Innovation in philanthropy

A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER

How philanthropy is changing

You’ve probably heard the observation that, “In today’s world, every company must be a technology company.”

This adage is doubly true in development offices, many of which are losing ground or missing key opportunities as they struggle to keep up with today’s pace of technological, societal, and environmental transformation.

Meanwhile, waves of change continue to shake up the philanthropic landscape. 

Each year more nonprofits are chasing fewer donors, just as America’s ultra-wealthy are redefining the conventions of charitable giving. Many donors have shifted their gifts toward immediate essentials such as healthcare, food, and housing. And the AI revolution looms large, poised to accelerate the digital and on-demand preferences of a new generation of donors. 

Within their own walls, few development organizations have adequately addressed critical operational issues, including basics such as succession planning. And many have fumbled their transition to the digital platforms urgently needed to raise their profile and better engage donors.

That’s why a big part of my work is helping development offices embrace the same proactive attitude toward change as tech leaders: cultivate innovation as an essential catalyst to drive internal change and as an essential strategy for responding to external change. In other words, treat innovation as a basic survival skill.

Innovation in philanthropy speaks to our desire to grow, to change, to connect and to try (and sometimes fail) to create organizations that best serve their communities. At the same time, we are empowering the next generation of fundraisers to lead us into a brave new philanthropic world.

There has never been a better time to embrace what innovation can mean—to you, to your donors, and to your future. I invite you to join me.

— Karen S. Cochran, CFRE

     Founder & Chief Philanthropic Innovator

Innovation in philanthropy speaks to our desire to grow, to change, to connect, and to try (and sometimes fail) to create organizations that best serve their communities.