Nonprofit Adviser

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Now that August has arrived, planning for year-end fundraising is kicking into high gear. What can you do now to ensure your nonprofit lands big gifts?

Take the time to gain a real understanding of who your best prospects are and how they give, several experts told my colleague Rasheeda Childress. Look closely at the ways in which your big donors have supported your organization in the past and update your knowledge about them, says fundraising consultant Jack Alotto. He also suggests doing a wealth screening to see who in your database is currently well-situated to make a major gift.

If your organization can’t afford wealth screening, conduct online research to glean additional information on potential prospects in your database, says Ashley Dittmar, chief development officer at the Adventure Project. Schedule meetings with any donors you haven’t personally interacted with to learn about what motivates them and which aspects of your organization’s work most interest them.

Read the rest of Get Your Major Donors on the Path to Big Giving at Year-End to learn more from top experts about how to craft a cultivation plan, make adjustments to strategy, and hit your group’s major-gift fundraising goals.

Have a good week,

Maria Di Mento
Senior Reporter

Scenario planning will help you navigate an uncertain future. The board at Jumpstart for Young Children started scenario planning in January, before President Trump took office and started cutting federal grants to charities. The exercise helped them imagine a range of potential outcomes based on economic, social, or political risks to their work or funding. Jumpstart is now exploring other ways to deliver on its mission and meet revenue goals, like expanding its summer programs and deepening engagement with families to conduct learning at home. Read more about how Jumpstart is finding a way forward in my colleague Eden Stiffman’s article: With Federal Funding Slashed, This Nonprofit Aims to Reinvent Itself.

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Health Care: The Alpha Phi Foundation advances women’s heart health through its Heart to Heart Grant program, which funds research and education efforts in the U.S. and Canada. Grants of $100,000 for clinical research and up to $25,000 for community-based education and care; application deadline October 31.

Outdoor Spaces: This program provides grants to nonprofit organizations for trail maintenance, waterway protection, urban greenspace improvement, and broader environmental preservation projects. Funding also supports efforts such as invasive-species removal, beach clean-ups, and habitat restoration to ensure equitable access to healthy outdoor environments. Grants range from $5,000 to $10,000; application deadline September 30.