Horizons Spring/Summer 2019

INDUSTRY UPDATE NOT-FOR-PROFIT

A Sunny Forecast for Not-For-Profits by Amy Altholz, CPA, CGMA

F orecasting the future is difficult. There’s no doubt that the need for essential services provided by not-for-profit organizations will continue to grow as will the corresponding challenge of securing the necessary funding to meet these needs. However, how organizations overcome fundraising challenges may look dramatically different in the next decade. Some of the more significant changes are anticipated in the area of fundraising as organizations react to the ever-changing giving environment and donor bases. The following are some changes one might expect to see in the not-for-profit industry in the next decade.

Fundraising strategies may look different in the future. In recent years, there has been a continued rise in organizations’ use of social media and online giving. Although organizations continue to acknowledge that face-to-face interaction is the most valuable and effective way to build long-term relationships, this has historically been reserved for major gift efforts due to the necessary time and effort. In the future, not-for-profits may increasingly use new technologies to identify prospects for giving at various gift levels and then use that data to more efficiently drive face-to- face visits and increases in donor support.

A Sunny Forecast for Not-For-Profits

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