Beyond the Basics: The Nuance of Campaign Success
Several years ago, I was contacted by a reporter covering philanthropy for our city’s leading newspaper. Researching her assignment, she was struck by an interesting fact. “Why,” she asked, “are so many nonprofits engaged in capital campaigns?” In reply, I shared a sentiment well-known in the nonprofit sector: If you are not in a campaign, […]
Looking to Engage Employee Volunteers? Lead with Program Impact
For many corporate social responsibility (CSR) practitioners, engaging employees is a key responsibility. In particular, employee awareness of – and participation in – volunteer programs are often KPIs used to gauge overall workforce engagement and employee satisfaction. While such stats are important for measuring volunteer program success, an over-emphasis on participation can overshadow the community […]
Four Key Trends and Tips for Arts & Culture Nonprofits to Know in 2024
Among the many lessons reinforced over the past few years is the critical role our cultural institutions – from our museums and parks to science centers and the performing arts – play in American life. Together, these institutions help shape our collective identity and foster a more creative and compassionate society by preserving, interpreting, and […]
Building Deep Donor Relationships: Fundamentals for Health and Research Fundraisers
A perspective for fundraisers in health and research, or anyone who wants to build deeper relationships with their donors when outcomes aren’t immediate or even guaranteed. Many of us in the fundraising profession envy our colleagues who work at nonprofits with clear, assured outcomes; an input of X will get us to Y. But what […]
From Strategy to Storytelling: Getting Social Impact Communications Right
Now more than ever, effective social impact storytelling is a powerful way for companies to connect with stakeholders, inspire action across their employee base and demonstrate the positive contributions they are making in their communities. Yet we know first-hand that many corporate social impact professionals regularly face challenges when thinking about their communications strategies. They […]
Forging Meaningful Connections: The Art of Networking for Fundraising Success
Good fundraisers know one of the most (if not the most) essential strategies is having the right person make the ask. This is because fundraising success is built on creating meaningful relationships. Much like fundraising, networking is also centered around building relationships. Networking offers opportunities to engage with clients, partners, professional peers, and industry leaders, […]
Reporting Results: The Hartford Bishops’ Foundation
Changing Our World recently collaborated with The Hartford Bishops’ Foundation by leading an organized response to the COVID-19 pandemic, quickly setting up the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) to help offset the significant impact on parish life, Catholic schools, and social service programs that resulted when churches in the Archdiocese of Hartford were forced to close […]
A PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK TO ASSESS CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP STRATEGY IN THE WAKE OF COVID-19
As companies begin to rethink citizenship programs in light of COVID-19, they will need to take a fresh look at a landscape which has been drastically altered, both by the health crisis itself and by its economic and community-level repercussions. Changing Our World has developed a series of key questions that provide a practical framework […]
So, What Should We Do? | Essay 6
Over the past several months, we have offered a series of essays that have documented changes in the nonprofit environment. Many of us are experiencing that successful campaigns can no longer be premised simply on need and that cases are no longer as effective when they assume that support will flow from a statement of […]
What is a Campaign Anyway? | Essay 5
In the fifth installment of Changing Our World’s 2019 essay series, we explore how fundraising campaigns are changing and must continue to evolve to meet the continually shifting expectations of donors. How can a nonprofit move the focus away from its own wants and needs, toward the problem and its solution(s)? We explore these topics […]