Resources

Practical Tools for Better Annual Giving

Original Annual Giving by Design™ tools and articles, plus carefully selected industry resources for fundraising professionals.

Annual Giving by Design™ Resources

Original Tools and Articles

Assessment · Free Download

Annual Giving Assessment™

Evaluate the health and maturity of your fundraising ecosystem across Mission, Market, Message, Momentum, Measurement, and Integrated Fundraising.

Framework

The 5M Architecture™

The strategic framework at the center of Annual Giving by Design™, with a full breakdown of all five dimensions.

Book

The Integrated Fundraising Playbook

A practical guide to applying the 5M Architecture™ to real annual giving campaigns.

Articles

Insights on Integrated Annual Giving

Annual Giving & Campaign Strategy

What Does It Mean to Design an Annual Giving Ecosystem?

Annual giving is more than a calendar of appeals, emails, events, and campaigns. This reflection explores why I began thinking about fundraising as an interconnected ecosystem rather than a series of separate tactics.

Annual Giving Strategy & Leadership

Why I Started Looking at Annual Giving Differently

Annual giving can easily become a cycle of deadlines and deliverables. I began looking at the work differently when I stopped asking only what needed to go out next and started asking what we were actually trying to build.

Campaign Strategy & Fundraising Practice

Why More Fundraising Tactics Do Not Always Create a Better Campaign

When a campaign needs improvement, the instinct is often to add something else. I have found that stronger fundraising is frequently less about adding tactics and more about understanding what each tactic is supposed to accomplish.

Recommended Industry Resources

Trusted Third-Party Learning and Research

These are independent third-party resources selected for their usefulness to annual giving professionals. They are not created, owned, or endorsed by Annual Giving by Design™, and links open on the original publisher’s site.

Annual Giving & Professional Development

Annual Giving Network (AGN)

A specialized annual giving resource with training, webinars, introductory lessons, a sample collection, performance benchmarks, and other professional-development resources.

Philanthropic Research & Giving Trends

IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

Evidence-based research on philanthropy, charitable giving, donor behavior, nonprofit practice, and emerging sector trends.

Philanthropic Research & Giving Trends

Ongoing Research / Giving USA

Ongoing research projects, including Giving USA and other studies tracking charitable giving patterns and donor behavior over time.

Professional Development

The Fund Raising School — First Day Podcast

A free, short-form podcast featuring fundraising news, research, practitioner issues, and emerging topics in philanthropy.

Data, Measurement & Donor Trends

GivingTuesday Data Commons

Current research and data on donor participation, retention, recurring giving, generosity, and fundraising trends.

Donor Engagement, Retention & Measurement

Fundraising Effectiveness Project

Fundraising benchmarking and trend analysis focused on donor counts, retention, acquisition, and giving levels.

Fundraising & Leadership

Philanthropy Coach

A practitioner-oriented resource library with recommended reading related to fundraising, philanthropy, leadership, and nonprofit topics.

Faith & Giving

Lake Institute on Faith & Giving

Research, educational resources, and practitioner learning focused on the relationship between faith and giving.

How Healthy Is Your Annual Giving Ecosystem?

Download the Annual Giving Assessment™ and see where your program stands today.