T.D. Jakes Foundation pivots non-profits toward creator-led fundraising strategies
T.D. Jakes Foundation emphasizes the need for non-profit organizations to prioritize visibility and audience building to secure funding in a competitive market.
As fundraising dynamics shift toward individual donors, non-profit organizations must adopt the strategies of content creators to remain financially viable. Kelley Cornish, CEO of the T.D. Jakes Foundation, argues that in a landscape where individual giving accounts for two-thirds of all donations, the ability to generate attention is directly tied to the ability to secure capital.
Data from Giving USA 2025 indicates that charitable giving reached $592.5 billion in 2024, with individual contributions far outpacing foundation grants. This shift forces non-profits to move beyond the traditional reliance on proposal-based funding and instead compete for the attention of a broader public audience.
To facilitate this transition, the T.D. Jakes Foundation is hosting the T7 summit in Atlanta, which includes the distribution of up to $1.5 million in grants. The initiative also features a Social Impact Certificate program, covering AI application, governance, and sustainability, designed to equip non-profit leaders with the skills to effectively reach and engage their supporters.
Cornish notes that while foundations provide critical capital, they often address symptoms rather than building long-term institutional resilience. By training leaders to prioritize storytelling and audience engagement, the foundation aims to shift the sector toward more sustainable, self-directed funding models.