expected that it might last a few weeks and I’d be thrilled if we got even a few people every time, but every week has grown and has become a lovely community of support, laughter and a place to find the solutions together. I’m glad to have you all in my network…
30
2020
Pay it FWD
To say it’s been a hard couple of weeks seems such an understatement, that it’s almost comedic. We don’t know what’s in store for the foreseeable future, and we don’t claim to have the answers or even to fully understand the scope of the current situation we are in. What we hope is that we can add to the conversation, to create safe space to come together, to be vulnerable and to ask the really tough questions and as a sector to find a positive path forward. To that end, we have launched a Wednesday Zoom call to hold space,…
14
2019
2020: Ten Trends Affecting Nonprofits
Leap Year 2020 will see a tumultuous Presidential election, $10 billion in election spending, the decennial Census, 100 years of women voting, the summer Olympics in Tokyo, hotly contested Oscars, a thrilling World Series, a Rose Bowl with our new state of Oregon represented and substantial underlying changes in the nonprofit world. Here is what we see coming. 1. Rapid Underlying Change. Underneath a seeming stable overall sector, with slow growth over inflation, there are, and will be substantial underlying changes going on, with many organizations struggling to maintain this outward stability. Major flux will be the norm for many,…
19
2018
2019: Ten Trends Affecting Nonprofits
Article by Dania Miwa and Jim Toscano. Transition was the name of the game in 2018 for nonprofits, anticipating changes in government policy, especially in tax law, and trying to decide what directions should be taken. More than ever, large nonprofit organizations’ fundraising focus was on the top of the donor pyramid with programming focused on expansion. Almost everyone else tried to just hold on, with some nonprofits attempting to fill gaps caused by changing societal, economic, environmental and government trends through alternative funding strategies. Here’s what’s in store for 2019: Enlargement of the Civil Benefit Sector. With increases…
11
2017Eleven Ways to Increase Nonprofit Revenue
Dania Toscano Miwa and Jim Toscano For many nonprofits the current revenue situation is undergoing change, especially those seeking growth. With increasing numbers of nonprofits, higher competition, changes in individual giving, more narrow focusing of many foundations and corporations and impending loss of some government funding, where do we look for stability and growth of revenue? Here are eleven options. Many work together. Not all, or any, may fit specific nonprofit organizations. Hopefully, out of these possibilities, will come some opportunity for increased revenue or a stimulus for creative new options. Overall, the first step is to build a culture…
30
2016
New Twists on Philanthropy
Last week saw an interesting development in the world of philanthropy, usually defined as giving money to good causes. Often there is also an assumption that it’s done as a donation to a charity, with a tax deduction for the gift. Now we have two examples where that isn’t the case, or almost not the case. Variants on the impact investments of foundations and greater flexibility allowed private business, these new efforts have a much more defined focus. When the examples are provided by George Soros and Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, other philanthropists take notice. George Soros’ Focus on…
15
2015
2016: Ten Nonprofit Trends
Change is accelerating in the non-profit sector to a degree that the following trends will become highly visible and important in the new year: Sector Shift: Very slowly, over 50 years ago, the government sector began shifting social services to the nonprofit sector, resulting in much of the responsibility for this area being privatized. Certainly, government is still funding significant portions, along with the added foundation, corporate and individual donors. Now, with social impact investing, for-profit companies, including B-Corps and others, fueled by foundation corpus investments, social impact bonds, mutual funds and individual donor/investors, are taking on low-hanging fruits to produce…