SAN RAMON, Calif., July 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AMF Media Group (AMF), an award-winning full-service marketing firm with offices across California, announced findings from its Los Angeles “Voice of the Donor” nonprofit survey that may surprise some nonprofit leaders.  Contrary to early concerns, tax reform is expected to have almost no negative impact on giving in 2018.  Not only did more than two-thirds of respondents say tax reform would have no effect on their giving, but those who felt tax reform would change their giving reported a planned increase in their 2018 donations.

“While many local nonprofit leaders expressed concern that tax reform would negatively impact their organizations, our in-depth survey found quite the opposite,” said Vintage Foster, CEO of AMF Media Group. “Instead, what we are seeing is the need for nonprofit leaders to focus on creating a donor experience that fosters participation and a sense of belonging.  Donors want to feel a personal connection and see the impact from their giving.”

Creating long-term relationships with donors pays dividends, as planned contributions outpace spontaneous contribution by a 2-to-1 margin. Of the 16 elements that influence a person to donate, Los Angeles donors named having a personal connection to the beneficiary as the number one influence. 

More specifically, 43 percent said having a relationship with the organization and 25 percent said attending a special event or gala strongly influenced them to give. Nearly 20 percent of donors said they were more likely to give to organizations that have the ability to raise funds through ticket sales, double the number who responded otherwise.

“As a leader in nonprofit accounting and consulting, it’s critical to keep a pulse on the trends, challenges and opportunities facing nonprofits,” said Tom Schulte, partner and Southern California market leader at Armanino. “Nonprofit organizations are working to sort through what the coming years will look like with a changing tax code and polarized landscape, which is why we partnered with AMF to commission this survey.  The results give us insight on how we can work with clients to future-proof their organizations.”

“This is very timely information for our industry. With all that is going on – we need great insight. And, what’s great is it is specific to our donor base,” said Regina Birdsell, president and CEO of Los Angeles-based Center for Nonprofit Management.

AMF Media Group commissioned the “Voice of the Donor” survey with Armanino LLP , one of the top 25 largest accounting and business consulting firms in the U.S. with a deep expertise in nonprofit.  The firm works with more than 600 nonprofit organizations and hosts its one-of-a-kind Nonprofit Symposium each year in various locations.  Partnering sponsors include: Rodriguez, Horii, Choi & Cafferata LLP , Canterbury Consulting and Revolution Office .

AMF Media Group has strong set of research capabilities that can help business and nonprofit organizations gather insights on customers in order to improve business decisions and reduce risk.  The agency employs a number of methodologies including online, phone and mail surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups and online insights that can be deployed for short-term information gathering or to identify long-term trends. 

About AMF Media Group AMF Media Group is a full-service agency that delivers a comprehensive and clear approach on brand strategy and marketing, public relations, crisis communications, internal communications, multimedia production, web design and development, event planning and management. AMF has offices in San Ramon, San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles, California.

Contact: Kyle McGuire kyle@amfmediagroup.com (925) 790-2788