Giving USA 2024 At-A-Glance

Giving USA 2024

According to Giving USA 2024: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2023, total estimated charitable giving reached $557.16 billion in 2023 (an all-time high in current dollars, but a decline when adjusted for inflation). Published by the Giving USA Foundation (a public service initiative of The Giving Institute) with research compiled by Indiana University Lilly School […]

Boost Your Fundraising Success with Three Key Takeaways from AFP ICON 2024

Last month, President & CEO Michelle Cramer, CFRE and Consultant Maddy Andrews jetted off to Toronto, Canada for AFP ICON 2024! Hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, AFP ICON brings together thousands of fundraising professionals from around the globe for unparalleled education, training, and networking each year. If you couldn’t attend AFP ICON 2024, […]

10 Questions Your Nonprofit’s Campaign Marketing Plan Needs to Answer

A successful capital or comprehensive campaign balances effective fundraising strategies with effective marketing strategies. Nonprofits that perform this balancing act experience many benefits: a well-equipped corps of campaign ambassadors, a broader base of community-level gifts, and a philanthropic brand that inspires support and engagement long after the campaign is over. But good campaign marketing does […]

A Marketing Plan is the Secret to Campaign Success

You know you need a strong fundraising plan for your next campaign. But what about a campaign marketing plan? We get it. Campaigns mean a lot of additional hard work for nonprofit professionals who already wear multiple hats. With a hefty financial goal on the horizon, your focus may be stuck on fundraising alone. But […]

UCLA Vs. Mattel: A Case Study in Donor Intent and Effective Donor Communications

As a nonprofit professional operating in the philanthropic world, this headline may have caught your eye recently: Mattel stiffed UCLA on $49-million children’s hospital donation, lawsuit claims. It definitely grabbed our attention. After our initial ‘yikes’ at the headline, we dove deeper into the article published in the Los Angeles Times to read for ourselves […]

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month & the 6th Anniversary of Camp Amigas

Michelle Cramer, CFRE, President & CEO It could have not been a more beautiful day for our 6th Annual Camp Amigas! Camp Amigas is such a special day where Latina Girl Scouts from around central Ohio enjoy full-day at Camp Ken-Jockety. This year nearly 75 girls and their families enjoyed fishing, canoeing, archery, wading in […]

9 Steps for a Successful End-of-Year Appeal

It’s that time of year again. Kids are back in school, the temperatures are starting to drop, and your Board is asking the questions: “Are we going to make our year-end goal?” “Are we doing #GivingTuesday this year?” Whether you already have a plan in place for your end-of-year appeal and #GivingTuesday, or you need […]

Giving USA 2023 At-A-Glance

According to Giving USA 2023: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2022, total estimated charitable giving declined amidst economic uncertainty. What does this mean for nonprofits? Published by the Giving USA Foundation (a public service initiative of The Giving Institute) with research compiled by Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy, this report is the premier source […]

Innovation for Your Organization: 5 Key Takeaways from AFP ICON 2023

team of 6 people standing in front of a backdrop

In today’s competitive environment for donors’ dollars, incorporating innovative ideas and strategies into our work is crucial. Cutting-edge tools and new perspectives increase our impact for our nonprofit partners. The Cramer team has always prioritized lifelong learning and values our relationship with the Association of Fundraising Professionals. That’s why we invested in taking five of […]

Words of Wisdom for Nonprofits in 2023

From Corporate & Community Foundation Leaders Michelle Cramer, CFRE, President & CEO As we move into 2023, many nonprofit leaders are experiencing feelings of uncertainty and anxiety resulting from talk of a recession, rising costs, labor shortages… I could go on and on. Nonprofits are feeling the impacts of these challenges on those they serve, […]