Virginia State University, VA 23806 (804)524-5045
501(c)(3) IRS designation for public serving nonprofit organizations exempt from income tax and eligible to receive tax-deductible gifts.
501(c)(4) IRS designation for advocacy organizations (nonprofit organizations exempt from income tax but not eligible to receive tax-deductible gifts because they engage in advocacy-type efforts).
990 Form used by the IRS for annual reporting by nonprofit organizations.
990 PF Form 990 used by the IRS for private foundations.
Advancement The term advancement encompasses alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas within educational institutions.
AFP Association of Fundraising Professionals (formerly NSFRE)—professional organization for fundraisers.
Annual giving Annually repeating gift programs; seeking funds on annual or recurring basis from the same constituency; income is generally used for operating budget support.
APRA Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (former name: American Prospect Research Association)—professional organization for people who scout out prospective donors.
Bequest A transfer, by will, of personal property such as cash, securities, or other tangible property.
Capital campaign A carefully organized, highly structured fundraising program using volunteers supported by staff and consultants to raise funds for specific needs, to be met in a specific time frame, with a specific dollar goal. Allows donors to pledge gifts to be paid over a period of years.
CASE The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a professional association for advancement professionals who work at educational institutions.
CFRE Certified Fund Raising Executive—certification/credential for fundraisers.
Charitable Remainder Trust A tax-exempt irrevocable trust designed to reduce the taxable income of individuals by first dispersing income to the beneficiaries of the trust for a specified period of time and then donating the remainder of the trust to the designated charity.
CNP Center on Nonprofits & Philanthropy—part of the Urban Institute, houses the NCCS, the national repository of data on the U.S. nonprofit sector.
CRM/Database Customer Relationship Management; otherwise known as the software program that collects specific data about your donors (name, contact, giving history, lifetime giving total, etc.)
Donor Also known as supporter or prospect; a person who has given money in one form or another to further your organization’s mission or cause.
Donor Advised Fund A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is a philanthropic vehicle established at a public charity. It allows donors to make a charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax benefit and then recommend grants from the fund over time.
Endowment A form of a donation consisting of investment funds or other property that is designed to keep the principal amount intact while using the investment income from dividends for charitable efforts.
Gift in Kind A gift of goods and services, instead of cash or stock.
Leadership gift A leadership gift is a large donation made by a single person, a small set of people, or a foundation at the very start of the fund drive. It is typically the largest gift of the drive and is used to inspire others to contribute.
Legacy Society (Powell Society) Usually comprised of donors who’ve left a gift in their estate plans for the organization; some organizations have formal societies depending on their size.
LYBUNT Donors who gave last year but unfortunately not this.
Major gifts A gift of significant amount (size of gift may vary according to organization ’ s needs and goals); may be repeated periodically. Also a program designation.
Moves management Moves management is the process by which a prospective major donor is moved from cultivation to solicitation. “Moves” are the actions an organization takes to bring in donors, establish relationships, and renew contributions.
NCCS National Center for Charitable Statistics—located at The Urban Institute, the national repository of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States.
NGO non-governmental organization
NPO nonprofit organization
Planned/legacy gift A gift provided for legally during the donor’s lifetime, but whose principal benefits do not accrue to the institution until some future time, usually at the death of the donor or his or her income beneficiary.
Pledge A signed and dated commitment to make a gift over a specified period, generally two or more years, payable according to terms set by the donor, with scheduled monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual payments.
Principal gift Depending on the organization, a gift of several hundred thousand to millions of dollars; high-dollar gifts made by fewer individuals.
Return on Investment (ROI) A measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment by analyzing the amount of return on an investment relative to the investment’s cost.
Restricted gift A gift for a specified purpose clearly stated by the donor.
Soft Credit Acknowledging the efforts of someone, other than the legal donor, who facilitated a gift by providing ‘soft’ (or associated) credit for that gift. Soft credit allows an organization to acknowledge these efforts without compromising their legal obligation to record a donation in accordance with IRS regulations.
Sequential giving A cardinal principle of fundraising counsel: gifts in a campaign should be sought “from the top down”; that is, the largest gifts in a gift range chart should be sought at the outset of a campaign, followed sequentially by the search for lesser gifts.
Sustaining Gifts A donation with multiple ongoing payments, including payments of a specific amount that occur over a defined period of time that may or may not have an end date. Also commonly referred to as; Recurring Gifts, Monthly Gifts, Ongoing Gifts.
SYBUNT Donors who gave some year but unfortunately not this.
Third sector Used to describe all nonprofit organizations and institutions. Also known as the independent sector, not to be confused with the organization called Independent Sector.
Unrestricted gift A gift to an institution or agency for whatever purposes officers or trustees choose.