Building Impact Partners

Much of the work we do at Building Impact Partners is about helping donors get more money moving to where it’s most needed. My first book, Money with Meaning (https://bit.ly/3CHmwtv) is part of that effort. It's written as a DIY guide for donors looking for more meaningful giving--where social impact and personal fulfillment come together. I launched the book back in June 2023, I am so grateful for all the help, support and encouragement from friends and colleagues, helping the book hit #1 in the Philanthropy, Charity and Nonprofit Fundraising categories on Amazon, not only in launch week but a couple times since then. One of the best parts has been hearing stories directly from readers about how it has made a difference in their lives and helped them gear up their giving. So why am I posting about this now??Because the end of year giving season is upon us and there is still so much untapped potential in philanthropy--literally trillions of dollars on the sidelines. This is the unique time of year when many donors who’ve been putting off their giving start to give it more attention. This giving season feels all the more pivotal because over the past year or so many of us who work in the philanthropy and fundraising space have been hearing from amazing leaders and organizations that they have started to hit a wall in their fundraising efforts. Even as many organizations are doing their best work in a world that is literally and figuratively on fire, many are growing beyond their base of existing donors and running out of folks to ask. I know from what readers have already shared that?this book can really make a difference. But one of the challenges with a niche book like this is that conventional marketing isn’t a great way to reach the book’s core audience of wealthy individuals and their advisors. This is an audience for whom personal recommendations and word of mouth go a particularly long way.??? So, if you’re game to help boost this book, please help spread the word--whether by sharing this post, buying a copy, gifting a copy, writing a review or recommending it to someone you know. I’ve created a simple 30-second form (https://bit.ly/4fWsc1L) with options for how to help (plenty of which don’t require you to have a rolodex full of wealthy would-be donors!)?If you complete the form?we’ll follow up with you directly to make next steps fast and easy. Asking for help isn’t always easy, but I definitely feel more comfortable doing so because I believe that getting this book into more people’s hands has potential benefits not only for those who read it--but also for extraordinary social entrepreneurs who will benefit from the resources that flow when more people begin taking action to gear up their giving.?? With much gratitude! --Alex

Thrilled to be working with Building Impact Partners to bring Summer Discovery back this year to ensure kids across southeast Michigan have meaningful, enriching experiences all summer long. Schools and CBOs in the Detroit metro area -- take advantage of this incredible opportunity!

We are a few weeks away from Giving Season, the period between Giving Tuesday and New Year's Eve, when an estimated 30 percent of donation volume occurs. Michelle Boggs, MBA, CFRE writes in this piece published by Candid that a seamless donor experience can deliver increased donations, higher retention rates, stronger loyalty, and advocacy. So how can nonprofits elevate the donor experience? Boggs shares three ways in this piece.

Interesting piece on Town & Country Magazine highlighting what it considers to be the 10 best philanthropic moments of 2024. The feature recognizes “some of the year’s most impactful givers” and their stories - from Darren Walker's decision to step down as head of the Ford Foundation, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s financial gifts to HBCUs, to the rapper Flavor Fav stepping up to take care of rent for a student competing in the Olympics.

We love working with Ballmer Group to design and implement Summer Discovery in Southeast Michigan, and Connie and Steve Ballmer are big reasons why. The Ballmers and their team are about impact, not ego, and have given away more than $7.5 billion to improve economic mobility and reduce systemic inequities for children and families in America. “We have more (money) than we need,” Connie says in their recent interview with “60 Minutes” on CBS. “It just makes sense to figure out ways that we could share it.”

It has become common for ultra-high net worth (UHNW) individuals like Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott to donate huge sums of money to other wealthy or famous people with visibility, access, and power, as opposed to traditional nonprofit organizations that engage in social programming, capacity building, and direct services. In this blog post published by Candid, Natalie S. Burke of the CommonHealth ACTION argues that while this approach avoids bureaucracy, it can “effectively block and redirect resources from nonprofits that have been working for decades to improve health, well-being, and quality of life for millions of people.” Her solution? Three strategies for health-focused nonprofits to appeal to megadonors and three considerations for megadonors to support health-focused nonprofits.

Some useful tips below from members of the Forbes Nonprofit Council on how nonprofits can prevent mission creep and remain focused on their goals, even as they grow and discover new opportunities.

“Taken together, these findings suggest that donor size is a significant factor in trying to understand donor behavior—regardless of whether the donor is an individual or an institution. Additionally, there seems to be some commonalities between large individual donors and small institutional donors. These findings might be an early signal that the long-standing dichotomy between individual and institutional donors has become dated, particularly as the line between individual and institutional donors continues to blur. High-net-worth individuals are increasingly choosing to give through vehicles other than private foundations—like donor-advised funds or Limited Liability Companies (LLCs). But, similar to foundations, some may hire philanthropic advisors, issue experts, or staff to help them be strategic and impactful in their giving."

A new report by the Blackbaud Institute outlines what kinds of donors are giving spontaneously and reveals new insights to encourage spontaneous givers to become repeat donors. "Spontaneous giving may be challenging to predict – but it's not random," said Lorraine (Lori) Poer, Director of the Blackbaud Institute. "Our data shows that spontaneous giving plays a more important role in the philanthropic activity of younger generations and minority donors, and that organizations that want to maximize the opportunity of spontaneous giving should focus on telling a compelling story that carries through from social media to their websites and donation forms." Read more insights from the report below.

“Through Bloomberg Philanthropies – the vehicle for his personal and corporate giving – he has advanced an array of initiatives for city government leaders. The organization is now providing funding and technical support to around 700 city governments across 150 countries… “Bloomberg has described partnerships between philanthropists and government as a ‘perfect match’. ‘Philanthropists,’ he notes, ‘have resources that governments need for innovation, and governments have powers that philanthropists need for solving problems.’”