I began writing these monthly touchpoints in 2019 as I reflected on the new year. It's hard to believe that was six years ago.
I remember how challenging it was, as a development professional, to stay on top of articles, case studies and industry insights. Time always felt too scarce, and I often found myself backtracking to gather “proof points” for my board—explaining trends in revenue, identifying opportunities we might have missed, or justifying new strategies we should explore.
Admittedly, I still don’t have endless time to read everything, but I do my best to curate and share what I find valuable. Here are a few notes and thoughts before we dive into case studies and articles:
💡 When it comes to basic skills such as creating a complex travel itinerary, reading a thermometer or finding information from a website, American workers are falling behind those in other rich countries. That is according to a global test of adult know-how, which measures job readiness and problem-solving among workers in industrialized countries. It also suggests that employers might have a hard time finding workers capable of basic levels of critical thinking.
🔐 Stewardship Retention should be a front and center section of your development plan. Have trouble proving why your organization should invest in stewardship communications? Metrics include next year’s retention rate; increase in average gift; conversion rate if they are prospects. What are you doing to make those 7 touches and engage your donors? Here’s a few thoughts:
✴️ Thanks to Dana Snyder’s post on LinkedIn for some great ideas on monthly recurring giving. As she was promoting the upcoming Monthly Giving Summit, she shared these terrific thoughts:
Imagine this: a *Corporate Partnership Bundle* where your nonprofit teams up with a brand that shares your values. For just $30/month, subscribers get exclusive benefits from both your organization and the corporate sponsor.
Here’s how it could look:
🌍 Partnership Example: A clean water nonprofit + a sustainable water bottle company.
✨ Benefits for Subscribers:
This kind of collaboration not only grows your monthly giving base but also creates a long-term partnership with companies that want to give back. It's a win-win.
I wrote about this strategy in my book as a prediction based on the popular entertainment bundles we see every day. (Think Disney+, Hulu & ESPN)
🤝 Who would be your DREAM partner(s) this year or how can you rethink your current partnerships to include expanding your monthly giving program?
🗣️ Another nice post reminder from Becca Chambers on LinkedIn: PR isn’t just about getting your name out there. It’s about influencing how people think, feel, and act—to drive business OUTCOMES. If your metrics don’t reflect that, it’s time to rethink them.
Encourage you to pop over and read Ronnie’s Thinkers Newsletter on LinkedIn post, “The holidays remind us: Savor the past, but live in the now”. He reminds us we’ve got work to do. He talks about how to “sleigh” digital for 2025; why omnichannel is not audience-first, and balancing innovation and tradition.
As always, I’ve been collecting a few articles over the past month and wanted to share them in case you’d like to catch up over your favorite beverage:
The Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s 2023’s full year data, released in April, continued to show there were fewer donors giving to and fewer dollars going toward nonprofits. But since then, the quarterly data report has revealed some more promising figures. Q3 2024 saw a 0.9% increase in dollars raised, marking a deceleration in the growth of fundraising dollars observed in previous quarters of 2024. This quarter also saw declines in the numbers of donors (-5.3%) and in donor retention (-4.6%).
Other stats:
Strategic Insights for Year-End Fundraising
Some DAF notes for you:
DAFs could represent a significant evolution in fundraising practices:
Every year, NonProfit PRO reports the latest nonprofit data and what it means for your nonprofit. I encourage you to take time to read or scan this article.
Key Points below:
Migrant influx, high housing costs and people displaced by natural disasters fueled the increase. It’s the largest number since the U.S. began publishing comparable data in 2007. HUD said these counts from January may not reflect the current environment, since unlawful border crossings are down significantly since then.
The increase in homelessness also reflects high housing costs, the report said. Pandemic-era bans on evictions ended while rental costs rose in many communities. Since January, HUD said, rents have stabilized or dropped in many cities. The nation’s mental health crisis is a contributing factor. Chronic homelessness, a term for people who have a disability such as mental illness, and are homeless either repeatedly or for long periods, rose 6.6%.
SNAP benefits barely increased for fiscal 2025. A family of four began receiving maximum benefits of $975 a month starting Oct. 1, just $2 more than their allotment last fiscal year. In addition, requirements to qualify for SNAP became more stringent. Able-bodied adults ages 52 to 54 without dependents must start proving that they are actively working, training or in school to qualify for the benefit.
Meanwhile, the cost-of-living-adjustment for Social Security will be 2.5% for 2025, a smaller increase than the 3.2% and 8.7% step-ups that seniors saw in 2024 and 2023, respectively. That increase is offset by the increase they will see in Medicare Part B premiums, which will rise to $185 a person a month, up from $174.70 in 2024.
Our friends at Neon One have written an in-depth article worth your time. The article highlights the trends we’re starting to see sector wide as we head into 2025. It quickly becomes clear that the way nonprofits operate, engage and inspire is evolving rapidly. This isn’t about responding to the status quo—it’s about rethinking it. The article provides actionable insights and reflective questions to guide strategy.
OneCause, a provider of event and online fundraising technology, has released The 2025 Fundraising Outlook: Nonprofit Trends and Strategies for Success. Based on insights from 977 fundraising professionals, the annual report highlights the successes and challenges nonprofits faced in 2024 and outlines what they're prioritizing in 2025 to continue growing their fundraising efforts and impact.
Key findings include:
Patrick had some great points in his recent webinar. Key points:
The three major trends shaping philanthropy in 2025 are:
Bonus trend: The decline of cash giving and the rise of non-cash giving
Strategic steps to take for an outstanding 2025:
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy released Women Give 2024: 20 Years of Gender & Giving Trends, a comprehensive study exploring how women’s philanthropy has evolved in response to societal and economic changes.
Key Findings Include:
Inflation picked up to 2.7% in November, a sign that the path to bringing down price pressures remains bumpy. Focus in the coming week is on Friday’s key monthly nonfarm payrolls data for December.
More than 1.6 million unemployed workers have been job hunting for at least six months. The job market is weakening due to less hiring, but economists warn that widespread layoffs could spark a much faster jump in the unemployment rate. A labor market that looks healthy in the headlines is, under the surface, weaker than it seems. The pain of long-term unemployment is largely in high-paying white-collar jobs, including in tech, law and media. There are still plenty of jobs for people looking for hands-on services work, including in the healthcare and hospitality sectors. The number of unemployed Americans searching for work for at least six months has increased by more than 50% since the end of 2022.
U.S. monetary policy has entered a new phase where interest-rate cuts are contingent on lower inflation or a weaker labor market. The dollar recently hit a two-year high against a basket of currencies and strong economic data would likely lift it further while U.S. Treasury yields could also rise.
The Fed reduced interest rates in December but also lowered its forecasts for future rate cuts. Fed officials expect inflation to be stickier than previously anticipated, possibly because of policy changes. The projections show officials expect to make fewer rate reductions, with most penciling in two cuts for 2025, down from four at their meeting in September.
Hopes were high that the Federal Reserve could make homes more affordable by cutting interest rates. Mortgage rates are rising instead with the average 30-year mortgages now at 6.91% from roughly 6.1% since the Fed started lowering rates in September, according to Freddie Mac. They are poised to rise further because mortgage rates move with the yield on the 10-year Treasury, which is currently at 4.6% with this post.
Insurance and taxes now cost more than mortgages for many homeowners. Insurers have pushed big rate increases because of losses from natural disasters and rising costs to repair homes. Surging home values in recent years have lifted property taxes for many homeowners. In September, 32% of the average single-family mortgage payment went to property taxes and home insurance, the highest rate ever for data going back to 2014, according to Intercontinental Exchange.
While individual stocks like Nvidia, Palantir, and Tesla dominated headlines in 2024, the titanic investment vehicles beneath the surface of the market — exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — quietly had a blockbuster year, too. The Wall Street Journal reports that investors poured over $1 trillion into US ETFs last year through November, pushing their total assets to a record $10.6 trillion. That’s a 30% increase from last year and a more than fivefold surge over the past decade, per data from research firm ETFGI.
RKD Group Thinkers Monthly LinkedIn Update:
Cheers to balancing your work and personal life in 2025! Not only should you celebrate your professional successes, but revel and celebrate those personal, intentional and quality experiences you had in 2024.