Building Impact Partners

We love working with Ballmer Group to design and implement Summer Discovery in Southeast Michigan, and Connie and Steve Ballmer are big reasons why. The Ballmers and their team are about impact, not ego, and have given away more than $7.5 billion to improve economic mobility and reduce systemic inequities for children and families in America. “We have more (money) than we need,” Connie says in their recent interview with “60 Minutes” on CBS. “It just makes sense to figure out ways that we could share it.”

It has become common for ultra-high net worth (UHNW) individuals like Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott to donate huge sums of money to other wealthy or famous people with visibility, access, and power, as opposed to traditional nonprofit organizations that engage in social programming, capacity building, and direct services. In this blog post published by Candid, Natalie S. Burke of the CommonHealth ACTION argues that while this approach avoids bureaucracy, it can “effectively block and redirect resources from nonprofits that have been working for decades to improve health, well-being, and quality of life for millions of people.” Her solution? Three strategies for health-focused nonprofits to appeal to megadonors and three considerations for megadonors to support health-focused nonprofits.

Some useful tips below from members of the Forbes Nonprofit Council on how nonprofits can prevent mission creep and remain focused on their goals, even as they grow and discover new opportunities.

“Taken together, these findings suggest that donor size is a significant factor in trying to understand donor behavior—regardless of whether the donor is an individual or an institution. Additionally, there seems to be some commonalities between large individual donors and small institutional donors. These findings might be an early signal that the long-standing dichotomy between individual and institutional donors has become dated, particularly as the line between individual and institutional donors continues to blur. High-net-worth individuals are increasingly choosing to give through vehicles other than private foundations—like donor-advised funds or Limited Liability Companies (LLCs). But, similar to foundations, some may hire philanthropic advisors, issue experts, or staff to help them be strategic and impactful in their giving."

A new report by the Blackbaud Institute outlines what kinds of donors are giving spontaneously and reveals new insights to encourage spontaneous givers to become repeat donors. "Spontaneous giving may be challenging to predict – but it's not random," said Lorraine (Lori) Poer, Director of the Blackbaud Institute. "Our data shows that spontaneous giving plays a more important role in the philanthropic activity of younger generations and minority donors, and that organizations that want to maximize the opportunity of spontaneous giving should focus on telling a compelling story that carries through from social media to their websites and donation forms." Read more insights from the report below.

“Through Bloomberg Philanthropies – the vehicle for his personal and corporate giving – he has advanced an array of initiatives for city government leaders. The organization is now providing funding and technical support to around 700 city governments across 150 countries… “Bloomberg has described partnerships between philanthropists and government as a ‘perfect match’. ‘Philanthropists,’ he notes, ‘have resources that governments need for innovation, and governments have powers that philanthropists need for solving problems.’”

Scaling a business into new cities is not the same as scaling a nonprofit into new cities. Social entrepreneurs face a different set of challenges and risks when scaling nonprofits into new locations, argues John Simon in this piece published by Stanford Social Innovation Review. Simon, who founded the GreenLight Fund which has helped pull 55 nonprofits into over a dozen cities, shares their approach for nonprofit scaling. Worth a read!

A new report looks at individual and institutional giving across the United States from 2015 to 2022. Who gives to what causes? Where do the dollars go? What role does the economy play in individual giving and institutional grantmaking? Mantin Diomande and Edward Moore share insights from the report released by Candid, GivingTuesday and Network for Good Donor Advised Fund

Laurence Tubiana, the CEO of the European Climate Foundation, argues in this piece published by Alliance magazine, that in order to build and sustain a democratic mandate for climate action, philanthropists must invest in political solutions as well as technological ones. “Those of us committed to tackling climate change must join forces with other causes to defend our collective right to work for a better future. Ultimately, philanthropy must recognise and embrace its critical political role. Rather than shying away from the politics of climate action, it can be a unifying force that bridges divides, fosters dialogue, and advocates for equitable solutions. Our great strength is our ability to bring communities together, to achieve the best outcomes for people and the planet.”

“Of the biggest 100 political donors so far in this election cycle, 44 are also major charitable donors — individuals and couples who have signed the Giving Pledge, appeared on the Forbes list of most generous billionaires, or on the Philanthropy 50... Collectively, these donors have made political contributions in the 2023-24 election cycle totaling more than $541 million…” Who are they, and how much have they given? Check out this The Chronicle of Philanthropy story for more.