298. Giving USA 2022: Breaking Down the Philanthropy Trends - Elizabeth Abel

Elizabeth Abel, CCS Fundraising, Giving USA 2022

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Overview

Meet Elizabeth. She's baaaccckkk! The queen of interpreting philanthropic data reports is back in our house, and today we're breaking down Giving USA's 2002 Report. CCS's brilliant thought leader is explaining why dollars are up and donors are down, and how we can maximize that potential (and turn the tide of donor retention!). CCS is even giving away it's FREE breakdown of the report here (👈 waiting list, report dropping soon!) 🧐

💡Learn

High-level overview of greatest Giving USA trends, surprises & data points we don't want to overlook
Planned giving and corporate giving trends are fascinating...!
Why COVID-19 changes are likely to last
Actionable steps to leverage knowing this latest data

Today’s Guest

Elizabeth Abel, Senior Vice President, CCS Fundraising

“For 2021, the key takeaway is that Americans continue to be generous, and that philanthropy is responsive and resilient.”

— Elizabeth Abel

Episode Transcript

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Episode Overview

Elizabeth’s story and journey to where she is today (1:30)
Tone setting and overview of the Giving USA Report (5:45)
Individual donors (8:00)
Dollars up, donors down trend (9:20)
Corporate Giving (14:00)
Planned Giving (17:00)
Changes from COVID-19 (23:00)
- Virtual donor engagement
- Digital donations
- Culture change
Action steps listeners can take today (25:00)
- Make a strong case for philanthropy that meets the moment
- Engage your board members and volunteer leaders as fundraising ambassadors
- Lean into building an inclusive culture that is also growth minded
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Elizabeth’s life (28:00)
Elizabeth’s One Good Thing: Vacation (34:00)

Powerful quotes

“For 2021, the key takeaway is that Americans continue to be generous, and that philanthropy is responsive and resilient.” -Elizabeth

“Individual giving is really important because individuals collectively contribute 67%.” -Elizabeth

“Nonprofits need unrestricted giving, they know their missions, they know their programs, and they know their organization's best. And it's really important to provide them with investments that allow them to be flexible and meet the moment.” -Elizabeth

“Planned giving and the opportunity to integrate planned giving conversations into major donor conversations is a huge opportunity...It's all about relationship building. It's all about helping to connect people to the mission of your organization. And, thinking about the ways in which they can support that mission, one of which is by making a bequest.” -Elizabeth

“There's been this awakening where people are leaning more into values, thinking about how that shows up where they want to work, how they want to spend their time.” -Jon

“Everyone can be a philanthropist and everyone can do something.” -Becky

“There is a tremendous sense of burnout in the sector right now in particular, and a feeling that every day, there's just yet another thing to bring us down. The importance of taking care of ourselves is more important than ever before.” -Elizabeth