Giving Compass' Take:

• A report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy shared that funders and nonprofit CEOs think differently about their roles in response to an anticipated downturn in giving.  Nonprofit CEOs would like funders to use their powerful voices to speak to the value of nonprofits while funders do not agree. 

• Why don't funders advocate for nonprofit work already? What would cause them to hesitate to step into this role? 

• Learn about the importance of nonprofit language to advocate for your organization.

Last year, United Philanthropy Forum and our members across the country fought to prevent federal tax reform from causing harm to the charitable sector. Although another year will pass before we know the tax bill’s true impact on giving, a new report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy, titled Bracing for a Downturn, shares the thoughts of nonprofit and foundation leaders on how the sector can prepare right now for a potential downturn in donations.

The study found that the most common role that funders see themselves playing to support nonprofits in response to the tax legislation is — not surprisingly — their role as funders. Thirty-nine percent of foundation leaders surveyed said that the best way they can help grantees weather a downturn is to provide funding and other support to help their grantees build capacity in areas such as developing or executing contingency, sustainability, or fundraising plans, or cultivating and managing donors.

But there was one finding in the study that I found somewhat surprising — and disappointing. The most common role that nonprofit leaders think funders can play to support them in responding to the tax legislation — mentioned by 36 percent of nonprofit CEOs — is for funders to broadly promote the value of nonprofits, the importance of their work, and the needs of their beneficiaries. However, zero foundation leaders — as in zero percent — suggested this role for themselves to support nonprofits now.

In responses to the CEP survey, nonprofit leaders suggested that foundation leaders could use their voice to inspire the public about the nonprofit sector and use their “trusted” position in the nonprofit landscape to push for increased support of nonprofits from new donors and funders.

Read the full article about philanthropy's voice by David Biemesderfer at United Philanthropy Forum