Empowering Nonprofits for Greater Impact: The Vital Role of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy

The AFP Foundation for Philanthropy (The Foundation) was founded in 1980 as a separate organization from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The Foundation is itself a charity, recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3. It has its own mission, bylaws, and board of directors. Why create a completely separate entity? We’re glad you asked.

The Foundation’s mission is to advance philanthropic investment and impact in the nonprofit sector. We accomplish this by:

• serving as a catalyst for the nonprofit sector to address the sector’s greatest issues 
• acting as a convener between the professional fundraiser and the philanthropist to solve society’s most-pressing challenges
• conducting and supporting in-depth research leading to strategic insights and innovative thinking in philanthropy

As a guiding force in the nonprofit sector, the Foundation is committed to providing relevant information about philanthropy, donors, and industry trends to the professionals working to secure the resources that nonprofits need to deliver on their missions. One of the Foundation’s strategic pillars is to expand the implementation of research. Information about the issues of highest concern to fundraising professionals and philanthropists requires qualitative and quantitative research. Results help to identify the biggest challenges facing the sector. However, beyond the statistics and graphs, it is vital that nonprofit professionals can put the results to use.

The Foundation supports work to translate study findings to help fundraisers make informed decisions about allocation of time and resources in their nonprofits to better reach their organizational goals. Without new and timely information, the practice could become stagnant which could have detrimental impact on mission fulfillment. When new studies are completed, the Foundation makes it a priority to provide insights about the findings and works together with the Association of Fundraising Professionals to deliver educational resources so people understand the results and can use them to improve their organization’s performance.

One example of putting research into action is the Foundation’s long-standing support of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP). In 2006, AFP launched the FEP, along with the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, to help nonprofit organizations increase philanthropic giving by providing answers to important questions about donor behavior, trends in giving, and economic impact on giving. Today, leading fundraising software companies including BetterUnite, Bloomerang, Bonterra, Classy, GiveSmart by Community Brands, DonorPerfect, Givebutter, Keela, Neon One, and Qgiv partner with the FEP to secure and evaluate every gift transaction recorded for the last fifteen years.

And in 2020, FEP partnered with GivingTuesday to further leverage the impact of understanding the phenomenon of generosity. This database produces clear patterns and forecasts trends. Our year over year comparisons provide insight on charitable giving in response to the pandemic as well as patterns that occur during times of recession or economic growth. Beyond sector-wide analysis, in collaboration with PSI/Adventist, the volunteers at FEP created an assessment tool called the “Fundraising Fitness Test” (FFT) to help nonprofit organizations benchmark their results against this national dataset, and from those results create a roadmap for improved performance. The FFT is available to any nonprofit and can help increase capacity by improving fundraising capability.

“Our program, the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, uses real-world data to provide comprehensive analytic insight that is often out of reach for small to midsize nonprofits - the very organizations that will benefit the most from the information,” says Tim Sarrantonio, Chair of FEP.

Fundraising is the ‘Impact Profession’. Nonprofit organizations, their staff, donors, and volunteers work to support the critical needs of our society. This world-changing work is priceless—but it isn’t free. By securing the resources that fuel the work of the nonprofit sector, professional fundraisers create impact by increasing the capacity of nonprofits to fulfill their missions and improve the quality of life for everyone. The AFP Foundation for Philanthropy delivers programs of education, research, and service that benefit those who lead, serve, and support nonprofit institutions, amplifying their impact and enabling them to do more for the communities they serve. Lori Gusdorf, Executive Vice President of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy says, “support for the Foundation is support for the nonprofit sector and increasing impact for our collective communities.”

The AFP Foundation for Philanthropy makes its impact with the help of generous donors. Supporting The Foundation enhances our industry. Susan Earl Hosbach, CFRE said it well, “I pay dues for my AFP membership for my own professional development, but I make a gift to the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy as a way of giving back to the fundraising profession and the future leaders in our field.”

You can help increase our impact by donating HERE.