Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Relationships really matter, particularly when it comes to raising money.

That was the message that David Crimmins, one of the authors of the Generosity Crisis: The Case for Radical Connection to Solve Humanity’s Greatest Challenges, delivered in a keynote address on Wednesday. Currently the Chief Operating Officer of Chaminade High School in Long Island, NY, he was in Knoxville to speak to several hundred individuals who came to the city for ImpactED ’25, the annual conference of the National Association of Education Foundations (NAEF).

The organization’s current Chair is Mike Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of the Knox Education Foundation. Today, NAEF, which was incorporated in April 2021, is championing the cause of ensuring that all students have robust educational opportunities.

After all, it’s about an educated workforce for the jobs of the future.

Published in November 2022, the book was co-written with two others about the decline of American generosity. Charitable giving declined by nearly four percent between 2018 and 2020, the year that the COVID-19 pandemic sweep across the globe. In 2023, it declined by more than two percent with individual giving dropping even more.

“How do we get out of it? Radical connections,” Crimmins says, explaining that the answer lies in reestablishing the relationships that derive reciprocity, love, and generosity. He joined Chaminade after 22 years with Changing Our World, a New York City-based firm providing fundraising, management and corporate social engagement strategy to nonprofits and corporations. It is now part of the Omnicom Group.

In a breakout session following Crimmins’ keynote address, Molly Servais, Senior Consultant, and Chrissie Wetherbee, Director of Communication Services, both with Match Nonprofit Consulting, led a discussion titled “How to Make Sure Your Donors ‘Get the Message.’” While it was geared to educational groups raising money for their schools, there were things that applied to any organization.

Servais noted that slightly more than $557.16 billion was raised through charitable giving globally in 2023 and giving by individuals is the largest sector of that amount, accounting for two-thirds of the total. Contributions to educational causes ranks as the third largest sector.

“Branding, marketing, and messaging is the key to success,” Wetherbee said. That certainly is not limited to the educational sector. “Branding is your message; marketing amplifies your message,” she added.

We also took note of something that again, while focused specifically on educational fundraising, is also applicable to other areas. It was called the 5Rs, and those letters stand for:

1. Repetition;
2. Recognition;
3. Reputation;
4. Relationships; and
5. Revenue.

They build on each other. Repetition builds recognition that then establishes your reputation that will allow you to build relationships and ultimately generate more revenue.

Another trick that the two offered was the idea of being able to tell your story, ideally in six words.

The conference ends Thursday afternoon.

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