The Growing Power of DAFs: Here’s what you need to know

Posted on by Alford Group

By Jamie Philippe, CFRE, Vice President

Donor-advised funds, or DAFs, have been at the top of mind for many people since the release of the Giving USA report for philanthropy for the year 2020 (check out our blog here for an overview) and especially now with Giving USA’s groundbreaking report on DAFs which was released on November 11, 2021. DAFs have also received extra attention this year due to the bills that have been introduced in the U.S. Senate that aim to place new restrictions on DAFs. However, for many, there is a real lack of clarity around the current status of DAFs, and they raise more questions than answers.

For development professionals who oversee fundraising for their organization, the question is how to engage DAF-holders. Given the stunning growth in DAFs over the past five years, there are no signs of their popularity slowing down, so let’s unpack and demystify this hot trend. What are the rules around DAFs? What are the benefits of a DAF? How can your organization gain access to them?

Continue reading “The Growing Power of DAFs: Here’s what you need to know”

Giving USA 2021: Looking back to look forward

Posted on by Alford Group

How things have changed a year later in the Pacific Northwest

GIVING USA REPORT PRESENTER: Karen Rotko-Wynn, CFRE, Chief Business Enterprise Officer, Alford Group

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

PANELISTS:

  • Robin Callahan, CFRE, Vice President of Philanthropic Services, Greater Tacoma Community Foundation
  • Elena Fracchia, CWS, AVP, Wealth and Philanthropic Advisor, Columbia Bank
  • Bernadine (Bernie) C. Griffin, Managing Director, The Fifth Avenue Theatre
  • Asa Tate, Chief Development Officer, Wellspring Family Services

Giving USA 2021 Overview: https://www.alford.com/giving-usa-2021-overview/

Giving USA 2021 Infographic: https://www.alford.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GUSA2021_Infographic.pdf

Giving USA 2021: Looking back to look forward – How things have changed in one year

Posted on by Alford Group
MODERATOR:

Elizabeth Rowley, CFRE, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan

GIVING USA PRESENTATION:
Amy Hines, Senior Vice President, Alford Group

EXPERT PANEL:
Sally Cross, President and CEO, Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley

Walter J. Dillingham, Jr., CFA, Managing Director, Wilmington Trust

Alford Group Applauds MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett for Donating $2.74 Billion in Transformational Gifts

Posted on by Alford Group

June 17, 2021

MacKenzie Scott, author and philanthropist and Dan Jewett, educator and philanthropist announced this week another round of grants to 286 organizations across the country, totaling $2.74 billion. Scott granted 384 organizations funds totaling $4.2 billion in late 2020.

STATEMENT FROM BRENDA B. ASARE, PRESIDENT & CEO, THE ALFORD GROUP

Alford Group applauds MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett for their transformational contribution to the nonprofit sector. At an important time in our nation’s history as we take on social injustice, work to dismantle systemic inequities and create a world where ALL people can thrive, MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett are leading the way with their generosity.

We are proud of our clients and other worth organizations who are receiving these gifts and empowering change in communities across the country. Congratulations on being recognized for the deep impact being made every single day and the strategic pathway forward as you activate and strengthen a more just world for ALL people. Alford Group is proud to be your partner today and into the future.

It is not lost on me that Scott’s and Jewett’s announcement comes on the same day as the release of the Giving USA 2021 Annual Report on Philanthropy. The new report announced an all-time high of giving for the year 2020 at $471.44 billion, with 88% coming from individuals. The power of giving by individuals has fueled the nonprofit sector for generations and Alford Group is excited for our collective future together.

Full list of recipients

 

Giving USA 2021 Overview

Posted on by Alford Group

Video overview (5 minutes) by Karen Rotko-Wynn, CFRE, Chief Business Enterprise Officer, Alford Group

Summary by Araceli Duran, Client Service Associate, Alford Group

On Tuesday, June 15, Giving USA released The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the year 2020. It was a much-anticipated report given the upheaval of daily life everyone has experienced in the past year and a desire to see how that upheaval has impacted the philanthropic space. Here is a brief overview following the release of this year’s report. Continue reading “Giving USA 2021 Overview”

Giving USA and the New Age of Philanthropy in the Pacific Northwest

Posted on by Alford Group

By Mariah Fosnight, Senior Client Service Associate, Alford Group

Recently, Alford Group and Columbia Bank co-hosted the presentation of the 2019 Giving USA data and hosted a panel of Pacific Northwest funders and philanthropists to discuss the findings and relate them to the current realities of giving in the region. The full recorded webinar, including 2019 data and panel discussion, may be found here.

Giving USA, published by the Giving USA Foundation, is part of the Giving Institute which is comprised of leading consulting firms including Alford Group. Celebrating 65 years, this report is the longest running and most comprehensive and authoritative report on charitable giving in the United States.

Continue reading “Giving USA and the New Age of Philanthropy in the Pacific Northwest”

Giving USA and the New Age of Philanthropy in the Northeast

Posted on by Alford Group

MODERATOR:
Elizabeth Rowley, CFRE, President and CEO, Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan

GIVING USA PRESENTATION:
Amy Hines, Senior Vice President, Alford Group

EXPERT PANEL:
Sally Cross, President and CEO, Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley

Walter J. Dillingham, Jr., CFA, Managing Director, Wilmington Trust

Giving USA and the New Age of Philanthropy in the Pacific Northwest

Posted on by Alford Group

GIVING USA PRESENTATION:
Karen Rotko-Wynn, CFRE, Executive Vice President & West Division Manager

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

EXPERT PANEL:
Robin Callahan, CFRE, Vice President of Philanthropic Services, Greater Tacoma Community Foundation

Elena Fracchia, CWS, AVP, Wealth and Philanthropic Advisor, Columbia Bank

Dana Miller, Senior Program Director – Grants, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

Anjana Pandey, Vice President of Strategy, Philanthropy Northwest

Slide Deck:Giving USA 2020 Summary Slides

Infographic: Giving USA 2020 Infographic

Giving USA and the New Age of Philanthropy

Posted on by Alford Group

Moderator:
Vicki Pugh, CFRE, CAP®
Vice President for Philanthropic Giving
Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties

Presenter:
Sharon Tiknis
Executive Vice President & East Division Manager
Alford Group

Panelists:

  • Julie Fisher Cummings, Philanthropist, Chair of the Lovelight Fund and Board Chair of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties
  • Eric M. Kelly, President, Quantum Foundation
  • Brian D. Wodar, Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor, Bernstein Private Wealth Management
  • Sarah Nathan, PhD, Associate Director, The Fund Raising School at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Board member for the Johnson County Community Foundation

Slide Deck: Giving USA Summary Slides

Infographic: Giving USA 2020 Infographic

Blog: Giving USA By the Numbers and Beyond

 

Giving USA and the New Age of Philanthropy in the Pacific Northwest

Posted on by Alford Group

Wednesday, August 12, 2020 | 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.PT (90 mins)

A new age of philanthropy is upon us. Alford Group will present the recently-released Giving USA report looking back at 2019 giving, which will inform our look forward for the Pacific Northwest region. A panel of local experts will then speak to how the regional philanthropic landscape has and will continue to change since COVID-19. We will discuss how we are being called to do better to bridge the inequities and system failures clearly revealed in this global health and financial crisis, and work to create economic dignity and improve the quality of life for all.

MODERATOR:

Brenda B. Asare, President and CEO, Alford Group

 

 

 

GIVING USA PRESENTATION:

Karen Rotko-Wynn, CFRE, Executive Vice President & West Division Manager

 

 

 

EXPERT PANEL:

Robin Callahan, CFRE, Vice President of Philanthropic Services, Greater Tacoma Community Foundation

 

 

 

Elena Fracchia, CWS, AVP, Wealth and Philanthropic Advisor, Columbia Bank

 

 

 

Dana Miller, Senior Program Director – Grants, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

 

 

 

Anjana Pandey, Vice President of Strategy, Philanthropy Northwest

 

 

 

Giving USA: The Next Normal and a New Age of Philanthropy

Posted on by Alford Group

By Alexis Cooke, Consultant, Alford Group

On Wednesday, June 17, Alford Group hosted a panel of national experts and funders to discuss Giving USA’s Annual Report on Philanthropy in 2019 in light of current realities, new opportunities and our future as non-profit staff, funders and philanthropists. The full discussion, along with Alford Group’s Giving USA report, may be found here.

As Brenda Asare, Alford Group’s President and CEO, noted as she opened the panel discussion, we all had high hopes for 2020 – momentum within the sector was strong and anticipated to continue at the close of 2019 and through 2020. Of course, no one knew what was coming nor how incredibly important that cushion would be to the survival of many nonprofits. As leaders representing funders and philanthropists across the country, Laura, Marguerite, Steve and Beth offered critical insights into philanthropy today and provided some hope as Brenda said “we must look up and ahead, as that is where we are all going.”

Continue reading “Giving USA: The Next Normal and a New Age of Philanthropy”

Giving USA 2020 By the Numbers and Beyond

Posted on by Alford Group

By Alexis Cooke, Consultant, Alford Group

On Wednesday, June 17, Alford Group’s Karen Rotko-Wynn, Executive Vice President, shared highlights, trends and key takeaways from Giving USA 2020: The Annual Report on Philanthropy in 2019. Karen’s full presentation, along with a panel discussion with national experts and funders discussing the next normal and the future of philanthropy may be found here.

To be at this moment – mid-June 2020, reflecting on last year’s philanthropy during these challenging and volatile times – well, it feels a bit disconnected. It is hard not to ask why these data points matter; it is difficult to receive this report without wondering what this year’s annual report on philanthropy will say.

However, as the longest running, most comprehensive and most authoritative report on charitable giving in the United States – representing 128 million households, 600,000 nonprofits and 80,000 foundations and businesses – the information reported through Giving USA is deeply relevant. As leaders and staff of nonprofits, it is important to understand data trends and to know where to focus efforts; it is important to know where your organization fits within this data; and it is important to understand this data in relation to navigating our current, very difficult year.

Continue reading “Giving USA 2020 By the Numbers and Beyond”