Thriving During Fundraising Slumps
Yesterday, I attended a webinar for nonprofit consultants that started with a focus on brain science and stress. The stress we are all consciously or unconsciously facing right now is affecting our ability to plan for the future. With that in mind it is important to consider how the next phase of fundraising during this pandemic will impact you personally in your fund development role. If you have not yet reviewed the research from The Better Fundraising, co. and Jeff Brooks Fundraising on phases of donor generosity during an economic or natural disaster, please download it here. It will be helpful to share with the organization and Board you serve. Credit: The Better Fundraising Co. and Jeff Brooks Fundraising. Download the research summary here. The authors describe the four phases of generosity (as pictured above) as the bump, the slump, the surge, and the new normal. This pandemic bump was quite extraordinary and lasted about 2 months. Network for Good, one of the largest and longest established organizations that receives and distributes donations, saw a 30% year over year increase in donations for both direct and indirect service nonprofits. To put that in context, a 3% increase is considered a conservative, but…