Nonprofit Adviser

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The New Year promises to bring uncertainty — and a host of potential changes and challenges that could affect fundraising. To help you get ready, my colleague Rasheeda Childress serves up the biggest issues to keep an eye on in her article 5 Trends That Will Shape Fundraising in 2025.

Some themes are fresh, including possible changes to tax legislation and rapidly advancing A.I. Others are sticky problems that remain top of mind this year. Among them: how to get in on the vast pool of money sitting in donor-advised funds available for charitable giving.

DAFs have been surging in popularity for years, with giving from these funds reaching nearly 10 percent of all philanthropy in 2022, according to “Giving USA.” But many groups still have a hard time finding donors who have DAFs and connecting with them. It’s especially tricky to build relationships with those who make anonymous DAF gifts, whether they intend to be anonymous or not.

A study by the National Philanthropic Trust found DAFs had grown to more than $250 billion by 2023 — a sign these accounts are going strong and here to stay. The question this year, Rasheeda reports, is whether fundraisers can figure out how to tap into them in a meaningful way.

For expert guidance, check out our collection of advice and tools, Understanding and Tapping Into Donor-Advised Funds. I also suggest you watch our popular webinar, How DAF Donors Are Giving Away Their Money.

To get up to speed on all the 2025 trends, read Rasheeda’s article and join us on January 21 for the forum Trends to Watch in 2025, featuring Rasheeda, Chronicle CEO Stacy Palmer, and several other reporters and editors.

Finally, if you need ideas or inspiration for your resolutions, see our roundup of key advice on a variety of topics: New Year’s Resolutions for Nonprofits — and Tips to Make Them Work.

Have a great week,
Lisa Schohl
Senior Editor, Advice

Tip of the Week

To, boost fundraising from small donors, follow up quickly. At the Salvation Army USA, all first-time donors who give $45 or more receive a call within 48 hours. “Donor-care specialists” learn more about the donors and their interests, and the charity uses that information to target subsequent appeals. Giving by such donors has increased by more than 10 percent over the past year. For more advice, read Tips to Reach More Small-Dollar Donors.

New Grant Opportunities

Your Chronicle subscription includes free access to GrantStation’s database of grant opportunities.

Education: Through the 1954 Project initiative, CAFE Group awards $1 million unrestricted grants to leaders and their organizations advancing educational equity for Black students and communities in the United States. The program is designed for leaders with a proven track record of success in education that are ready to scale their impact. Applicants should demonstrate proximity, lived expertise, and a deep commitment to advancing equity for Black students and communities most impacted by systemic inequities in education. Eligibility forms due February 23.

Houses of Worship: The National Fund for Sacred Places, a program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers financial and technical support to community-serving historic houses of worship across the United States. Matching grants ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 are available for significant capital projects addressing urgent repair needs, improving accessibility, or making vacant or underused space usable for community outreach. Applications accepted from January 10 to March 3.