Charity leaders are leaving millions of dollars on the table and not realizing it. 

Over the past twenty years, I have worked with, spoken to, or advised thousands of nonprofit leaders. One thing I’ve learned is that each area of fundraising is a deep rabbit hole. Major gift fundraising, grants and foundations, corporate or church relations, and single-gift and recurring giving are all sophisticated disciplines in their own right, and they benefit from deep expertise gained over time.

Would you mind if I'm a little vulnerable today? 

Today's Wave Report is a personal one. Heather and I celebrated 20 years of marriage this year, so I thought I’d share some lessons we’ve learned along the way. 

I understand that marriage can be a sensitive topic, so my hope is that if you read this article, you see it in the spirit in which it was written. 

Well, we did it – The Rise of Sustainable Giving is in the world, and the overwhelming reception has blown me away… So much so that the book hit #1 Best Seller in every category it was listed. 🤯🎉

This isn’t a prediction post. Each January, you can find plenty of predictions about the new year. Instead, I’m much more interested in what is happening now that leaders can put to good use.

So today I’m going to unpack eight trends I’ve been watching that I believe leaders like you can leverage in 2025. 

I’m so glad you’ve decided to join The Wave Report, my weekly column on the lessons leaders can use to grow – themselves, their leadership, and their organizations. 

Some people have asked me why I call it "The Wave Report"? Are you a wannabe surfer or something? Well, actually, I am (aspiring, that is). But that's not why I called it The Wave Report. Let me tell you why...

I think we can learn several things from the world of surfing when it comes to innovation.

I don’t like change.

I’ve never liked change. In 5th grade, I wore the same pair of olive green pants every day to school. And I don’t just mean that figuratively, as in most days. No, it was every. Single. Day. And we lived in Desert Hot Springs, where temperatures could soar above 120 degrees. We played soccer outside nearly every day at recess. It didn’t matter to this 10-year-old goalie, diving into the dirt to block a ball, green pants proudly on display. 

We are in the final stretch of Season 5 of the Purpose & Profit Podcast, so I thought I’d take this Wave Report to share some of the highlights from the podcast this past year. 

If you are new to The Wave Report, you may not know that I co-founded and co-host the Purpose & Profit Podcast. The show explores the surprising ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands. 

This day has been a long time coming, and I’m so glad it’s nearly here.

20 years of experience. 

36 months of research.

438 hours of outlining, interviewing, writing, editing.

Plus, hundreds more of dreams, plans, sweat, and work.

I’m pleased to announce that my new book, The Rise of Sustainable Giving will be releasing in just a few weeks. 

Happy New Year!

It’s common for authors to make predictions about the year to come at the beginning of each year. I’ve been known to take it a step further and write multiple articles on trends to pay attention to – waves to watch in the new year. (see what I did there? 👀🌊).

I hope you had a blessed Christmas and that in this in-between time before the new year, you can experience a sense of peace, rest, and reflection.

Today’s email is a short one. I want to leave you to consider just one question.
The word “Imago” comes from Latin. It’s a word that describes a future that will be but has not yet come to pass. It’s literally the image of a final form.

We love watching Christmas movies. Christmas is such a busy season that we don’t get to watch very many, so we take turns picking the movie. Often, the pick is a Christmas classic - Elf, Home Alone, The Grinch (no, not Die Hard or The Christmas Story!).

Today is one of my favorite days of the year.

This morning, I’ll sit down in one of my favorite coffee shops and reflect on the year as it comes to a close.

As I write this, I've just crossed my one-millionth mile flown. 😱✈️🌎

I’m on a flight back to Seattle from D.C. after spending a few days at the NonProfit POWER Summit in Baltimore, where I previewed my upcoming book about how nonprofit leaders can tap into the subscription economy to grow recurring giving. 

Today’s Wave Report will be a reflective one – I hope it provides some perspective. 

I believe that gratitude and generosity form a virtuous cycle. Each leads to the other, and they reinforce one another.

When I practice generosity, that leads to gratitude.

A record number of people plan to shop over the holiday stretch known as Cyber Five, from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday this year.

The National Retail Federation reports that a record 183.4 million people plan to shop in-store and online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday.

Today, November 15, is National Philanthropy Day. 

Officially recognized as a national day by President Reagan in 1986, National Philanthropy Day is an annual day of celebration that recognizes the contributions of philanthropy to the world. 

Simply defined, philanthropy is the use of private resources for public purposes. The giving of resources like time, talent, and treasure has deep roots in human history.

While recurring giving has been a bright spot amidst the gloomy clouds of fundraising trends for years now, there are many charities that have not yet tapped into recurring giving in a meaningful way. 

Reliable, recurring revenue is a crucial resource many nonprofits aspire to achieve but often can’t fully realize. 

I might be describing your organization. You might sense there is much more potential to develop a strong, resilient, growing stream of recurring income. 

What do the Atlanta Braves, Chick-fil-A, and North Point Church have in common? 

They are all in Atlanta. 

But also Jeff Henderson.

For nonprofit fundraisers, the ideal donor is one who gives faithfully month after month, year after year. They are bought into the cause and they give on a recurring basis

However, for most charities, most donors do not start as recurring. Like so many others, they give a single gift in response to some sort of catalyst – an ask from a friend, a disaster, a moving appeal. 

It’s on nonprofit leaders then to identify the right time and method to invite these single-gift donors into recurring, sustainable giving. 

But when is the best time to invite a new donor to commit to a recurring gift?

The answer is unwaveringly clear – in the first 30 days.