News
June 20, 2023. Join us on Thursday, July 6 at 1:00 pm Central for a complimentary webinar announcing a huge RIFT victory! Listen is as two national leaders in the RIFT Project share a recent win for the nation’s nonprofit organizations.
June 8, 2023. Join us in beautiful Music City for a day and a half, on August 28-29, 2023, to connect with the national Thompson & Associates team, learn tips & tricks to help in your everyday work with your donors, and re-energize just in time for year-end activities!
March 21, 2023. Blackbaud’s Charitable Giving Report in 2021 revealed that the Higher Education subsector’s overall giving grew by 14.5% in 2021 (compared to 2020), with a 10.3% three-year giving trend increase. Are you seeing a 14.5% increase in giving among your remote alumni and donors?
February 9, 2023. The economic, social and philanthropy landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade. Philanthropy strategy, donor acquisition and retention, multiple engagement platforms and the dramatic need for talent and professional development are priorities across the industry.
March 7, 2022. Are you missing the cues and clues in donors’ conversations that could lead to more significant gifts from net worth? Explore how being donor-centered leads to deeper donor engagement and greater philanthropic support and estate gifts for your organization.
March 3, 2022. There’s no better way to kick off March, Women’s History Month, than to feature the National Association of Charitable Gift Planner’s new Chair, Kelli Smith! In this 14-minute podcast, Kelli jam-packs three critical lessons she’s learned and how she’s achieved them!
January 26, 2022. We’re humbled and grateful to have some of the country’s leading specialists in the area of estate planning on our team. We want to highlight a wonderful new resource becoming available on February 1! Vice President Paul Hood releases his second book in his trilogy Planning Your Future series.
January 17, 2022. What impact will rising inflation have on donors and nonprofits? In this complimentary 1-hour webinar, Eddie Thompson will describe how inflation impacts nonprofits and their donors. He will also offer practical suggestions for nonprofit leadership to prepare for and to thrive during this inflationary period.
Happy New Year from the Thompson Family!
January 2022. 2022 is filled with potential! We’re excited about the new year and would love the opportunity to provide estate planning services to your supporters. Our nonprofit partners strengthen relationships with their supporters through our personalized approach that creates tangible gifts and a lasting impact. Let us demonstrate how our new online tool sets you up for success and tremendous growth!
December 7, 2021. Eddie is joined by this month’s industry icon, Rebecca Locke, Executive Director of Gift Planning for the American Red Cross, a role she’s held for 22 years. Check out this 9 minute podcast!
November 16, 2021. We are so excited to launch GO Connect to you! For the past year, we have worked hard behind the scenes to develop this customized tool to guide our joint efforts (at no additional cost to you), and it’s officially here!
October 28, 2021. Eddie sits down with Cindy Atmar from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the largest cancer center in the United States. In this 9-minute podcast, Cindy shares things she’s learned during career.
October 14, 2021. Only about 1 in 3 adults have a will, and many people don’t realize a will is only part of an estate plan. National Estate Planning Awareness Week is a great opportunity to remind your supporters about the importance of an estate plan for them and their loved ones.
September 30, 2021. Thank you for joining us this week for our annual conference! We missed seeing your smiling faces in person but are thankful for technology allowing us to still come together to invigorate our efforts. Session recordings along with their PowerPoint presentations (if applicable) and tip sheets are now available!
September 9, 2021. Join us as Eddie sits down with Art Ochoa, Senior Vice President, Advancement, Chief Advancement Officer, at Cedars-Sinai. Art shares nuggets of career wisdom in this 9-minute podcast.
September 3, 2021. Our annual conference sessions have been announced and you may now register to join us on September 27 and September 28.
August 12, 2021. We drafted this letter template to send to our Representatives and Senators to flood Washington with the overwhelming message that the 2022 White House budget provision eliminating the benefits of split-interest gifts is not supported.
August 10, 2021. We’re delighted to talk with Laurie Kelley this week from Providence, a large health care provider across seven western states. In this 7-minute podcast, Laurie shares how to be a better person and leader by making these kinds of “waves,” and much more!
July 27, 2021. Eddie talks with Randy Varju from Advocate Aurora Health, the 10th largest health system in the nation. Randy jam-packs a multitude of invaluable wisdom in this 12-minute podcast, such as the true purpose behind philanthropy, beyond metrics and dollars raised; the danger, and lesson learned, in focusing too much on metrics; not to underestimate the reluctance that others have around joining solicitation calls and how to overcome it; defending philanthropy in different ways depending on your audience; and, so much more!
June 30, 2021. People use gift instructions to further their values and goals through your organization, not to restrict the mission of your organization.
June 24, 2021. Words have power. Many people avoid “death planning” but embrace discussions about what they value: their assets. And once people commit to give an asset, their support increases for years afterwards. Practical applications based on research by Dr. Russell James and experience by Dr. Eddie Thompson.
June 22, 2021. Eddie sits down with Susan Dolbert, Senior Vice President with City of Hope. Susan shares insightful wisdom she’s experienced in her fundraising career, such as knowing when to say no to a gift; keeping the relationship healthy and positive between a benefactor and the organization; and, learning to trust your gut – your gut is based on experience!
June 17, 2021. People typically default to the easiest way to give, the way they are used to giving: writing a check. But….explore other giving options for larger gifts now and in the future! Practical applications based on research by Dr. Russell James and experience by Dr. Eddie Thompson.
June 8, 2021. This week, we have the pleasure of talking with health care philanthropy thought leader, Fred Najjar, from CommonSpirit Health who shares a multitude of lessons he’s learned in his career.
May 19, 2021. Before we can “sell” planned giving to donors, we have to sell it to our organization. While decision-makers might be development directors, executive directors, board members, or others, this webinar focuses on the toughest customer to increase investment in philanthropy: the CFO.
April 20, 2021. Eddie spends time with Jodi Davis, Chief Philanthropy Officer with California healthcare provider Sutter Health. In this 9-minute podcast, Jodi shares the approach she utilizes to learn everyday, making life more enjoyable and people and situations more interesting; the three best questions to ask your donors to clarify their needs; knowing when to let donors go; and, the importance of reminding people why philanthropy exists at her organization, and why it’s more important than ever right now.
April 13, 2021. You likely recognize this popular book trilogy by none other than Alex Brovey titled Zen and the Art of Fundraising. We sit down with Alex to discuss what compelled her to write the first book, which quickly grew into a trilogy, and how this practical series can empower fundraisers to be successful.
March 30, 2021. Join Pamela Davidson and Eddie Thompson as they review sample situations that may come up in your everyday conversations and how to listen and respond.
March 25, 2021. Eddie sits down with Joe Chickey, from the Sharpe Group. Joe shares what he learned when a donor made an eight-figure gift to another charity; what’s critically important to the success of a planned giving program; how to calculate the percentage of planned giving dollars your organization ought to be raising; and, why you should treat donors like family.
February 23, 2021. Join us as we talk with Mark Larkin, President of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Foundation. Mark shares how you can get much greater levels of giving (for the same amount of time spent); the three components he looks for to replenish his major giving list; the key to a successful fundraising event or capital campaign, and more!
February 9, 2021. For our next industry leader, you likely have one of her books on your shelf. Join Eddie as he sits down with industry veteran, Alexandra Brovey, to hear what she has learned during her 21 years in gift planning.
January 21, 2021. These supporters are the best prospects for making a major gift of assets because they have both ability to give and interest in giving to your organization. But, how do you know who they are?
January 12, 2021. Join Eddie as he talks with 20-year planned giving marketing veteran Nathan Stelter, President of The Stelter Company, where Nathan shares the quality he thinks one must acquire for success; the most important component to hiring a new team member, & more!
December 22, 2020. As you prepare to take some time away from the office (or your home office desk!) for the holidays, we have the perfect fireside reading recommendation for you.
December 15, 2020. Hear a short message from our Founder and CEO Eddie Thompson about the astounding possibilities that 2021 offers.
December 8, 2020. Join Eddie as he talks with Larry Katzenstein, a nationally-known authority on estate planning and planned giving. Larry divides his practice between representation of wealthy individuals in estate planning matters and serving as outside counsel to planned giving programs at nonprofits nationwide.
December 1, 2020. In preparation for Giving Tuesday, we’ve compiled these resources for you to have meaningful conversations with your supporters about the opportunities available for year-end planning in 2020.
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