The days following Thanksgiving have been all about buy, buy, buy. But amid the discounts and sales, charities are trumpeting another mantra: Give, give, give.

Today is Giving Tuesday, an annual national day of giving that aims to be the Black Friday or Cyber Monday of philanthropy. Nearly 7,000 nonprofits, philanthropic groups and businesses have unleashed social media campaigns encouraging people to go online and give to various causes.  I hope you will participate… Philanthropy Matters!

The Development Leadership Consortium sponsored in part by Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt hosted a biennial philanthropy forecast that is always widely attended by Chicagoland professionals. The event brought together a panel of experts in philanthropy, economics, and fundraising to discuss trends that will shape our industry in the near future. This year’s Forecast topic was, The Next Generation of Philanthropy, was held on Wednesday, November 6th at the John G. Shedd Aquarium. DLC Management Fellows Program Facilitator and chief advancement officer for the Urban Education Institute at University of Chicago Tom Wick moderated a discussion with special guests, Liz Lefkofsky, director of the Lefkofsky Family Foundation and Chuck Lewis, chairman of the Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation.

The number of multi-billion dollar capital campaigns has been on the rise since 2000, according to Rae Goldsmith, a vice president at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Campaigns such  as University of Michigan ($ goal tbd), Harvard ($6.5 billion goal),Stanford ($6.2 billion) Yale ($3.9 billion), University of Penn ($3.5 billion) validate that notion.

Currently there are over 30 such campaigns taking place at universities across the country. And with universities looking to fund the new technologies necessary to pursue cutting edge research, the pricetags on these campaigns are rising quickly.

Between 2006 and 2011, Stanford ran a capital campaign, entitled The Stanford Challenge, which raised $6.23 billion—the most of any university campaign ever, according to school officials. Now others continue the legacy of “power fundraising.” Since summer 2013, both Harvard and the University of Michigan have announced plans for upcoming uber fundraising campaigns.

The University of Michigan, who is launching a campaign in November 2013 (with an unannounced goal to date) has had three capital campaigns since 1981. The capital campaign of the last decade, the Michigan Difference, ran from 2004 to 2008 and raised $3.2 billion for the University. Funds were used in large part to renovate or add to the University’s physical footprint through the construction of 22 new campus buildings, including the Ross School of Business, the Ford School of Public Policy’s Weill Hall, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital. The Michigan Difference also supported the creation of 185 new professorships and nearly 2,000 new scholarships.

Harvard University launched a $6.5 billion capital campaign in September 2013 that, if successful, would be the largest fundraising effort in the history of higher education. The school said the campaign had broad goals spanning all its schools and would fund research into neuroscience, stem cell science and low-cost energy for the developing world. The campaign would target major renovations of the university's undergraduate housing and increase its study of new learning and teaching strategies. It also aims to expand the school's global presence, including through an ongoing project to develop a center in Shanghai for conferences and research.

Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust said the campaign will help the school meet the world's increasingly complex and pressing needs." We will meet these challenges, and in doing so, we will reaffirm what makes Harvard — and universities in general — such essential and irreplaceable contributors to the pursuit of knowledge and the welfare of the world," Faust said in a press release.

As organizational needs grow and the wealth of international alumni and regional donors increases…what is next I ask?

I am thrilled to expand my professional reach and to be working with a very exciting company called DonorPath, based in Chicago Illinois. . Here is some of my personal insight and a few of my thoughts about fundraising and my approach. Click the following link to see the article Chris Polk Expert Spotlight

DonorPath is a unique technology designed to connect the community of  nonprofits, experts and funders, providing every organization the insights, expertise, tools and time to advance their mission. The platform has been designed to help fundraising professionals at all levels.  If you’re the executive director of a small or emerging organization with a modest budget, a new development manager with a tight budget, or a development director needed help  in one specific area, DonorPath will provide you with solutions: I encourage you to check out the great services and opportunities at http://www.donorpath.org/