Just in case you missed the memo from your air conditioning bill, it’s officially summer 2025. And while others are busy curating beach reads and poolside mysteries, we’re here with something far more thrilling: a summer reading list that’ll make your fundraising neurons do the happy dance.
Off the Shelf and On the E-Reader: Our Greatest Hits Get Sequels
At Aspire, we may have been tracking these themes longer than most people have been worrying about their 401k performance. Like a well-seasoned prospect researcher who can spot a family office from three donor databases away, we’ve been quietly building a library that tackles the big questions before they become the obvious questions.
Aspire’s Top Picks
All in the Family: A Guide to Family Offices
73% of family offices engage in philanthropy. Are you reaching them? With an average of $2.2 billion in net worth per family office and 27% prioritizing “giving back to society” as a core mission, family offices represent the most concentrated wealth—and philanthropic opportunity—in today’s donor landscape.
💡 Perfect for fundraisers who want to recognize this wealth and researchers identifying and profiling ultra-wealth individuals.
In Good Company: A Guide to Corporate Fundraising
This 70-page guide is your go-to manual for understanding how companies give. From direct donations to CSR strategies, it’s packed with insights to help you identify and engage corporate prospects.
💡 Perfect for researchers building corporate profiles or fundraisers crafting partnership strategies.
Disruptive Philanthropy: A Guide to Donor Advised Funds
Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) continue to be a popular giving vehicle. At the end of 2023, the National Philanthropic Trust reported a DAF payout rate of 24%, continuing a trend of exceeding 20% annually since tracking began. Fidelity Charitable reported a DAF payout rate increase of 25% from 2023 to 2024 and that 67% of contributions were in the form of non-cash assets (e.g., stocks, crypto).
💡 Perfect for researchers that need to know the details and fundraisers that want to attract and steward DAF gifts.
Beyond Aspire: Smart Reads from the Field
FundraisingAI
Tired of guessing what your donors want? Fundraising.AI is here to drag your fundraising practices into the future—one algorithm at a time. Chock full of amazing resources, this website is a powerhouse of insights, ethics, and innovation that can help you raise more money without burning out your team or creeping out your donors. Whether you’re a data nerd or just AI-curious, this site will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about AI and fundraising. Bookmark it, binge it, and brag about it at your next board meeting.
Giving USA 2025
Back when we were analyzing the Capgemini World Wealth Reports (remember our deep dives from 2017-2023?), we kept highlighting one key insight: HNWIs weren’t just getting wealthier, they were getting more strategic about their giving. Fast forward to 2025, and charitable giving has reached $592.50 billion with individual giving accounting for 67% of contributions, proving that our focus on understanding affluent donor behavior wasn’t just academic—it was predictive.
11 Trends in Philanthropy for 2025
While donor numbers declined 4.5% in 2024 compared to 2023—a trend continuing since 2019—smart organizations are pivoting faster than a startup in Silicon Valley. Discover the trends and apply the insights to your fundraising practice.
Google Analytics Says… People are Reading!
Sometimes things are popular because they’re good! These three posts got the most hits in 2025, earning their place on your summer’s must-read list:
2. Behind the Headlines: Did Tim Cook really make $74.6M in 2024?
3. Misconceptions of Prospect Management
Ready to Put This Intelligence to Work?
Reading about corporate fundraising, family offices, and disruptive philanthropy trends is one thing. Actually identifying top names in your prospect pool? That’s where the real work begins.
Join the Identifying Corporate Structures Workshop on Thursday, July 17, 2025 (12:00pm-1:00pm ET) and learn how to decode the incorporation records that reveal the real story behind complex wealth structures.
Whether you’re new to corporate prospecting or looking to sharpen your strategy, these resources will help you work smarter and raise more.