Carter Skeel

Carter Skeel works at American Philanthropic, a consulting firm whose mission is to strengthen civil society by improving the effectiveness of charitable foundations and nonprofit organizations. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied philosophy, and he held a fellowship at the John Jay Institute. Carter has worked with Ken Myers at Mars Hill Audio in Charlottesville, VA, and now lives in West Chester, PA.

Penn under microscope by megadonors influencing university policy
How much say should donors have?

Recent upheaval at Penn shows the power of donor influence to hold institutions accountable. But is that power dangerous?

A donor is skeptical over how well a nonprofit is working to gain his trust
A donor’s trust is hard to earn

A recent Wise Giving Alliance report is both too broad and not broad enough to give guidance on how to inspire donor confidence.

What the Republican debate teaches us about crafting effective appeals

Wednesday’s presidential debate presented a vivid illustration of the power of a coherent narrative. Fundraisers should sit up and take notice.

Donors and fundraisers aren’t so different, after all

In “A Spirituality of Fundraising,” Henri Nouwen reorients our approach to fundraising, reappraises the donor-fundraiser relationship, and reinforces my commitment to giving where I work.

giving club
Engaging “non-relationship” donors

The misuse of giving clubs does not negate their value. Here’s why they matter for you.

On throat-clearing and charity

Quit throat-clearing and write confidently in your fundraising communications.

AmazonSmile
The demise of AmazonSmile

Amazon announced last week the end of its AmazonSmile program. While no nonprofit will suffer significantly, there is a downside to this decision.

localism
Localism without the local

Working alone, localism can mitigate some of the effects of larger root causes. In a thicker community, there would be fewer Cannells, because there would be more “preventative care.”

Is your mission really more critical than ever?

With a clear mission/vision distinction, you can articulate why your work—and the donor’s support—is more urgently needed as a result of this external factor.

campaign goal
Setting a sound campaign goal

When you are running a short fundraising campaign, it’s important to set a smart campaign goal. Here’s how to do that—and how to message it.