Donor Behavior in Disrupted Times

Laura MacDonald (Board Chair, Giving USA Foundation) will share insights informed by past disruptions such as 9/11, the Bernie Madoff scandal, and the Great Recession, as well as policy changes like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Relying on data from Giving USA and other sources, she will discuss how giving patterns shifted then, and what we might expect as a result of current economic, social, and policy disruptions.  

Laura MacDonald has been a leader in the nonprofit sector for three decades. Since launching Benefactor Group 20 years ago, she has used her fundraising expertise to counsel more than 200 clients—ranging from Big Ten universities to startup community organizations to global NGOs. Her mission, and the firm’s mission: to serve those who serve the common good.

Prior to establishing Benefactor Group, Laura served as Chief Development Officer at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts, where
she helped the organization secure its largest-ever corporate and foundation sponsorship grants, as well as its highest membership. She also held a senior role in the university’s $1.2 billion capital campaign.

Laura’s passion for philanthropy shines through in the insights she contributes to professional publications such as Advancing Philanthropy and Nonprofit Quarterly, as well as popular publications such as New York Times, Ms. Magazine, Penta Barron’s, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. She has been engaged by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the American Alliance of Museums, American Museum Development Association, Fundraising Bootcamp, and hundreds of nonprofit boards.

Laura chairs the board of the Giving USA Foundation, which publishes Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy—the seminal study of the sources and uses of charitable giving in the United States. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and was named the Central Ohio Chapter’s “Fundraising Professional of the Year” in 2007.