Stepping into philanthropic psychology can feel like entering a whole new landscape. In this blog, Chief Love Officer, Becky Carlino, shares how to choose the right starting point for your PhilPsych journey, whether you want a deep dive into the science or practical, hands-on application. Discover how different certificates connect, and how to design a learning path that fits your role, goals and heart.
Read MoreLegacy fundraisers work with one of the most powerful yet least understood income streams. Their impact is long term, hard to attribute, and often dependent on colleagues’ goodwill and Board belief. This blog explores why legacy fundraising deserves greater strategic investment, active Board participation, and everyday appreciation – and how doing so can strengthen your charity’s future.
Read MorePhilanthropic psychology turns fundraising from moving money to connecting hearts. Drawing on rigorous donor research, Kathryn shares how small identity-based shifts – such as thanking supporters for their kindness, not just their donation – can lift giving dramatically. In this blog, Kathryn shares her PhilPsych journey, and explains how PhilPsych helps fundraisers design evidence-led communications that honour who donors are and how they love.
Read MoreFundraising is often framed as solving problems: X amount buys X hours of care, tents or books. Philanthropic psychology invites a different why. Instead of only asking, “What problem does this gift solve?”, we ask, “What love is expressed in this gift?” When we design fundraising to grow love, we grow donor wellbeing, generosity and impact.
Read MoreAs we step into a new year, we invite you to celebrate not resolutions, but who you are and how you love. From your reflections, we see a community defined by service, authenticity, joy and thoughtful rest. This year, we invite you to gift yourself three quiet minutes each month to celebrate your own strength and tenderness, nurturing your wellbeing and the bonds that hold our community together.
Read MoreIn our latest community survey, fundraisers shared honestly about the pressures they face and the care they bring to their work. Drawing on philanthropic psychology, we explore gentle, practical ways to shift attention towards joy, gratitude and self-compassion, supporting your wellbeing so you can continue to nurture others with confidence.
Read MoreMany fundraisers carry hidden fears about getting an ask wrong or being rejected, but fear isn’t a flaw - it’s human. Philanthropic psychology offers a fresh lens, inviting fundraisers to understand donors through identity, emotion and genuine connection. When giving is seen as a shared expression of who we are, asking shifts from anxiety to authenticity and care.
Read MoreIn this blog post by June Steward, Valerie Mullen Pletcher reflects on her 25-year fundraising career, emphasizing that at its core, fundraising is about love. Based south of Washington D.C., Valerie's work has been shaped by her strong conviction that philanthropy and love are inseparable. Through her time with the Institute of Sustainable Philanthropy (IfSP), she gained the tools and language to solidify this belief, not only in her own practice but also in her approach to training and transforming her team.
Read MoreIn a previous blog I introduced some exciting new ideas on how to grow philanthropy in the United Kingdom, from the Beacon Collaborative.
In this blog I outline some of my own for how giving might be doubled.
Read MoreThe Beacon Collaborative believe they have some of the answers, with the draft of their National Strategy for Philanthropy. Which is a robust attempt to draw together new thinking from across the sector with the goal of developing a renewed culture of charitable giving across the UK. They have set an ambitious goal for the doubling of philanthropy up from 1% to 2% of GDP over the coming 10 years.
Read MoreCompanionate love is the love that we experience for family, friends or those who are otherwise close to us. It has deep links to wellbeing, and donors also experience a sense of temperature with it, specifically a feeling of warmth. There are many uses for companionate love in fundraising and it is important, but how do we use Companionate Love in fundraising?
Read MoreWe can probably all agree that some additional love is due. After all, without their kindness and generosity we’d have no way to pursue our missions and drive societal change.
But what kind of love should we offer and between whom should it be fostered?
Read MoreEvery other person seems to be asking me whether I thought AI was going to replace me as a fundraising copywriter. But although AI might be able to do the mechanics of my work, I seriously questioned whether it could build authentic relationships. I added AI to the list of things to ask Prof. Jen Shang about.
Read MorePhilanthropic psychology starts with the heart. It starts from assuming your donors are caring and loving people. Stronger relationships and connections lead to better wellbeing for your donors – and their gifts flow from that. This ‘heart-first’ approach is a perspective shift.
Read MoreAdvocates of donor-centred fundraising and the community-centric fundraising movement have butted heads over the last few years. But what if we could invite donors to be part of something where the essence of who they are allows them to forge deeper connections than “donor as hero”?
Read MoreDonor-centred fundraising was becoming a dirty concept. Pressure to move the fundraising story away from the donor was mounting. This made it very hard for fundraising copywriting practitioners like me. I even wondered whether I should bow out of fundraising copywriting altogether. But then I learned more about Philanthropic Psychology.
Read MoreIn the heart of historic Prague, the European Fundraising Association's (EFA) Skillshare 2023 unfolded, promising knowledge, innovation, and inspiration under the theme "ELEVATE & INNOVATE: EMPOWERING FUNDRAISING IN EUROPE." This event highlighted the vital role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the nonprofit sector and its future prospects. As a participant, I can affirm that it was an exceptional experience!
Read More“Negatives raise more money than positives”, right? Maybe. But is it even the right debate to be having? We believe not. The discussion should be around how we can fundraise in a way which is meaningful to the donor and delivers them the opportunity to enhance their wellbeing. In this blog, Prof. Jen Shang explains more, with an example from USA for UNHCR.
Read MoreThreats or danger posed by our environment are nothing new and have continuously challenged humans for centuries. Now we have new insight shedding light on how threats affect people’s intention to donate. What better time to understand the impact of threats on donation intention than right after a global pandemic? It turns out that this knowledge can seriously impact your fundraising!
Read MoreFor almost thirty years I’ve been championing the importing from the commercial world of satisfaction, commitment, and trust as relationship measures that can help nonprofits manage loyalty. But it’s long past time to stop our reliance on our for-profit colleagues and begin to create new models and perspectives for ourselves.
At IFSP we are just beginning to see the results from our new two-year study of donor loyalty and retention focused on the factors that drive actual future behaviour.
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