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Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

Jul 13

Lilly Family School alumni share sustaining lessons from the pandemic

By Sponsor Insight

By Abby Rolland, former communications project manager, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

As states slowly resume operations and the U.S. tries to return to normalcy in the wake of a devastating health and economic crisis, nonprofits continue to serve on the frontlines.

To learn what is happening on the frontlines, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy reached out to alumni working in nine charitable subsectors. Classified by the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) Code: religion, health, education, human services, public society benefit, international affairs, foundations, animals and the environment, and arts, culture and the humanities, these graduates provided insight about how their organizations responded to COVID-19 and what they are learning.

Insights

In the religion subsector, Winterbourne Harrison-Jones serves as a senior pastor at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church on the city’s westside. He explained that the old models of worship have been challenged, and the church has had to find new ways to connect, show care and form community.

Winterbourne Harrison-Jones

“We’ve had to create virtual spaces for spiritual development and social engagement. The coronavirus has challenged many congregations to think quickly and creatively to stay true to teachings of the church, while also navigating a new environment.”

Harrison-Jones shared videos of services, messages, and music on the church’s Facebook page in order to connect with church attendees.

In the education field, Richard Trollinger works as a senior philanthropy advisor to Centre College in Danville, Ky. In March, the college created a relief fund for students needing immediate assistance during the spring semester. Now, it’s shifting its focus to discuss the ongoing needs for students long-term.

Trollinger also serves as the coordinator of a group of 21 chief development officers at liberal arts colleges in the Southeast.

Richard Trollinger

“We have had Zoom meetings to discuss when and how to reboot our overall fundraising programs, especially major gifts. We want to examine all angles in major gift fundraising and learn from each other before moving forward.”

The subsector public society benefit includes organizations such as United Way. Lisa Busse serves as the engagement senior manager at United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI), which rapidly developed a response to the virus crisis by working with other funders to launch the Central Indiana COVID-19 Community Economic Relief Fund. Busse leads a team that is not only raising funds for the needs in the community during the pandemic, but for UWCI’s regular programming as well.

Lisa Busse

Those fundraisers meet with donors online, openly sharing the challenges of the global pandemic while also illustrating the need for United Way and the impact it has had for over 100 years. Combined with three prior rounds of grants made since March 24, C-CERF has granted $21.5 million to 186 organizations in Central Indiana that serve individuals and families affected directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working in human services arena at Gleaners Food Bank, Bethany Watson, director of grants and foundation relations, has seen the number of food-insecure Hoosiers rise dramatically as a result of COVID-19. In April, the nonprofit distributed more than twice the amount of food as it had in April 2019. Gleaners and other nonprofits that are focused on food insecurity have rapidly adapted their services to feed more hungry individuals.

Bethany Watson

Watson said her degree in philanthropic studies has helped her navigate the challenges of a new environment, including writing grants and mananging relationships with funders to help Gleaners make a difference for those facing food insecurity and hunger.

At The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Erin Crowther serves as the donor relations manager. The environment- and animals-focused nonprofit has found new ways to creatively adapt to the new environment and engage with its constituents and the conservation community.

Erin Crowther

“We’ve developed ‘TNC TV’ episodes featuring different aspects of our mission, we held an online board meeting, and we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day from all corners of the globe,” Crowther said. “We recognize the comfort our natural world can bring to those who engage with it.”

International affairs organizations based in the U.S. have implemented innovative fundraising campaigns, participated in global giving days, and developed their own emergency responses to COVID-19, according to Lilly Family School of Philanthropy visiting research associate Kinga Horvath, a Fulbright Scholar from Hungary.

“Pooled funds and collaboratives have also become an innovative vehicle to leverage donors’ resources and common interests in order to tackle global societal challenges, locally and globally,” she explained.

Kinga Horvath

Horvath and the rest of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy research team have worked on collecting data about giving and COVID-19 from around the U.S. and the world in order to assess its national and international impact.

Some foundations, such as Ball Brothers Foundation (BBF) in Muncie, have developed a rapid grant program that is designed to pay out small grants quickly, according to BBF president and COO Jud Fisher. The program assists with immediate needs, and allows BBF to respond quickly without changing many of their systems. In addition, Fisher noted that the foundation is also continuing its general grantmaking cycle.

Michelle Turchan of Riley Children’s Foundation urged nonprofits to be nimble and to ask constituents, volunteers, and donors how they are impacted by the crisis and can best be served.

Michelle Turchan

“We’ve developed a relief fund that allows the hospital to serve the specific needs of families impacted by this health crisis,” said Turchan, regional gift officer. “We know that many of our constituents are in a particularly heightened state of stress, and we want to be sure that we are continually able to best serve them.”

Arts, culture, and humanities organizations face a tough road ahead.

“During previous disasters, sharing space and taking solace in the healing power of the arts has allowed us to grieve together and heal together,” explained Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, executive director of the Miami City Ballet.

Tania Castroverde Moskalenko

“The nature of this pandemic hasn’t allowed us to do that. The current situation has forced many of us to pivot to virtual presentations via digital platforms and social media channels,” she said. “Most of us are planning, creating, and producing content in order to stay connected to our audiences. We are determined to continue impacting lives through our work.”

Lessons

What are some of the takeaways that nonprofit practitioners can learn from peers in the philanthropic sector?

  1. Use a virtual learning/community environment to your advantage. Discover new ways to connect with stakeholders and those passionate about your mission. How can you use online platforms to connect in virtual ways that you weren’t able to or hadn’t tried before?
  2. Be creative in communicating and engaging with your donors. Host regular Zoom meetings. Invite donors on tours of your organization, implementing your community’s recommendations for social distancing. Share stories about recipients or beneficiaries of your organization. Find ways to continually engage with your donors.
  3. Identify ways to regularly meet with your board. Although the virus has altered programs and schedules, it’s important to keep in touch with your board to discuss the ever-changing situation. Keep them involved and engaged, and use their expertise and connections to continue to demonstrate your nonprofit’s case and mission.
  4. Collaborate with others. Search for opportunities to collaborate with other nonprofits, and with businesses and government entities. Much can be accomplished if individuals and organizations work together to better serve their communities.
  5. Listen and respond accordingly. If you’re a public charity, listen to your beneficiaries and the community to see where your mission matches need. Be open and nimble to adjusting plans if you find that your constituents need something different from you. If you are part of a foundation, listen to your grantees and find ways to be flexible in order to quickly respond to community needs. In addition, deliver on your previously-made awarded grants in order to help nonprofits as much as possible during this time.

Since June 2020, Abby Rolland has served as a fellow at The Patterson Foundation in Sarasota, Fla. She holds a master’s degree in philanthropic studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and an undergraduate degree from Gettysburg College.

Through a collaboration with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, The Patterson Foundation created the Fellows Program. Through this effort, the foundation aspires to create a network of future leaders aligned in its innovative approach to philanthropy.

Nov 05

Nonprofits and corporations working collaboratively

By Sponsor Insight

By Abby Rolland, communications projects manager and Genevieve Shaker, Ph.D., associate professor of philanthropic studies, IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

Last year, corporations gave over $20.7 billion to nonprofits, an increase of eight percent since the year before (Giving USA 2018).Through gifts of cash and in-kind materials made through corporate-giving programs, as well as grants and gifts by corporate foundations and volunteering opportunities, corporations and their employees continue to engage in philanthropy. The idea of linking a corporation’s philanthropy with its business interests, often referred to as strategic philanthropy, began to take hold in U.S. companies during the 1980s.

There are tremendous opportunities for nonprofits and corporations to work together. They both need each other to be successful – nonprofits need donors, volunteers, and board members from the business community, while corporations need nonprofits as vehicles to partner with to give back to the community.

Corporation employees also benefit from opportunities for collaboration between nonprofits and corporations.

“Being involved with nonprofit organizations and their developments encourages corporate employees to be more innovative, creative, and increase personal growth,” said Casey Ruschman, products and services manager for Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky at Duke Energy Corporation and a current graduate student at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Ruschman had a successful nine-year career in the accounting and finance department at Duke Energy in Cincinnati, Ohio when she reached a personal crossroads – stay in that department or work more with the community. When a position managing the Duke Energy Foundation opened, Ruschman saw the perfect opportunity to continue working for the company, while also engaging with communities in Ohio and Kentucky.

During her four years leading the foundation, Ruschman realized that she needed formal education about the philanthropic sector.

“I discovered that in order to do my job to the best of my ability, I needed more tools and better strategies on giving.” Those thoughts, as well as conversations with her boss, led Ruschman to look into online programs in philanthropy and nonprofit management. “This school and its graduate program really stood out to me,” she explained.

Ruschman’s commitment to furthering her education to enhance her knowledge of philanthropy led to her nomination for and acceptance of the Cincinnati Business Courier’s ’Forty under 40’ award.

“I want to be in a career that gives back to the community, and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy helps practitioners be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change.”

Through her time as the Duke Energy Foundation manager, her current role managing the company’s low-income energy efficiency programs in three states, and her service on several nonprofit boards in Cincinnati, Ruschman has worked with nonprofits in multiple different capacities.

“There are many ways for nonprofits to engage and partner with corporations,” she said. Ruschman encourages nonprofits to look into various corporate giving and volunteering programs at corporations in their respective communities.

Key to making a strong first impression is doing your homework.

  • Look into grants, scholarships, or in-kind product delivery that matches the nonprofit’s programs and goals with the corporation’s interests in the community.

“Research various ways that corporations directly give money to nonprofits,” Ruschman said.

  • Determine whether a company has an employee volunteer program.

“We have an internal program where we can see volunteering opportunities in the Greater Cincinnati area. Employees are then able to sign up for these various opportunities during their free time,” she said. “If I’m passionate about a cause, I can get a group of coworkers together and form a volunteer event at a local nonprofit. It’s a great way for employees to participate in established volunteering events or start their own,” she explained.

  • Research matching gift programs.

“Matching gift opportunities provide ways for nonprofits to leverage more dollars. The Duke Energy Foundation will match $1 for $1 up to $5,000 per year for each employee donation to any nonprofit organization,” she said.

  • Research and then ask corporations about other ways they and their employees can give back to the community.

“My company has a program that allows me to track my nonprofit board service or volunteer hours in an internal system where those hours equate to dollars. Then, I receive up to $2,000 a year for volunteer work that I can give back to any nonprofit,” she explained.

“Corporations in the U.S. have a large role in philanthropy. For example, Duke Energy works in seven states, and the Duke Energy Foundation annually provides over $30 million in charitable giving. The company strongly promotes community involvement and giving back,” she said.

“Giving back to local communities gives corporations as a whole a way to create a more positive workplace environment, boost employee engagement, garner positive media coverage, and attract and retain investors.”

Are company employees more likely to participate in philanthropic activities if the corporation promotes charitable giving? Genevieve Shaker, Ph.D., associate professor of philanthropic studies, researches and analyzes workplace-giving campaigns and has found that to be the case.

A research study conducted by Shaker, Dr. Robert Christensen, and Jonathan Bergdoll (2017) found that employer-matching programs encourage giving by employees.

“When employers matched donations, workers appeared more likely to give and to give more money to a cause. About eight percent more people said they donated when they worked for companies that offer this benefit, compared to employees of companies that don’t,” Shaker and colleagues wrote.

“It’s clear that employees at corporations want to give back in some capacity,” she added. “It’s important for nonprofits to ask about these opportunities with their donors, and for corporations to make clear with their employees that user-friendly matching gift opportunities exist,” she finished.

Ruschman agrees, and she encourages nonprofits to focus on mission when discussing matching gifts and other corporative giving and volunteering opportunities with companies.

“Nonprofits that are clear about their mission and their impact in the community are ones that stand out to us. They understand the needs of the community and have concrete solutions, and they partner with other nonprofits, community leaders, government, corporations, and volunteers to achieve their mission,” Ruschman explained.

Ruschman’s advice for nonprofits when working with a corporation 

  • It’s critical for nonprofits to research a corporation’s giving strategies before making contact in order to understand if they are eligible to secure funding. Make a list of the nonprofit’s community partners, philanthropic support, financials, and other volunteering opportunities.
  • Create a plan focused on a program or project that would match the corporation’s ideals and outcomes. The nonprofit should have two or three ideas on ways the corporation can support its work.
  • Meet with the corporation staff person via phone or in-person to discuss the potential relationship.

For Ruschman, her desire to give back has resulted in a career that merged her two passions of business and community service.

“Being a worker and citizen that cares about giving back plays an important role in the culture of a company. I am fortunate to work for a company that is committed to community and service. Personally, my career will always focus on helping people and giving back to better society,” she said.

Abby Rolland is communications project manager for the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI and a current student in the master’s degree program.

 

Genevieve G. Shaker, Ph.D. is associate professor of philanthropic studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI. Her research focuses on fundraising, higher education advancement, philanthropy in the workplace, and philanthropy, public good, and faculty work. She is associate editor of the journal Philanthropy & Education.

Jan 16

The outlook for giving

By Sponsor Insight

By Una Osili, director of research, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

Looking for some good news to start off the year? Nonprofit organizations and the people they serve can find encouragement in the anticipated charitable-giving climate.

Giving in the U.S. will grow by 3.6 percent in 2017 and by an additional 3.8 percent in 2018, according to The Philanthropy Outlook 2017 & 2018 produced by Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy researchers and presented by Marts & Lundy, a leading fundraising and philanthropy consulting firm. The Outlook generates projections for year-to-year growth rates in overall giving; giving by type of donor; and giving to education, health, and public-society benefit nonprofits.

All types of donors are expected to increase giving in both years:

  • Growth in giving by foundations will lead the way (5.9 percent in 2017 and 6.0 percent in 2018).
  • Estate giving is expected to increase by 5.4 percent this year and 5.2 percent next year.
  • Giving by individuals is predicted to grow 3.0 percent and 3.2 percent respectively.
  • Giving by corporations will lag behind the other sources of giving, rising by just 2.4 percent and 2.7 percent respectively.

Health, education and public-society benefit organizations — the three types of nonprofits addresses in the report — are all expected to see considerable. Giving to health is predicted to grow by 8.5 percent in 2017 and 7.9 percent in 2018. Giving to education is projected to rise 6.3 percent in 2017 and 6.0 percent in 2018, continuing recent years’ trends. Philanthropic support for the public-society benefit subsector, which includes United Ways, human and civil rights nonprofits, national donor-advised funds, and other similar types of organizations, will also be strong, with growth of 5.2 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively, boosted in part by continued growth in contributions to donor-advised funds.

Marts & Lundy President and Chief Executive Officer Phil Hills counsels that “The increase in philanthropic support across the entire sector provides organizations with the opportunity to increase services in a time of expanding need. For education and health, access and innovation will likely be significant issues to address. Student debt, rising costs of patient care and the need to continue funding for life-changing research will continue to be focal points for giving.”

The Outlook indicates that continued growth in the overall economy, as reflected in the value of stocks, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and household income, will drive the rise in philanthropic giving this year and next. Explanations of the economic factors and conditions likely to influence the predicted changes, implications of the results, and suggestions for nonprofit professionals and fundraisers in light of the anticipated giving climate are included in the report, which is available free of charge at www.philanthropyoutlook.com.

una Una Osili is director of research and professor of philanthropic studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and professor of economics at IUPUI.