Post by Syracuse University - Maxwell School

Two Maxwell School faculty members have received a $27,000 grant from the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy to study one of the most valuable and elusive forms of charitable giving: unrestricted donations. Minjung Kim and Jiahuan Lu will use the Wilson C. "Bill" Levis Fundraising Research Grant to examine what motivates donors to give nonprofits full flexibility over how their gifts are used. Their survey-based research aims to produce practical insights for both scholars and fundraising professionals. "Unrestricted giving is essential to a nonprofit's ability to respond to changing circumstances, yet we know relatively little about what drives donors to give this way," says Kim. "We're excited to partner with local nonprofit organizations on this research."