Visionary Voices

Transfer of Wealth? Or Transfer of Power.

Viken Mikaelian June 26, 2026

Charitable giving hit a record $617 billion — and almost everyone read it wrong. Bequests, barely a tenth of all giving, drove a third of the growth, powered by a handful of estates and a market that inflated them. This isn’t generosity spreading. It’s wealth concentrating. The money is moving into a few institutions that keep getting stronger, while the corner nonprofit gets crowded out. A wealth transfer, yes — but mostly a power transfer.

Yellow "Tax Form 990" sticky note on a keyboard, illustrating how nonprofits can use Form 990 as a marketing tool

Good News: The IRS Joined Your Marketing Team

Andrew J. Gray, CPA June 18, 2026

The IRS made your Form 990 public — and donors, advisors, and watchdogs are reading it. So why settle for a dull tax form? CPA Andrew Gray lays out three ways nonprofits can turn the 990 into a marketing asset: know your audience, treat the first pages like a brochure, and file a clean, accurate return that builds trust.

Building a New Model for Chronic Illness Support Across the Americas

Mike Esposito June 17, 2026

The Vivo Crónico Foundation, which works to provide support for those with chronic illness, is leaning into storytelling, community-building, and digital engagement to boost visibility and attract potential donors, strategic partners, and funders.

Thoughtful donor at home considering whether to leave a bequest to a charity

Is Your Charity Actually Ready for Your Bequest?

Viken Mikaelian June 13, 2026

You’ve given to this cause for years. Now you’re weighing something far larger — a bequest from your estate. But a planned gift isn’t simply a bigger check, and a charity that can ask for one isn’t always built to receive it. Before you sign, learn the questions that reveal whether your charity is genuinely ready for your legacy — or merely ready to request it.

The Hardest Thing About AI: Knowing When Not to Use It.

Dr. Todd A. Comer June 10, 2026

It is extraordinary how commonplace AI use has become. It is also extraordinary how normalized it is becoming. But an AI tool cannot create a program that is authentic to who you are and to whomever is the focus of your nonprofit work.

A single classical column on bedrock supporting a city skyline, illustrating a nonprofit board's fundraising responsibilities.

Give, Get, Govern

Robert C. Clothier June 9, 2026

Most trustees think board fundraising means writing a check they can’t afford and begging strangers for money. Wrong on both counts — and that misunderstanding is quietly costing your organization its largest gift. The real duty isn’t giving or getting. It’s governing: setting the vision, funding the work, protecting the long horizon. A board that thinks only about this quarter starves the gift it will never see coming.

Older and younger woman sharing coffee and warm conversation — the consistent relationships behind strong donor retention

Tools Have Done Their Job. Now We Must Do Ours.

Sanjay Bindra, MD June 3, 2026

Modern tools have solved access, cost, and complexity — yet donor retention stays low and giving stays episodic. The limiting factor is no longer capability; it’s consistency. Over twelve months, one zero-staff nonprofit reinvested the time tools saved into relationships, reaching 98% donor retention and 81% recurring giving on a $10,000 budget. The deeper lesson reaches all the way to planned giving: tools enable the work, but only people build trust.

A wooden signpost indicating the paths to consistency, patience and discipline.

The Missing Discipline in Today’s Wealth Transfer

Cliff Thomas May 29, 2026

Thoughtful, measured estate planning takes discipline and a plan. The intentional transfer of values begins with establishing a family narrative and helps to create a lasting family legacy. When families define their “why” and articulate a shared mission, they connect generations to a deeper purpose that extends beyond wealth preservation.

Red carpet with velvet rope barriers symbolizing donor exclusivity and major gift fundraising concentration

The Sector Is Concentrating Its Way Into Fragility

Mark Dobosz May 14, 2026

The FEP just reported the strongest giving growth in five years. The sector exhaled. I didn’t. Revenue is up because a smaller group of major donors gave more. The donor base shrank again. Concentrated revenue is brittle revenue. The money is concentrated at the top. The mission lives in the many. That gap is the work.