Holly Hall
Inside Philanthropy
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Past articles by Holly:
In a Chaotic Year, Fundraising for Women and Girls’ Charities is the Best and Worst of Times —
A tumultuous year has sowed economic uncertainty and pulled donors in several directions. As a result, some organizations serving women and girls have seen funding surge, while others have struggled. → Read More
Annual Tally Shows Reduced U.S. Giving. But How Reliable is This Data? —
Giving USA’s latest tally of charitable giving offers bad news for nonprofits. But since the 2017 tax law has reduced itemizing, hard data on donations is ever harder to come by—underscoring long simmering questions about these annual statistics. → Read More
Parting Ways: Why a University Wants to Return a Donor’s $21.5 Million Gift —
Saying that donors can’t dictate campus decisions, the University of Alabama is poised to return a major naming gift for its law school from Hugh Culverhouse, Jr. The move comes amid growing scrutiny of how much influence donors wield over universities. → Read More
How One University Supercharged Fundraising and Giving For Women and Girls —
There’s growing recognition that women often play the lead role in family philanthropy. But higher ed fundraising practices have yet to catch up with this insight. Two fundraisers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been trying to change that. → Read More
Breaking Barriers, a Fundraiser Rises to the Top of Her Game —
June Bradham fell into fundraising by accident, back when it was still a male-dominated field, but she went on to chart a stellar career that has included pioneering new research and building a successful consulting practice. How did she do it? → Read More
Want Your Capital Campaign to Succeed? Here’s Some Candid Expert Advice —
Despite all the stories of institutions raising eye-popping amounts of money, capital campaigns often fail spectacularly. Why do things go wrong? And what strategies can help ensure that such campaigns succeed from the get-go? → Read More
You Think Fundraising is Hard Now? Well, it’s Going to Get Harder, Say Experts —
While 2018 turned out to be a good year for fundraisers, some experts predict that raising money will be more challenging, starting this year and continuing into the future, due to a combination of demographic and economic factors. → Read More
“You Always Want to go Back.” A Revered Artist Colony Gets Serious About Raising Money —
When the primary benefactor behind a nonprofit goes away, it can be a rough transition to a new and sustainable funding model. Some organizations don’t survive. The Ucross Foundation’s artist colony is determined to learn the ways of fundraising. → Read More
Cloudy Forecasts: Fundraising Predictions Face Challenges —
Projecting charitable giving by Americans has always been more of an art than a science. But now it’s getting even harder to make reliable estimates thanks to changes in tax law and other factors. So how can nonprofits know what to expect? → Read More
No, it’s Not Like Sales! Five Common Myths About Fundraising —
Many nonprofit executives and board members have never worked in the trenches raising money and don’t understand how the process works. Key misperceptions about fundraising can hurt staff morale and lead organizations to raise less money than they could. → Read More
Dire Predictions That Tax Reform Will Depress Giving Appear to be Wrong—At Least So Far —
A major falloff in charitable donations may yet materialize as a result of changes in federal tax law. But interviews with more than two dozen experts who track nonprofit giving reveal that fundraising kept going strong in 2018, with many groups pulling in donations at record levels. → Read More
Follow the Leader: To Raise More Money, Tell Donors About Other People's Giving —
To increase giving to their cause, charities should inform existing and potential donors about what others are contributing, according to new research. But gender can play a key role in influencing this psychological dynamic. → Read More
Need Time Off From a Demanding Fundraising Job? Know Your Options —
Nonprofit employers have become more accommodating when staff need a break to handle pressing personal issues. But fundraisers with lots of responsibility can find it tricky to step away from work. Here’s how to swing it. → Read More
"A Moment, Not a Marathon." The College Embracing a Different Kind of Capital Campaign —
Fundraising experts have long called for an end to capital campaigns and the pressure they cause for fundraisers and their institutions. Macalester College is an example of a school charting a new path. How’s that working out? → Read More
"Unsurpassed." The Fundraising Profession Loses a Gruff But Gentle Giant —
He was the author of five textbooks on fundraising and the brains behind Indiana University’s blockbuster strategies for raising boatloads of cash. What was Kent Dove’s secret sauce? → Read More
Strength in Numbers: Behind a Fundraising Push for Immigrant Rights —
With crowdfunding campaigns bringing in more cash for a range of causes, eight California charities working on behalf of immigrants have formed a new fundraising coalition that will debut on Giving Tuesday. → Read More
“Rage Giving.” The Women Donors Behind the Surge of Small Gifts to Progressive Groups —
It’s no secret that many women have been enraged by the ascendancy of Donald Trump. Now, new research documents how this anger affected their charitable giving after the 2016 election. → Read More
Your Philanthropy Career: Ace the Interview for Your Next Fundraising Job —
We continue our monthly series on fundraising careers with a deep dive into job interviews, which can be a minefield for even the most seasoned development professionals. Here’s how not to screw up. → Read More
Need to Raise More Money For Social Change? Apply For One of These New Fundraising Grants —
A group of foundations and other donors have pooled their resources to provide grants and loans that help progressive organizations test new fundraising ideas or expand existing fundraising efforts. → Read More
"We Were Not Chasing the Money." Fundraising Lessons From a Path-Breaking Healthcare Gift —
We look at the story behind a big gift to a struggling hospital in an underserved urban neighborhood. Such donations are rare. So how did this one come about? → Read More