I recently started volunteering at an organization in Atlanta in order to get involved in the community. It wasn’t until I had a horrible experience with their volunteer services that I thought about discontinuing my giving to the organization. From the mismanagement of the volunteers to the lack of gratitude, I was angry and never wanted […]

At National Philanthropy Day, presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Association of Fundraising Professionals earlier this fall, Alicia Philipp, President of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, shared a statistic reported in the Chronicle of Philanthropy: Atlanta ranks as the 4th most generous community among the top 50 metro areas in the country. In addition, […]

“Our committee meetings seem to go on forever!” said the volunteer with whom I was meeting last week. “And all we do is hear reports – we never seem to deal with anything substantive.” Have you had similar comments from your Board members or volunteer committee members? There are many articles and books talking about […]

Two long time Atlantans were honored last month by the Association of Fundraising Professionals for their transformative philanthropic contributions to the greater Atlanta Community. Tom Chapman and Rabbi Alvin Sugarman received their awards from Bernie Marcus in a ceremony at the Georgia Aquarium. Mr. Marcus, who has close relationships with both men, spoke from the […]

By Jarrad Howard, Campaign Strategy Study Coordinator In a meeting with a potential donor, whether they are a new donor or a constant supporter of your organization, I have found that these meetings are never one-on-one. The parties in attendance are always you, your donor…and your donor’s ego. Although uninvited, the ego is ever present […]

By Katie MacKenzie, Project Coordinator With the end of the year quickly approaching, soon many of us will be scrambling to close out any end-of-year donations, wrap up any unfinished business and conclude 2014 with (hopefully) a bang! While all of these are noble tasks and important to our organizations, what we find during this […]

Research can be a powerful tool to help us work smarter. It’s a shame that we have so little of it in the world of philanthropy. Thus, it was a delight to see the work of Dr. Russell James III that provides a much-needed longitudinal perspective on planned giving in his book American Charitable Bequest […]

By Heather H. Thornton, Project Manager Back in August, I wrote about giving my first gift to my alma mater. I finally decided to take the plunge after I was alerted via email from the University about a fire at one of the oldest buildings on campus. This prompted me to revisit my beloved alma […]