5 Fundraising Topics You’ll Need to Master in 2017

Fundraisers are under more pressure than ever before. The landscape for raising money is shifting beneath their feet, and the tools at their disposal are multiplying rapidly. Millennials, the oldest of whom are entering early middle age, will play an ever-bigger role in supporting causes, and doing much of it online. Fast-growing donor-advised funds carry enormous potential for charities savvy enough to capture their grants.

Read on to gather the best Chronicle coverage from 2016 to prepare you for fundraising in 2017.

Donor-Advised Funds

With Fidelity Charitable now raising more private support than any nonprofit in America, it’s more urgent than ever for charities to learn how to tap the money in donor-advised funds.

• Donor-Advised Funds Reshape the Philanthropy Landscape
• Mystery Money: The Art of Seeking Gifts From Donor-Advised Funds
• 5 Ways to Attract Gifts from Donor-Advised Funds

Major Gifts, Big Donors

The competition for wealthy donors’ support has never been fiercer. Learn what they want, how to compete for their gifts, and how to find and retain the talent that can secure major donations.

• The Scramble to Hire Big-Gift Fundraisers
• Data and the Search for Big Donors
• Women are Primed to Give Big — if Nonprofits Are Willing to Change
• 1 in 3 Rich Donors Held Their Philanthropy Back
• 6 Steps to Attracting More Diverse Donors

Crowdfunding and Social Media

Universities and other established organizations are increasingly incorporating crowdfunding into their development operations. Here’s some advice to help rally crowds of supporters online — and news that could signal Facebook’s growing clout in 2017.

• 11 Questions to Consider When Choosing a Crowdfunding Platform
• Ask the Expert: GoFundMe’s Crowdfunding Secrets
• 160 Million Americans Will Soon be Able to Raise Money for Charity on Facebook

Year-End Fundraising

It’s not too early to think about 2017’s year-end fundraising. Use our timeline to help make plans, review Giving Tuesday’s impact, and consider the lessons of 2016’s biggest giving-day debacle.

• A Timeline for Planning a Year-End Campaign
• As Giving Tuesday Turns 5, Its Impact Explodes Beyond Dollars
• Giving Tuesday Haul Is an Estimated $168 Million
• Kimbia’s Giving-Day Tech Failure Spurs a Wake-Up Call

Creative Fundraising Ideas

What’s the Next Big Thing in fundraising? Check out these outside-the-box ideas for gaining more support, even when the odds are stacked against you.

• Campaigns Aim to Capture Wealth Transfer in Shrinking Communities
• 16 Nonprofits That Defy Fundraising Logic — and Make It Work