Global Impact’s 2021 Annual Charity Briefing, held Sept. 21, featured a special guest speaker: Una Osili, Efroymson Chair in Philanthropy and Associate Dean for Research and International Programs at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. During her presentation, Osili remarked, “While the world is changing by the minute, and very few things are certain anymore, what we have found throughout this period is tracking philanthropy and the responses of individuals, corporations and foundations has been inspiring. Seeing how everyday Americans – funders of all different types and corporate donors – have stepped up, imagined giving in new ways and also thought differently about how to respond to things has led our team to stay encouraged and excited about the future of philanthropy.”

Global Impact’s Annual Charity Briefing brings our charity members together each year to prepare and strategize for upcoming employee giving campaigns. This year, we invited Usa Osili to discuss key takeaways and implications from the Giving USA report. These shifts and observations in giving and donor behavior help Global Impact and its members develop strategies to elevate giving through the workplace. In addition to this keynote, the briefing also included a peer panel discussion, revealed 2021 strategies to increase employee giving for the Charity Alliance and shared key tools and resources for members – including a new event and volunteer management system to support their visibility in workplace events this fall. As a new employee in my second week at Global Impact, this briefing was a great way for me to learn about employee giving and how organizations can elevate their performance in programs this season. Below are two key takeaways that really caught my attention:

Takeaway 1
There was an expansion of generosity in 2020, as giving reached a new high of $471.44 billion. Members should maximize the individual giving strategy for their next campaign, as this population continues to be the largest source of revenue, donating 69% of the year’s total contributions. Hint: if you want to learn more, check out our “Trends you need to understand to fundraise for the future” blog post!
2020 contributions pie chart: $471.44 billion by source of contributions

Takeaway 2
Along with increased giving, technology is changing the ways that people donate. More than 50% of the American population moved to a remote work model during the COVID-19 pandemic, which creates opportunity for our partners to experiment and leverage new fundraising tools and channels. One successful example of online giving this year was the CDC Foundation’s first-ever crowdfunding campaign in response to COVID-19. Though they did not have a large social media following, they raised $50 million within one month of the campaign, which is a good sign for employee giving programs that have been slow to get their donors online.

Online giving accounts for a growing share of giving bar chart

If you are interested in developing a growth strategy around your employee giving revenue, Global Impact’s certification for new members is now open. Each member will have access to this annual charity briefing and other resources to boost your revenue. Global Impact helps its Charity Alliance partners by giving them an efficient way to conduct fundraising and market their programs collectively through employee giving. This allows them to share the expense and administrative burden of raising funds in the workplace and increases their revenue from these donors. Contact us to learn more about becoming a Charity Alliance member.

To learn more about the Lilly School and their research, please visit www.philanthropy.iupui.edu.