"Despite an increasing effort on the part of nonprofits, individuals today give no more than their predecessors did over four decades ago," said Adrian Sargeant, co-author of the report and Hartsook Professor of Fundraising, Indiana University. "Forty years of increasingly sophisticated fundraising practice, the development of planned giving vehicles, the appearance of the Internet, and the rise of new digital channels have done nothing to move the needle on giving. Yet, while giving has remained static, demands on the sector have not." According to Giving USA, in the United States, charitable giving is estimated to be around two percent of average household disposable income.

To address this issue, 35 leading U.S.-philanthropy experts, including nonprofit leaders, technology suppliers, consultants, and executives from foundations and associations, gathered at the recent Growing Philanthropy Summit to build initiatives for increasing giving.

The resulting report contains 32 recommendations focused on enhancing the quality of donor relationships; developing public trust and confidence in nonprofits; identifying audiences, channels, and forms of giving with a strong potential for growth; and enhancing the quality of fundraising training and development.

Key recommendations include:

Shifting the focus in fundraising practice away from technique toward the encouragement of individual philanthropy
Redesigning the structure of fundraising education, particularly for more senior practitioners
The creation of a research institute that would focus solely on fundraising research and adding value for donors
The development of a public educational initiative that would dispel common myths about the way the sector operates and thus enhance the public trust
"We live in volatile times - times that few of us have seen in our lifetimes," said Andrew Watt, president and CEO, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Growing Philanthropy participant. "Governments are pulling back from social investment and we, the philanthropic community, have no choice but to fill that gap. Coming together, creating a bond between diverse groups and individuals to bring focus and action in this area is critical to our success in a global environment."

Recommendations are offered for individual nonprofits, sector umbrella and professional bodies, but also critically, for the large foundations with an interest in growing philanthropy. The authors map out the ideas that with the proper investment could make the biggest difference to philanthropy in this country. Individuals, associations or foundations interested in participating in furthering these recommendations can sign up to get involved and download the full report by visiting