Paul D'Alessandro

Paul D'Alessandro

Paul D’Alessandro, J.D., CFRE, is a vice president at Innovest Portfolio Solutions. He is also the founder of High Impact Nonprofit Advisors (HNA), and D’Alessandro Inc. (DAI), which is a fundraising and strategic management consulting company. With more than 30 years of experience in the philanthropic sector, he’s the author of “The Future of Fundraising: How Philanthropy’s Future is Here with Donors Dictating the Terms.” 

He has worked with hundreds of nonprofits to raise more than $1 billion dollars for his clients in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, as a nonprofit and business expert — who is also a practicing attorney — Paul has worked with high-level global philanthropists, vetting and negotiating their strategic gifts to charitable causes. Paul understands that today’s environment requires innovation and fresh thinking, which is why he launched HNA to train and coach leaders who want to make a difference in the world.

Why Impact Investing Is Better for Social Good

Many in the nonprofit industry think things will always remain the same or evolve slowly. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. There’s a growing opportunity for innovation in social good — and one approach is impact investing, also known as mission- or values-based investing.

Donors: Beware of Nonprofits

As a nonprofit fundraiser and attorney, I do my due diligence if I support a new nonprofit. Unfortunately, it's an open secret that financial firewalls within some nonprofits can be thin or non-existent. But nonprofits are businesses, and we should treat them as such.

4 Fallacies of Year-End Giving

Here are several reasons why it’s a bad idea to use year-end giving as a significant fundraising strategy.

Why Fundraising Consultants Don’t Bring in New Donors

Fundraising consultants can be invaluable for nonprofits looking to optimize their fundraising operations. However, some nonprofit leaders don't know the nature of what fundraising consultants do. 

Capital Campaigns Are Not Always the Solution

As nonprofits need to be good stewards of the funds from their donors, consulting companies also must do the same with the resources of their clients. A capital campaign is the easy answer, but there are other ways of accomplishing the goals you seek to achieve.

Micro-Campaigns Can Lead to Huge Fundraising Results

It’s no secret that Facebook and other ad platforms don’t perform as they did in the past. An overwhelming demand for data privacy has resulted in new personal information safeguards, giving these ad platforms a more limited understanding of our behaviors.

The Ultimate Guide to Donor-Advised Funds

The number of donor-advised fund accounts in the U.S. surpassed 1 million in 2020, and grants to charities from the 10 largest donor-advised fund sponsors totaled $22.41 billion. So, let's dive into how donor-advised funds can help you with your overall fundraising strategy.

4 Reasons Why Donors Don't Give

One of the most crucial parts of nonprofit fundraising is finding donors. If a donor doesn't give, your organization can't adequately serve its mission. But creating a potential donor portfolio isn't always easy.