Lucy Bernholz Archives - Helen Brown Group

October 20, 2022 By Helen Brown

Widening our perspective about giving in America

I got a new phone about 6 months ago (is it really a phone? do I actually use it as a phone? why do we call these things phones?) and I’m still getting used to the fancy camera. I really like the portrait mode, but it is constantly telling me to back up. I want it to change its focus, but no – I’m the one who keeps needing to change mine. Fine. But in the meantime I have a lot of stubbornly blurry photos.

I thought about that this week as I was reading a fascinating article from Vox titled “What happened to giving money to charity?”

It’s been a big source of concern lately in our sector, this rapid decline in the number of donors giving to nonprofit organizations. While the total dollars donated to nonprofits continues to increase annually – according to a study by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (IUPUI) the amount last year was nearly $485 billion – the percentage of Americans giving to nonprofits dipped below 50% for the first time in 2018.

So what’s going on? What accounts for people being so much less generous?

Well it turns out that, according to the experts, we’re just not looking at the whole picture. We really need to back up and get a wider view. Of course.

If you don’t track it, you can’t measure it

For academics who study philanthropy like Lucy Bernholz, a senior research scholar at Stanford University, the seeming decline in number of people giving in the USA caused her to consider the question in a different way than more traditional reports of annual philanthropy have done.

And what she found is that the traditional way of looking at philanthropy in America isn’t capturing the whole picture. As she remarked, we’re just not counting everything that counts. Philanthropy has “centered writing a check to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit as the singular act of giving in this country,” she told Recode. But that’s not nearly all that people are doing philanthropically.

Woodrow Rosenbaum, chief data officer at GivingTuesday observed “Most giving in the US does not involve nonprofit organizations.”

That’s some statement, eh? For those of us working in the nonprofit sector, that’s a pretty sobering observation.

The good news is that people are still generous. They are still giving. They’re just giving differently, and in ways that are harder to track (in the ways we’ve been tracking them up until now).

People are giving directly to others through GoFundMe or Facebook or directly amongst their friend groups. They’re joining giving circles or doing point-of-sale giving at the grocery store. They’re using platforms like GiveButter for direct peer-to-peer giving.

From the Vox article:

“According to a 2022 study by Independent Sector 57 percent of Gen Z believe that giving directly has more impact than giving to nonprofits.”

So that’s interesting from a traditional nonprofit/prospect research perspective, eh? How do we widen our vision to take into account those ways of giving as we consider prospective donors to add to major donor pipelines?

And/Or, how do we creatively utilize those new-ish giving platforms to bring donors who like giving in those ways – to us?

When you get a chance, please do take a look at the article and don’t forget to click on the studies and other articles that it draws on. It’s an eye-opening perspective on philanthropy, and it challenges us to think creatively as we strive to identify and engage new generations of donors.

September 10, 2020 By Helen Brown

Philanthropy is a broken puzzle. And we have to fix it.

It’s a useful exercise to think about our society as a puzzle where governments, and government-run operations, and businesses, and civic life, and religious organizations, and educational institutions and hospitals and charities and NGOs each, interdependently, make the picture of society whole.

We’re so busy trundling through each of our own parts, though, that we take the others…well, maybe not entirely for granted, but as if they’re permanent fixtures. I know that I’ve always assumed that things like restaurants and cute little shops and, you know, the post office would just always be there.

Now that COVID-19 has darkened our lives in uniquely individual ways like the fires have turned West Coast sunshine to midday night, it becomes harder for us to see each of those puzzle pieces that are farther afield. All of the everything going on in our own world obscures the picture on the box that reminds us what the integrity of the whole looks like.

We’re cut off, and it’s making us focus on our own piece and less on the whole.

As a fundraising intelligence professional, my work-life has been focused on identifying and bringing to life current and potential donors in a way that faithfully and ethically tells their story and motivates a fundraiser to begin (or continue) a relationship with that donor.

I’ve always deeply believed in the power of philanthropy and the good it does on both ends – making the world a better place and giving donors the opportunity to feel how amazing it is to do that.

And I still believe that, but if you read my article from a few weeks ago, you’ll remember that lately I’ve been concerned that prospect development has had a role to play in missing out on the next generation of donors. Not entirely, of course, and I know that our profession (and our company) is doing our part to help organizations find mid-level and future major donors quietly putting up their hands.

But still. I’m working harder than usual lately on trying to see beyond my piece.

And now that I’ve pulled the focus out a bit, I realize that there’s an even bigger picture which I’ve struggled against for over a year and tried to ignore because it’s too difficult to think about.

I know the nonprofit sector is by no means perfect. It’s hard to attract the level of talent and experience for jobs that for-profits can because nonprofit salaries are lower. Small nonprofits don’t have the bandwidth to compete with larger ones for much-needed funding. Large nonprofits are bureaucratic behemoths that have lost the ability to be nimble.

But large or small, every single nonprofit has to sing and dance for their supper. Every. single. day.

Every single day nonprofits are called on to Show Their Impact.

Be Donor-Centered.

Meet State Laws. Federal Laws. International Laws.

Every day they have to jump through ridiculous hoops to gain institutional funding that, in the end, may not even cover the cost of gaining, tracking and reporting the donation.

As a sector, we’re working really hard – really hard – with fewer people because of furloughing and permanent separations, to secure the next gift just to survive right now. And there’s just so much wealth out there.

It’s exhausting. It’s not just. And it’s not tenable.

In our time of greatest need, Chuck Collins, director of the Program on Inequality at the Institute for Policy Studies asks in his opinion piece for The Guardian, “Why aren’t the rich giving more?” Many of the philanthropists that fund nonprofits are richer than ever before – some are richer because of the pandemic. He reminds us that the wealth of members of The Giving Pledge has nearly doubled since February.

Collins writes:

Many have stepped up to give during the pandemic. But their giving is not keeping pace with their exploding wealth.

This leads to the second problem: in all likelihood, most of what they give away won’t go to on-the-ground charities, but to private family foundations often controlled by wealthy heirs and their advisers. Instead of supporting charities on the frontlines of problem solving, these billions end up sitting in tax-advantaged intermediaries.”

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has just started a 5-part series specifically to discuss what’s next for the philanthropy sector, and I highly recommend it. I’ve long admired the work of Lucy Bernholz, director of the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, and her article (part 3 of the series) is a barn-burner. In “Let’s Dismantle Toxic Tax Policies That Feed Big Philanthropy” Bernholz writes:

In the United States today, a toxic tax code permeates our soil and prevents us from growing into a more equitable society. Our current tax laws starve our schools, hospitals, transit, and elder-care systems. They allow individuals to become trillionaires and corporations to pay nothing. They enable the amassing of philanthropic fortunes so large that people turn to them when government efforts fail.

For decades, these policies have concentrated financial benefits on the white ruling class while extracting wealth from low-income Black and brown people. The pandemic is the “big reveal” of the truly shared nature of these systemic inequities.”

As someone who deeply cares about our sector and who is steeped every day in understanding wealth, it’s been increasingly difficult for me during these past 6 months not to get angry and frustrated while learning about any non- (or weakly-)philanthropic individual’s increasing billions – knowing that it would require almost no sacrifice for them to significantly create lasting change for the world. Or even one piece of it. Especially when so many others are doing so much.

Nonprofits shouldn’t have to sing for their suppers. They should be funded to fill the gaps in society, and there should be fewer gaps to fill every year as we work toward a healthy republic, not more and more.

Our professional association boards and leading practitioners should take seriously what the philanthropy scholars, experts, and writers are saying now; consider the many solutions they’re offering; and join with members of congress who care about fixing this broken system. This sector is vital to making our society one that makes sure everyone – not just the wealthy – thrive. We’ve got to make it work.

September 29, 2016 By Helen Brown

Translational research about philanthropy

Fundraising is certainly not a new profession, but the study of it is. As Ben Rymer pointed out in his recent blog post “if money is power, why has philanthropy not been a more popular field of inquiry for social scientists?”

Good question.

Between the jaw-droppingly huge philanthropic initiatives that have been recently announced, the rise of impact investing, venture philanthropy, and the political and social implications this new stratosphere of evolutionary philanthropy brings, we need intelligent commentary and creative centers of study to help translate what all of this means. [Read more…]

May 8, 2011 By Helen Brown

Introducing the best non-profit blogs in the world

Blogs and social media are critical communication tools for non-profits. In fact, according to research by the University of Massachusetts, a higher percentage of non-profits have active blogs than any other category. And it makes sense: blogs are a cost-effective way to tell stories and build a consistent emotional connection with constituents. But how are they doing? Which are the best in the world?

So I embarked on an ambitious project in partnership with Mark W. Schaefer, a well known blogger at {grow} and author of The Tao of Twitter. Mark really knows social media and blogs — in fact he teaches a course on the subject at Rutgers University.

Together we examined more than 250 blogs from some of the largest and most important charities in the world (and I mean that literally – we didn’t just look at blogs in the US). We looked for the blogs that were engaging an audience, offering superb content and aligning with the organization’s strategies. Last year, when Mark compiled a list of The Best Company Blogs in the World he noted that it was a depressing experience. He found that most company blogs aren’t that great and I’m sad to say that we struggled similarly to find non-profits communicating and interacting with their constituencies. In fact, we found a lot of dreck.

But we did find some truly inspiring blogs out there. Here, in no particular order, are the best non-profit blogs in the world:

Feeding America

This is simply one of the best blogs you will find anywhere, profit or non-profit. It has it all:

Superior content
Non-intrusive yet effective calls to action
Good use of multi-media such as photography and video
Superb use of story-telling to align with objectives
Attractive and functional design
Convenient social sharing
Features that involve key stakeholders

This blog is a role model for any organization.

The Salvation Army

This is a wonderful, interesting blog. Of course it serves as the place to go in the event of a disaster, but it is also an entertaining read. As a good example, read this post about the historical role of The Salvation Army in the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Another post features a “fashionista” getting her clothes from a Salvation Army Thrift Shop. Not only is this type of post great story-telling, it connects readers with the history and rock-solid foundation of the organization in an entertaining way that cuts through the noise.

While a good-looking and well-organized blog, inexplicably, it seems to stand alone from the primary Salvation Army site. There is no easy way to connect directly to the organization or donate money right from the blog, which is a missed opportunity.

Holland Bloorview Childrens Rehabilitation Hospital

Mark said that this blog brought tears to his eyes. (He acts all tough on the outside, but I suspect a moosh lies within). Okay, I admit to some mistiness myself – but in a good way. I’m guessing that it will probably have the same effect on you.

Bloom is about parenting special needs kids. It isn’t fancy. In fact it’s just on Blogger. But what it lacks in sophistication it more than makes up in courage and heart. Writer Louise Kinross has something unique and personal going on here. She has nurtured an active, loyal community and with good reason … this is blogging at its best.

Operation Blessing

Check out this gutsy, effective blog. With My Own Eyes is a firsthand, photo-journalism account offering users the opportunity to see some of the most devastated, disaster-ravaged and previously inaccessible places in the world, as well as a look at Operation Blessing’s efforts to help people that live there.

This multimedia site features video footage, photos and the personal diary entries of some of the team leaders from more than 25 countries including China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru and the U.S. Each blog post provides concrete ideas on how to connect and help.

World Vision

This effort just began in 2011 so we’ll have to check in later to see if they can sustain what is starting out to be an excellent blog. World Vision works with impoverished children and their families throughout the world and is also effectively using eyewitness accounts to connect to constituents.

Some of the hallmarks of this journal are fantastic, colorful articles that pull you in to the organization and its mission. This blog seems to have jumped out of the starter’s gate quickly — some of its daily posts are already getting more than 1,000 ‘shares’. While the design of the blog is quite busy, check out the beautiful and effective design of the main website while you’re visiting.

Broad Institute

Simply put, The Broad Institute is creating methods, tools and massive data sets and makes them available to the general scientific community to rapidly accelerate biomedical advancement.

The charming thing about their blog — Broad Minded — is that it frames complicated subjects in accessible terms. I’m partial to science literature any way so this blog was a delight. I mean how can you miss with a blog post titled “Lifestyles of the Fungal and Famous” or another that explains unraveling mysteries of DNA as a Julia Child recipe?

This is a lively, straight-forward blog that is very well-aligned with the mission of the organization.

Refugees International

Refugees International advocates for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises. This blog achieves story-telling excellence through extraordinary writing, compelling videos and dramatic photography. If you want an example, check out this video on how refugees struggle to find an education. The almost daily blog is unafraid of confronting difficult political issues and take a stand as it boldly raises awareness for its cause. A smart, superb blog.

MEMRI

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the region’s media (both print and television), websites, religious sermons and school books. This blog stands out in a special way because essentially, the blog IS the organization.

This respected non-profit scans the Middle East for important news and trends and provides timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Pashtu, Dari, Hindi, and Turkish media in separate blogs. Other sections provide original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East. This series of blogs is the centerpiece of this important effort. Pretty cool.

American Red Cross

This blog provides consistently good content mixed with compelling multi-media. It has several nice features like a list of all local Red Cross Chapter blogs, weekly round-ups of disaster relief efforts around the world, and connections to many disaster-response related resources. It also has all-around helpful and targeted information to support the needs of its constituents. I don’t know why this blog is detached from the main Red Cross website – again, it’s a missed opportunity. Also, it is strange that the blog gets no comments when it is such a vital community-focused organization. And in the “maybe we’re picky” category — it seems like they could have come up with a better title for their showcase than “Blog.” : )

BONUS CONTENT!

If you’re interested in non-profit best practices, here is a list of some favorite blogs ABOUT charities and fund-raising (again, in no particular order):

Stanford Social Innovation Review Blog

The SSIR is part of the Stanford University Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS). Highlighting thought leaders, practitioners and innovative funders and “striking a balance between the pragmatic and the intellectual,” this blog keeps you up-to-date on the issues at the forefront of the third sector. Contributors include Sean Stannard-Stockton, Amy Sample Ward and Peter Sims.

Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Blogs

The Chronicle of Philanthropy site plays host to a number of blogs including those on prospecting, candid conversations about nonprofit boards, international philanthropy and social media for nonprofits. Contributors include staff writers as well as experts and thought leaders on their given topic.

Queer Ideas; a bloody good fundraising blog

Sometimes irreverent, usually cutting-edge, always intelligent and interesting, this blog is written by Mark Phillips, founder and CEO of bluefrog, a fundraising consulting firm in the UK. His observations and links to helpful research and resources make this a good one to expand your mind.

A Fine Blog

Written by the co-author (with Beth Kanter) of The Networked Nonprofit, Allison Fine’s blog is a combination of acute observation and commentary on articles, videos, campaigns and collateral on fundraising, networking and social media. An extra bonus on her site is links to Allison’s monthly podcast interviews for the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Beth’s Blog

Written by Allison Fine’s co-author Beth Kanter, Beth’s blog is seen by many (us included) as the go-to blog for nonprofit fitness checks, great ideas, subtle nudges toward excellence and good advice on social media, networking and organizational management you’d do well to take. Beth’s writing style is accessible and friendly, yet the blog is packed with resources, links to scholarly studies and other references that you need to know about.

Philanthropy 2173; The Business of Giving

Authored by Lucy Bernholz, founder and president of Blueprint Research & Design, Inc., Bernholz is to nonprofits what Rachel Maddow is to liberal politics – intelligent and incisive yet accessible, wonky, and (respectfully) pulling no punches. The blog approaches nonprofits and their arena as a third business sector, and Bernholz isn’t sitting behind a desk; very often she’s interviewing some game-changing sector leader and sharing their conversations and her insights.

So there you have it! The best non-profit blogs you’ll find anywhere. Of course there are some good ones out there that we missed. Do you have a favorite? Tell us – we’d love to hear about it! What blogging ideas did you pick up from this list of great blogs?

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