Special Report

Executive Summary

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, many advancement offices shifted from on-site to remote or hybrid work models. Now, five years removed from the onset of the pandemic, most nonprofit organizations have adapted to new flexible work arrangements, while fewer have returned to an on-site work environment. 

Does working from home enhance or hinder fundraising productivity? 

We recently gathered responses from 270 advancement leaders across the nonprofit sector—representing Higher Education; Healthcare; Independent Schools; and Arts, Culture, and Environment—to learn how hybrid, fully remote, and on-site work arrangements have affected fundraising productivity, recruitment and retention, and organizational culture. Countries represented in the survey include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.  

Our findings provide a few key takeaways for advancement offices: 

A hybrid work arrangement is the new normal. While a hybrid work model cannot be directly linked to fundraising performance, the majority of institutions who have committed to it have experienced growth in philanthropic productivity.  

Offering a hybrid work option provides a competitive advantage for recruitment and retention of talent. In an industry already burdened by workforce shortages, a hybrid option is particularly compelling. It has become an expectation—not a ‘nice to have’ option—for recruiting new talent.  

Hybrid organizations need to be more intentional about protecting workplace culture and employee engagement, especially when it comes to onboarding, mentoring, and staff meetings. Nonprofit leaders also need to create focused opportunities to foster an environment of collaboration and innovation.