Nancy Rew

Inside Alignment: The Internal Comms Newsletter for Nonprofit Leaders Most nonprofits know how to talk to donors. Fewer know how to talk to their own people. Inside Alignment is a monthly email for nonprofit leaders and communications pros who want to lead better from the inside — through clear internal messaging, smarter rhythms, and a team that actually knows what’s going on because comms pros are "managing up" and leaders see comms as a strategic partner. ​ This newsletter launched in June 2025! I send one email a month with case studies and practical tips for any nonprofit or comms leader who need help communicating better with their most important people: their team. ➡️ Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gYPf_WPt

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Nonprofit communicators, never forget how vital your work is to the mission of your organization. It’s not just a well designed report, it’s a storytelling vehicle that may compel a donor to give to the mission. It’s not just an email campaign, it’s a voice that soothes an anxious constituent who cares deeply about your mission. It’s not just a press statement, it’s a conversation started in public to connect with new audience members who may one day support the mission. Your work is a strategic function of your organization. Chin up and keep at it. --- Want help learning how to think like a CCO even if you’re a nonprofit comms team of one?  ➡️ Subscribe to 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, my once-a-month newsletter for nonprofit comms pros who want to grow their influence by leading like a CCO: https://lnkd.in/gYPf_WPt

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GivingPulse offers valuable insights into trust, belonging, and political worldview—factors that directly shape donor engagement, campaign reach, and long-term support.  Understanding these dynamics is crucial for creating inclusive, relevant fundraising and community engagement strategies that tap into the motivations of today’s givers. Read the Q1 2025 analysis here: https://lnkd.in/gnt3x39g

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A recent The Chronicle of Philanthropy article offers strategies for engaging donors facing financial pressures—insights that align with WPI's research on economic factors affecting giving. Key recommendations include maintaining engagement through stewardship, shifting to recurring gifts, and adapting messaging to current realities. These relationship-focused approaches reflect our findings that women's philanthropy is resilient but vulnerable during financial stress, as observed during COVID when women who lost earnings were less likely to give. The emphasis on storytelling and community engagement also mirrors our research showing women donors value connection and prefer collaborative giving. For organizations serving women and girls—receiving just 1.9% of total philanthropy—these strategies may be particularly crucial during challenging economic periods. Find the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gUCQA28f  #FundraisingStrategy #PhilanthropyResearch #WomensPhilanthropy

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Foundation and nonprofit communicators are facing what amounts to a perfect storm. As philanthropy grapples with myriad threats, most organizations are under-resourced and understaffed — at a time in which many face a barrage of crises without clear roadmaps for how to respond. And all of this is happening as the explosion of AI is creating new communication opportunities and challenges that are difficult to navigate. With the launch of our first-ever Community Foundation Communications Benchmarking Survey, we have fresh data that puts this perfect storm into context — offering lessons that apply not only to community foundations, but organizations throughout the nonprofit and philanthropy world. Here are three timely challenges we discovered in collecting this data: 1. Insufficient Resources Effective communications are central to the success of community foundations, yet most communications teams say they lack the financial resources or people they need. More than 9 in 10 of the more than 100 community foundations surveyed said they need more communications resources to meet their organizational goals. Adding to the challenge: nearly half of those surveyed said they expect their communications budgets to decrease or stay the same over the next two years. 2. A Lack of Guidance on AI Community foundation communications teams have been quick to embrace AI tools for an array of functions, though few have adopted policies to govern its use. 75% of those surveyed said they do not have a formal AI policy for employees — which creates numerous risks for organizations as they attempt to navigate this fast-emerging technology. 3. Crisis Communications Risks Community foundations are increasingly setting up response funds and coordinating community partners in the wake of hurricanes, floods, fires, mass shootings, and other tragedies. Yet many community foundations report they don’t have crisis communications policies for these events, which can affect their ability to respond effectively during fast-moving events. More than 4 in 10 don’t have policies to govern their response to natural disasters and roughly one-half don’t have communications protocols for addressing internal crises. If your organization is dealing with any or all of these issues, the findings from this new survey demonstrate you are not alone. Clearly understanding the challenges you face offers the first step toward finding solutions, advocating for more resources, and developing effective policies and procedures. See the report: https://lnkd.in/eWQEPJ6Z

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📢 NEW REPORT: Alliance Community Field Insights Nonprofit leaders have powerful and unique perspectives on sector-wide trends, challenges, and opportunities in the field. Our new report offers a summary of the themes we're hearing from Alliance members—and shines a light on how our sector is grappling with the political and economic realities of this moment. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eE3GPJKj

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💥 New: Grant Writer’s Toolkit from NAWB & Lightcast 💥 NAWB is proud to partner with Lightcast to share a new resource designed to help workforce development professionals put data to work when pursuing grant funding. The Grant Writer’s Toolkit offers step-by-step guidance for using labor market data and visualizations within Lightcast’s Developer tool so you can: 💡 Highlight workforce demands in your region 💡 Demonstrate how your organization is driving impact in the community 💡 Pursue the funds that keep your workforce initiatives thriving This partnership reflects NAWB’s commitment to equipping boards with practical tools that strengthen funding opportunities and amplify workforce impact. https://lnkd.in/eeAXvFR7 #NewResource #GrantWriting #Impact #Workforce #WorkforceMatters #Data #Results #NAWB

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A new report, Reinventing the Cycle: Adapting Relationship Fundraising for Donors Who Use DAFs, by the DAF Research Collaborative uncovers best practices for donor advised fund (DAF) fundraising as DAFs are growing in popularity among donors. DAFs are charitable giving accounts that donors set up at sponsoring organizations, which then make grants to other charities at the donors’ request. Based on interviews with professional fundraisers, the report offers strategies for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding DAF donors. The report also includes a DAF-specific fundraising cycle outlining how the funds change nonprofit organizations’ fundraising management, while also highlighting the challenges and opportunities for nonprofits. “Interviews with the fundraisers made it clear that DAFs affect every stage of the fundraising cycle,” said Genevieve Shaker, PhD, professor of Philanthropic Studies and Donald A. Campbell Chair in Fundraising Leadership at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “This illustrates that a tailored approach to the cycle is necessary.” Shaker authored the report along with Brigham Young University researchers Rachel M. Sumsion, MPA, and H. Daniel Heist, PhD, under the auspices of the DAF Research Collaborative. Heist earned his master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies from the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. https://lnkd.in/ga2K2n_p

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