Dear friends,

Most schools are on spring break this month, and many fundraisers are too. I know it can be hard to step away, but I will always advocate for generous PTO and work-life balance. It is so important to rest and recharge, and we all deserve time for our personal lives. With so much going on, we need to support resilience for ourselves, our families, and our teams. To everyone traveling this week, have fun and please share photos!

Legislative Update

Last month, I attended a dinner hosted by Blackbaud, where I connected with nonprofit leaders and learned more about the current legislative agenda. The hot topic, according to CASE, is tax reform impacting the Charitable Deduction. Congress has yet to act, but the hope is that changes will strengthen charitable giving. They also noted this administration’s focus on taxing “businesses in disguise,” which could impact universities and museums. Additionally, it’s unlikely that DAF reform will be included, and there is little momentum on the 9495 “Nonprofit Killer Bill.” There are many moving parts affecting the nonprofit sector right now, and we will continue to keep you updated.

Millennials Are Trending Up

Giving USA has published its 2024 “Giving by Generation” report, and it’s the first study with data on Gen Z. However, the big headline is that Millennials are trending up and have become more important to the donor pool. Though Boomers grew fastest at +27% vs. 2022, Millennials were not far behind at +22%. Millennials are also most likely to give online—82% have made an online donation, followed by Gen Z at 79%—and they report favorable attitudes to direct mail. These findings are important because they affirm the strategic connection between channels and highlight the nuance of attribution. While Millennials report that direct mail motivates their giving, more than half prefer to make their contributions online.

“While the boomer generation is outgiving other generations at a significant level, the growth in charitable giving by the millennial and Gen Z generations is a positive sign for the future of the charitable sector.”

– Rick Dunham, founder of Dunham+Company

Copywriting Do’s and Don’ts

Senior VP Margot O’Leary shared three evergreen copywriting do’s and don’ts, from Frank O’Brien’s excellent On Message blog:

1. “DO write in conversational tone. DON’T write like a poet.”
2. “DO write, rest, revise. DON’T edit the life out of your copy.”
3. “DO show with evocative, specific language. DON’T just tell with broad, generic text.”

To drive his point home, O’Brien wrote examples for each contrast. This one made me laugh!

Cheers for Volunteers

One of my favorite Avalon benefits is our quarterly paid volunteer day. Not only does this connect to our mission, but it also supports staff wellbeing. Senior VP Jackie Libby recently circulated research that shows volunteering may reduce depression, likely due to enhanced mood, decreased isolation, and deeper purpose. “Engagement in volunteering reduces the probability of depression by approximately 5% in the whole population, with larger gains among early retirees.” For retired volunteers, research also suggests an added benefit of physical wellbeing, related to staying active. All good reasons to keep giving back!

Find Us at NTC

Look for Avalon at NTEN’s Nonprofit Technology Conference (25NTC) next week: Senior VP Margot O’Leary, analytics VP SB Birnie, and Maryland Food Bank director of annual giving Lauren Webb Tolstoi will present a session on Data Visualization: Why Context Is Critical. In addition, Birnie is developing a data visualization training for NTEN’s on-demand course library (available soon). 25NTC will take place April 16 – 18 in Baltimore, MD and virtually.

Bracket Champions

College basketball is exciting, but Avalon March Madness also keeps me on the edge of my seat. Congrats to the UConn women’s team and the Florida men’s team for their tournament wins—and to Avalon champs Isabelle Fazzina (“Uconnwinitall” – women’s bracket) and Margot O’Leary (“Margot’s Shot in the Dark” – men’s bracket). Margot pulled off the win despite her champion pick losing in the final. Isabelle achieved an impressive score of 1780 out of a possible 1920 points, predicting 54 out of 63 March Madness games correctly. Her bracket ranked in the top 0.8% worldwide (!) among entries to ESPN’s March Madness. And Will Griffiths made it all possible by setting up Avalon’s bracket challenge. Way to go, all!