In the past 50 years in America, giving back has tended to remain hyper-local. Non-profits have relied on mass media like television, radio, the mail system, fundraising events, or face-to-face relationship building to attract support. The challenge is that, as time goes on, older donors used to those systems of giving are being replaced with younger ones, and those younger, digitally-minded donors don’t have the same experiences or preferences in giving that their parents and grandparents did.
At the same time, younger generations are very much driving changes and attitudes related to consumerism. Shoppers will go out of their way to support a business that demonstrates philanthropic support of their community, and employees have shown that how their workplace culture shows generosity is often more important than remuneration.
– Mike House
Mike House is a respected and seasoned non-profit leader. He has held both CEO and board positions with national charities related to healthcare, the arts, post-secondary education and children's causes for over 30 years in the US and Canada.
“Almost too little, too late,” seems to be the current path that the non-profit organizations are on. The desire for change is there, but the patterns of the past, coupled with the hesitancy to embrace innovation, utilize technology, and adopt an enhanced approach to fundraising, create a “wait and see” mentality. This will continue to cause the reduction and demise of these valuable servants of our community.
Organizations are all striving to reach the same 1% of the high-end donor community, but that segment is shrinking and at the same time the number of non-profit organizations is increasing and trying to get its share.
– David Saalfrank
David Saalfrank is the Chief Evangelist at Network of Giving. As the former President / Managing Director for 20+ years at Eventive Marketing (Omnicom Group company) he is a proven marketing executive, strategic thinker and team leader with a passion for driving positive change and innovation.
It's the right time for this technology to allow the next generation to start deepening their involvement in their community. Non-profits have found innovative ways to work within their community for generations. We're now at a moment in time where Network of Giving can bring this movement to a digital mobile platform, building communities through a broader audience seamlessly, in the most accessible way — with everyone doing what they already do well today.
The Network of Giving and its partners, with its cumulative micro-contributions (24/7/365), will be a much-needed lift that each non-profit needs to focus on quality services and most importantly, sustain those services.
– Dave Breen
Dave Breen is the Former President & CEO at Special Olympics Illinois for over 25 years. He is a leader in assisting non-profits in organizational development, revenue generation, striving for excellence.
“For too long, we’ve been mesmerized by the one-stop-shopping lure of the megadonor and the power of the major donor. Who hasn’t been tempted by the idea of meeting a fundraising goal with fewer asks? This obsession—fueled by reduced tax incentives for giving, societal shifts, and nontraditional forms of giving—has put us in a precarious position. Because we’ve ignored the everyday donor, they’ve stopped giving and now our traditional philanthropic ecosystem is out of whack.” (More)
– Jessica Browning, Principal and Executive Vice President, Winkler Group
“A study conducted by McKinsey looking at for-profit businesses found that those with a data-driven approach outperformed their competitors by up to 20%.” (More)
– McKinsey Study
“From our conversations with donors, the crisis is compounded by a fundraising sector that is hesitant to build real relationships with their supporters. The focus is on transactional, event-based fundraising instead of efforts to get to know donors and their philanthropic passions. Alarmingly high turn-over rates among nonprofit staff make it hard for donors to build connections that last.” (More)
– Jim Bush, Winkler Group Principal and CEO
