Sophia’s Hyper about Philanthropy

As we all continue to work from home amidst this new normal, we at The Hodge Group feel it's important to celebrate the great successes we're seeing around the country, and there are many. Despite all the bad news on TV, people are proving they are more hyper about philanthropy than ever before. We trademarked that term, Hyper-Philanthropy, because we believe the American spirit of generosity endures and thrives during even the darkest times, and we want to share some of our observations from the last month with you now.

Annual Appeals are UP!

THG sat on a Lilly School of Philanthropy webinar just last Friday and heard from them what we've been hearing ourselves from our clients. Aggressively communicating with empathy and resolve at this time is appreciated, and this kind of outreach has led to a general trend of nonprofits surpassing their annual appeal metrics compared to a year ago.

Donor communication is evolving for the better!

Behavioral psychology and technology are more important today than ever, and using platforms like TikTok and YouTube has allowed our clients to remain authentic and relevant in the eyes of their stakeholders. This switch in communications also allows for improved Peer-to-Peer fundraising, which also leads to better fundraising. Our clients are innovating like never before to communicate their message in relevant ways, and the Lilly School agrees that the result has been increased efficiency that will last beyond the current environment.

Teams are becoming stronger!

Pressure makes diamonds, and it's no secret that these are challenging times. All organizations are being forced to be more honest and vulnerable with each other as we strive to create a new normal that works for all of us. As a result of these conversations, we've seen organizations across the nonprofit sector establish new standards for building psychological safety and trust. An organization that welcomes these types of changes becomes more authentic, more efficient, and more relevant than they were previously.

This is all great news from a 30,000 foot view, but it's even more incredible when you see how it's impacting change on a case-by-case basis. That's why we wanted to share Sophia's story with you today. Sophia is a 6-year old philanthropist who put what resources she had together to donate $14.77 to Grand View Health, a nonprofit hospital in Pennsylvania. Watch this video to hear Sophia's story. She's hyper about philanthropy, and you will be too after hearing from her.