Sharpe Insights Articles

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” -Sun Tzu CHAOS—U.S. households have lost nearly $7 trillion in net worth this year. Inflation is at a 39-year high. Individual giving as a percentage of disposable income has been declining for the past five years and, according to Giving USA, fell to 1.77% in 2021. …Read More

Matt Czyl is a senior consultant with Sharpe Group. He brings over 30 years of development, consulting and marketing experience. Matt is active in his community. He volunteers for various organizations and leads a justice ministry at his church. He looks forward to bringing his skills and successes to nonprofit organizations and foundations to help …Read More

Is it possible to hire the perfect planned giving officer? Perhaps your organization is considering a full-time hire, or you need to supplement your staff to build your long-term planned giving strategy. Finding the right person can seem tricky, so we’ve developed a few strategies. Studies show that attention to a candidate’s core values provides …Read More

Given the importance of year-end giving, several national events have been established to help nonprofits promote fundraising. These campaigns may help bring extra awareness to your fundraising programs. National Philanthropy Day: Nov. 15, 2022. While your supporters should be recognized throughout the year, this day has been set aside to shine the spotlight on volunteers …Read More

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur.” -Red Adair Red Adair was arguably the most effective petroleum firefighter of all time. When there was a critical job that had to be successful the first time, Red Adair’s teams got the call. Failure was simply not an option. …Read More

Sharpe Group is thrilled to welcome some new faces, Melissa Phillips and Julie Schuldner, to Sharpe’s consulting team. Together, Melissa and Julie have decades of experience working in nonprofit fundraising. Sharpe Insights recently sat down with them. Melissa Phillips is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and has raised more than $200 …Read More

A significant plurality, if not majority, have remained skeptical of the longer-term future of cryptocurrency. A recently released executive order from the White House should end that. The Treasury, Commerce, State and Justice departments will be studying the elements of the cryptocurrency market with the goal of preparing a recommendation for the United States government’s …Read More

If you knew there was a platform that would give you immediate access to 99% of your target audience, would you use it? Studies show that in 2021 over 80% of all American adults considered mobile messaging their preferred method of communication, and more than 3.8 billion people worldwide have access to a smartphone. Because …Read More

Everyone is wondering—rightly so—what the future holds for fundraising in general and large major gifts and bequests specifically. We can all agree the last two years of pandemic lockdown have upset the normal techniques and practices used in traditional planned giving: identifying prospects and building relationships with their high-net-worth donors. The most critical issue nonprofits …Read More

By Kristin Croone, JD Most of you are probably familiar with the term “elevator pitch.” It may sound simple, but in the moment it can be difficult to clearly communicate what you do without underselling yourself. It requires forethought and rehearsal to tell your organization’s story concisely and still make an impact. In one or …Read More