A recent Boston Globe article has once again drawn attention to an issue we have been warned about for several years – a predicted mass leadership transition among nonprofits.
Though we have long been warned about the anticipated change as boomers retire from leadership roles at the nonprofits many of them started, it seems few nonprofit boards have taken the necessary steps to prepare.
In a new Giving USA Spotlight newsletter entitled “The Next Generation of Alumni Giving,” the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE) sponsored a comprehensive view of alumni giving, written and researched by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
What is trending today in the world of philanthropy? What is the philanthropic context in which we work? As we anticipate important shifts in philanthropy in 2015, I thought it would be helpful to look at some key philanthropic trends and how they may impact how donors G-I-V-E.
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy focused their 2014 research, Women Give 2014, on the impact of religion as a key influencer of women’s philanthropy. Religiosity has long been seen as a key influencer for individual charitable giving but what about the impact of both religion and gender on philanthropic giving?
As a recent addition to the JGA team, I read a quote by an unknown author that really stuck with me – “Today I close the door to the past, open the door to future, take a deep breath, step on through and start a new chapter in my life.”
For the first time ever, there are now four generations of donors active in the philanthropic marketplace at the same time. Due to increased life expectancy, fundraisers are now working with a donor pool that includes representatives of the Millennial, Gen X, Boomer, and Silent/Great generations.
It’s a question I hear frequently. It’s raised by nonprofit board members, volunteers, chief executive officers, and program staff alike. It’s one for which there isn’t a simple answer. But it’s a critical question for any nonprofit organization – How can we do a better job of retaining staff members?
