We are thrilled you’re here! In the posts below, you will find resources, updates, news, and information about a variety of topics in philanthropy and the social sector. Enjoy!

Demystifying Cryptocurrency: How Crypto Giving Works and Why It’s Important

Posted on by Alford Group

Online Webinar

More and more, donors are giving through crypto giving.  This dialogue presents the opportunity to engage this growing segment of philanthropists. This webinar will lead you through what it is, why it’s important and how to use it. Hear from a panel of experts who will share their stories of working with donors to support the causes they care about through this source of giving.

Slide Deck: Crypto Giving Webinar Presentation

Resources:

Crypto Fundraising 101: Start here to learn about crypto and how your nonprofit can start accepting cryptocurrency donations. This guide includes how crypto works, crypto user demographics, key factors for nonprofits to consider and tips for establishing a successful nonprofit crypto fundraising strategy.

How to Launch a Successful Crypto Fundraising Campaign: Check out this guide to learn how your nonprofit can begin diversifying its fundraising strategy and connect with a new generation of young donors.

Getting to Know Cryptocurrency Donors: Discover the traits, values and motivations of the next generation of philanthropists in this detailed report.

Everyone’s Talking About Crypto, But What Is it? Here’s Your Non-Techie Guide: This is a quick-read article about the basics of cryptocurrency.

The Giving Blog: Looking for more resources for crypto fundraising? Take a look at The Giving Block’s blog with topics such as crypto 101, end-of-year fundraising strategies, NFTs and more.

 

Speakers

Sharon Tiknis, Alford Group

Andi Anderson, PAWS Chicago

Alex Cesario, Breakthrough Urban Ministries

Karl Simpson, The Giving Block

Strength-Based Messaging: How to Accelerate Impact Through Inclusivity

Posted on by Alford Group

Online Webinar

Organizations in the nonprofit community have been leaders when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion – and yet much of the language used in fundraising communications has stemmed from needs-based messaging. This webinar makes time to elevate and uplift the work of nonprofits and the communities served through strength-based messaging. This session demonstrates how strength-based messaging empowers nonprofits, their communities and their donors with real world examples. Hear from a panel of experts who have been integrating strength-based messaging into grant-writing, donor communication, website content and more. Attendees left this session with immediate strategies to refresh and reframe cases for support and accelerate impact through inclusivity.

Slide deck: Strength-Based Messaging Webinar Presentation

Resource: Grants Plus Guide

Year-End Giving: Reach the Next Level in Fundraising Results

Posted on by Alford Group

Online Webinar

Do you want to take your internal operations to the next level – and raise more money? Especially with year-end giving upon us, the answer for most development professionals is “Yes!” This session will walk you through year-end campaign best practices and highlight how you can improve your internal operations to accelerate fundraising this year and beyond. Learn how to strengthen systems, save time and money, and ultimately raise more dollars to have a greater impact on the communities you serve.

Slide Deck: Year-End Giving Webinar- Presentation

Fundraising Operations: Take Your Organization to the Next Level

Posted on by Alford Group

By Mary Hackett, Vice President

It’s that time of the year again. The leaves are changing colors, the aroma of pumpkin spice is in the air and year-end giving is once again upon us.

For those development professionals in the middle of a campaign, you might be wondering what best practices you should adopt as you close out the year. For others, you might be concerned about how to maintain the year-end giving momentum into the new year. And for others still, there’s an age-old question that always comes to mind during this time each year: how do I make sure that next year I’m more prepared to tackle year-end giving and all of the work that it entails?

Well, this is exactly where fundraising operations comes into play. By focusing on enhancing and improving your fundraising operations, you will strengthen every area of your development department and make sure that you and your development team feel better prepared to handle the flurry of year-end tasks and responsibilities.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can take your fundraising game to the next level! Continue reading “Fundraising Operations: Take Your Organization to the Next Level”

Capital Campaigns: The 4 Things You Need to Have in Place Before You Launch

Posted on by Alford Group

Free Webinar | Thursday, December 8, 2022 | 1:00p.m. Central Time

Planning a capital campaign? There are four components you need to have in place before you launch a special campaign for a significant capital project and/or major endowment effort.  Join this webinar to find out what they are and how to execute on each one. Set your organization up for success with this information. Karen Rotko-Wynn, CFRE, Alford Group will share the essential components and Rachel Krinsky, Former Executive Director of LifeWire, and now with Alford Group, will share how she and her team put them into action, resulting in a successful capital campaign.

This webinar is approved for 1.0 CFRE credits.

Karen Rotko-Wynn, CFRE, Chief Business Enterprise Officer, Alford Group

Rachel Krinsky, Vice President, Alford Group

REGISTER HERE! 

 

 

Five Practical Steps to Diversify your Board of Directors

Posted on by Alford Group

By JoAnn Yoshimoto, Senior Consultant

Before we plunge into the practical “how-to” ideas, let’s consider a few often-ignored questions: Why are we even having this conversation? Why does board diversity matter? Some of the answers might be philosophical, ethical, equity- or values-based, others might be quantifiable, statistical, evidence-based, but every nonprofit organization must find its own answers to these questions.

Continue reading “Five Practical Steps to Diversify your Board of Directors”

Giving USA: What Lies Ahead for Philanthropy in America

Posted on by Alford Group

By Araceli Duran, Business Development Associate

Alford Group hosted a webinar that looked at some of the key findings from the new Giving USA report and invited expert panelists to discuss the current state of giving in the country. Let’s take a look at some of the key findings from the report, how you can incorporate them into your organization’s philanthropic strategy and what our panelists had to say on what the findings reveal. Check out this video for a brief summary of the Giving USA results.

3 Key Takeaways from Giving USA 2022

 

 #1 – Giving reached a record $484.85 billion in 2021

Continue reading “Giving USA: What Lies Ahead for Philanthropy in America”

Giving USA: What Lies Ahead for Philanthropy in America

Posted on by Alford Group

Webinar | June 29, 2022

Description
The events of 2020-2021 have forever changed the nonprofit community and philanthropy. While they have been unprecedented on so many fronts, the generosity of the American people has been at an all-time high. Throughout these challenging times, the most successful organizations have transformed their programs, operations, how they engage donors and how they advance equity-centered philanthropy. This session will cover fundraising resiliency, insights regarding the future of fundraising, and new ways to approach creating generosity in more inclusive ways.

Take in the Giving USA research, learn about trends among donors both high-net worth and the general public, and hear from an expert panel on what they see lies ahead for philanthropy in America. Join us for this hands-on practical webinar and take new ideas back to your organization to achieve even greater fundraising results.

Moderator: Brenda B. Asare, President and CEO, Alford Group

Giving USA Presenter: Karen Rotko-Wynn, CFRE, Chief Business Enterprise Officer, Alford Group

Expert Panel:

  • Marco Corona, Chief Development Officer, International African American Museum
  • Marguerite Griffin, Director, Philanthropic Advisory Services, Northern Trust
  • Daniel Hungerman, Ph.D., Professor, Economics, University of Notre Dame

Materials:

#1 Slide Deck: Giving_USA_Presentation_Deck_June_29_Release

#2 Written Summary of Webinar: Found here

Giving USA Report Details
First published in 1956, Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy is the longest running, most comprehensive report on philanthropy in the United States. It is researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Alford Group is a longtime supporter of Giving USA and member of The Giving Institute.

 

Giving USA 2022: The Annual Report on Philanthropy

Posted on by Alford Group

Video Overview (8 minutes) by Karen Rotko-Wynn, CFRE, Chief Business Enterprise Officer, Alford Group

Learn the key takeaways from this year’s Giving USA report in this short video!

Giving USA Report Details
First published in 1956, Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy is the longest running, most comprehensive report on philanthropy in the United States. It is researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Alford Group is a longtime supporter of Giving USA and member of The Giving Institute.

Client Spotlight: LifeWire

Posted on by Alford Group
Groundbreaking ceremony for construction and renovations to begin May 2022

LifeWire is a Washington-based nonprofit that provides compassionate services, safe housing and hope to domestic violence (DV) survivors, children and families in need. LifeWire is the largest DV housing provider in King County, providing emergency and relocation services for survivors and their children who would otherwise have to remain in an abusive home or become homeless. They are recognized nationally as a leader in providing innovative, survivor-driven, trauma-informed care. Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness for women and children in the nation. Continue reading “Client Spotlight: LifeWire”

Effective Storytelling: 4 Tips to Best Engage Your Audience

Posted on by Alford Group

By Mariah Fosnight, CFRE, Consultant and Doug Wallack, Client Service Associate

For over 40 years, Alford Group has tested the effectiveness of written material with a variety of stakeholders (donors, volunteers, partners, community leaders, foundation and corporate funders, etc.) for nonprofit organizations ranging in size, sector, lifecycle stage and geography.

Over that time, we have identified aspects of effective storytelling that remain universally true. Below are four tips to keep in mind while crafting your prose.

Continue reading “Effective Storytelling: 4 Tips to Best Engage Your Audience”