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Philanthropy is changing—fast. Policy shifts, economic pressure, evolving donor expectations, and new technologies are reshaping how nonprofits operate. Philanthropy Today delivers clear analysis, relevant trends, and straight talk to help you stay ahead. No fluff. No panic. Just what’s happening now—and what it means for your mission.
Across community mental health systems, even those that are already publicly funded, there is growing pressure to expand third-party billing as grant funding becomes less stable and more uncertain. But the model is misaligned, and shifts expectations on to the workforce to produce revenue.
Successful private companies know how to market well — and that means using psychology. Many companies now tell consumers they can “do good” by buying their stuff. They often have better stewardship than most charities. And they keep their messaging simple. T0 “compete,” nonprofits need to up their game, follow the same formula, and focus on marketing and branding.
Hampshire College had famous alumni, loyal donors, and over half a century of history. It still closed. Ken Burns gave $5 million. The board tried to sell land. Neither was enough. The reason traces back to 1965, when the founding gift was spent on construction instead of invested as endowment. This article examines what Hampshire got wrong — and what Olin College got right — and what every nonprofit should learn from both.
Donors are ready. Most organizations aren’t. Mark Dobosz of Mozaic Senior Life draws on four decades of research to show why most planned giving conversations fail before they start — and what actually works. The barrier isn’t money, mortality, or donor hesitation. It’s the language we use when we finally decide to ask.
Planned giving transforms donor relationships from transactional to transformational. Charitable bequests total $45.84 billion annually, with average bequests 40 times larger than a donor’s yearly gift. Yet only 1 percent of nonprofits have active programs. The shift requires starting values conversations before gift conversations, integrating legacy language across portfolios, and building stewardship that sustains relationships between bequest intention and realization.
Tara Green’s journey—from fleeing Iran as a young child to building a life across continents—offers a deeply personal lens on what it means to give. Shaped by survival, displacement, and the quiet generosity of others, her perspective challenges conventional fundraising thinking. Drawing on her experience in the Gulf, she reveals a form of philanthropy rooted not in recognition, but in faith, dignity, and responsibility—where giving is often unseen, yet profoundly felt.
Most planned giving programs fail not because of lack of donors — but because leadership delegates what only leadership can own. Development officers rotate between jobs every 18 months. Planned gifts take decades to mature. That mismatch quietly kills programs before they produce. The organizations that consistently realize legacy gifts share one trait: the CEO owns the program as an institutional priority, not a staff assignment.
Most nonprofits raise money, spend it, and start over. Every year. That cycle has a name: the treadmill. Endowments are the alternative — a financial structure that generates permanent, recurring support without requiring your organization to begin from zero each January. This guide covers everything nonprofit boards and executive directors need to know: what endowments are, how they work, what they cost, how to start one, and how to have the conversation with donors who are already thinking about legacy.
A charitable bequest — a gift made through your will — is one of the most powerful forms of generosity available to ordinary people. It costs nothing today, requires no minimum wealth, and can be changed at any time. Yet the typical bequest is 200 to 300 times larger than a donor’s biggest annual gift. This guide explains how bequests work, how to structure them, and how to choose an organization prepared to receive and steward what you leave behind.