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Speaking Truth to Power to Power in Fundraising: A Toolkit

May 16, 2022

Speaking Truth to Power in Fundraising: A Toolkit is simultaneously a report of findings from a mixed-methods study of the fundraising workplace, a call to action in addressing sexual harassment in the profession, and a set of resources for taking action. As has been found elsewhere, the report points out consequential disparities in the experience of fundraisers across social identity groups – race, gender, and sexuality. There are mixed feelings about the success of fundraisers' workplaces in achieving diversity and equality. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) fundraisers are more likely to perceive barriers to promotion for minorities, and Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) fundraisers are more likely to perceive inequality and a lack of diversity. The report speaks to the ability of fundraising employers to make members of different social identities feel safe. Results show that most fundraisers have confidence that their employer would address a complaint of discrimination or harassment, though there is room for improvement. Fundraisers may be less certain in the case that the harasser was an external stakeholder. And, while 80% or more of fundraisers' workplaces have policies prohibiting harassment based on race, sexual harassment, and workplace violence, fewer have policies prohibiting bullying. Exclusionary and harmful behaviors like these are due to a misuse of (financial, supervisory, and/or social) power.

AFP-OSU Workplace Climate Survey Preliminary Report 2

May 4, 2021

This survey was conducted online by researchers from The Ohio State University in partnership with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) between July 30 and August 30, 2020. The survey was sent to 17,041 AFP members aged 18+ working in the U.S. or Canada. A total of 1,783 (n=1,598 U.S., n=184 Canadian) respondents completed the survey for a response rate of 10.46%.The survey sample frame was selected among those who are members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals that have agreed to participate in online surveys. People who identify as male responded at a lower rate to the 2018 Harris Survey of AFP members, and were therefore over-sampled for this survey. Weights were then calculated to adjust for the over-sampling of males and non-response bias across males and females working in the U.S. and Canada.The survey instrument was modeled after a workplace climate survey developed and implemented by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) of the U.S. Federal Government. Measures used in the MSPB survey are well-validated and reliable. After adapting the MSPB survey to the research objectives, OSU researchers conducted five cognitive interviews with fundraisers. Based on feedback from the cognitive interviews, the survey was adjusted to help ensure comprehension of the questions by respondents.

AFP-OSU Workplace Climate Survey Preliminary Report 1

February 7, 2021

This survey was conducted online by researchers from The Ohio State University in partnership with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) between July 30 and August 30, 2020. The survey was sent to 17,041 AFP members aged 18+ working in the U.S. or Canada. A total of 1,783 (n=1,598 U.S., n=184 Canadian) respondents completed the survey for a response rate of 10.46%.The survey sample frame was selected among those who are members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals that have agreed to participate in online surveys. People who identify as male responded at a lower rate to the 2018 Harris Survey of AFP members, and were therefore over-sampled for this survey. Weights were then calculated to adjust for the over-sampling of males and non-response bias across males and females working in the U.S. and Canada.The survey instrument was modeled after a workplace climate survey developed and implemented by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) of the U.S. Federal Government. Measures used in the MSPB survey are well-validated and reliable. After adapting the MSPB survey to the research objectives, OSU researchers conducted five cognitive interviews with fundraisers. Based on feedback from the cognitive interviews, the survey was adjusted to help ensure comprehension of the questions by respondents.

Joint Global Fundraising Compensation Report: Identifying Patterns in Fundraising Salaries, Benefits, Backgrounds, and Career Paths

July 30, 2014

In 2013, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Daryl Upsall Consulting International (DUCI) agreed to combine efforts to produce a report on their respective surveys on compensation and benefits of fundraising professionals. The focus of the joint effort was to identify patterns in respondents' thoughts about their salaries and benefits and whether they currently work internationally, or would be open to doing so. Each organization conducted a survey of its constituents and included several common questions related to compensation and benefits for the calendar year 2013.

2013 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey Report

September 26, 2013

The 2013 Fundraising Effectivenes Project Report summarizes data from 2,840 survey respondents covering year-to-year fundraising results for 2011-2012. The report shows that: Gains of $769 million in gifts from new, upgraded current, and previously lapsed donors were offset by losses of $735 million through reduced gifts and lapsed donors. This means that, while there was a positive $34 million net growth-in-giving, every $100 gained in 2012 was offset by $96 in losses through gift attrition. That is, 96 percent of gains in giving were offset by losses in giving.Gains of $866,000 in new and previously lapsed donors were offset by losses of 909,000 in lapsed donors. This means that there was a negative (44,000) growth-in-donors and every 100 donors gained in 2012 was offset by 105 in lost donors through attrition. That is, 105 percent of the donors gained were offset by lapsed donors.Growth-in-giving performance varies significantly according to organization size (based on total amount raised), with larger organizations performing much better than smaller ones.The largest growth in gift dollars/donors came from new gifts/donors, and the pattern was most pronounced in the organizations with the highest growth-in-giving ratios.The greatest losses in gift dollars came from lapsed new gifts, particularly in the organizations with the lowest and highest growth-on-giving ratios. the greatest losses in donors came from lapsed new donors in all growth-in-giving categories.

The Nonprofit Research Collaborative Summer/Early Fall 2011

September 1, 2011

Fundraising data are typically collected at the organization level and seldom aggregated across different types and sizes of charitable organizations. This Nonprofit Research Collaborative Summer/Early Fall 2011 report is one step in the direction to collect data about current charitable organizational practices around fundraising. The survey asked about the directions of change in giving in the first half of 2011, fundraising methods used, where organizations are investing more in fundraising, and when (or if) organizations track fundraising costs, including direct expenses and staff time. A special section of the survey asked about campaigns—including special projects, capital, endowment, or comprehensive campaigns.

The 2010 Nonprofit Fundraising Survey: Funds Raised in 2010 Compared with 2009

March 1, 2011

More organizations saw growth (43 percent) than declines (33 percent). Combined, two‐thirds of respondents said they saw contributions increase or stay about the same as in 2009. This is an improvement over a year ago at the same time, when 46 percent reported a decline and only 54 percent saw growth or stable contributions levels.  A far larger share in 2010 saw stable amounts of contributions received (24 percent versus 11 percent last year at this time). The shift between 2009 and 2010 is from "decreased" to "about the same".  The results in this wave are an improvement over the November 2010 survey conducted by the Nonprofit Research Collaborative. At that time, 36 percent of responding charities reported an increase and 37 percent reported a decrease in the first nine months of 2010. This suggests that the "uptick" in giving anticipated in the last weeks of 2010 might have occurred, but nonetheless, the growth in contributions received did not match expectations for the year.

The Nonprofit Research Collaborative: November 2010 Fundraising Survey

November 1, 2010

In this ninth annual survey of nonprofit organizations (charities and foundations), respondents answered questions comparing their organizations' total contributions in the first nine months of 2010 compared with the same period in 2009. Nearly the same percentage of organizations reported that giving was up as those that reported giving was down. Of the about 2,500 responses, 36 percent said giving rose and 37 percent said giving fell, while the other 26 percent reported that total giving remained the same.

Drowning in Paperwork, Distracted from Purpose: Challenges and Opportunities in Grant Application and Reporting

April 1, 2008

Are nonprofits drowning in paperwork and distracted from purpose as a result of grantmakers' application and reporting requirements? Do the same practices that grantmakers use to increase effectiveness end up over-burdening both grantmakers and grantseekers—and diminishing their effectiveness? This research report commissioned by Project Streamline addresses these questions by examining current application and reporting practices and their impact on grantmakers and grantseekers alike. In short, we found that the current system creates significant burdens on the time, energy and ultimate effectiveness of nonprofit practitioners.

A Vision for and Brief History of Youth Philanthropy

January 1, 2007

AFP offers this report as both an evaluation and marker of the state of the youth philanthropy field and as a record of the Youth in Philanthropy Summit -- its proceedings, outcomes and next steps. Significant progress was achieved; partnerships were forged; a future was envisioned; and each of the participants agreed to ownership of results. The Summit provided direction for what needs to happen for youth philanthropy to become both recognized as a movement and fully integrated into the national and international consciousness.This document has three primary purposes: to offer information on youth philanthropy, its origins and history; to present the development of the Summit; and to document the key themes and outcomes.

Association of Fundraising Professionals State of Fundraising 2005 Report

July 10, 2006

This report is based on responses to an email survey of AFP's members conducted in February and March of 2006. A random sample of U.S. members (3,000), as well as every member in Canada (approximately 2,500) received an email directing them to a special website through which they entered their responses. All respondent data has been kept strictly confidential. Therewere 209 Canadian responses and 303 U.S. responses for an overall response rate of about 9.3 percent. The respondents represent a broad range of organizations in terms of budget size and practice setting. This is the fifth in a series of reports to track the annual year-end state of fundraising in the charitable sector. The first survey (2001) did not break out U.S. and Canadian data separately, although a very large majority of respondents were American and the figures are included in theU.S. data. The 2001 survey data is included in U.S. tables purely for comparison and should not be considered scientifically valid.

Association of Fundraising Professionals State of Fundraising 2004 Report

April 4, 2005

This report is based on responses to an email survey of AFP's members conducted in February and March of 2005. A random sample of two pools of AFP members (3,000 from the United States and 2,500 from Canada) received an email directing them to a special website through which they entered their responses. All respondent data has been kept strictly confidential. There were 188 Canadian responses and 343 U.S. responses for an overall response rate of about 9.6 percent. The respondents represent a broad range of organizations in terms of budget size and practice setting. This is the fourth in a series of reports to track the annual year-end state of fundraising in the charitable sector.