Eskin Fundraising Training: Celebrating National Nonprofit Day on August 17th and Every Day

When non-profits thrive, America thrives.

SAN ANTONIO, TX, UNITED STATES, August 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- There is a national day for just about everything. So, sandwiched between National Tell a Joke Day and National Fajita Day is an observance that merits being a champion of all days. August 17th is National Nonprofit Day. While few people know about National Nonprofit Day, it shouldn’t be that way.

On that day, Americans need to do something meaningful like thanking non-profit staff members or volunteers who are all around us. But they should also recognize that non-profits deserve respect, admiration, and support 365 days a year.

When Non-profits Thrive We All Thrive
The sentiment to this simple but powerful truth can be summed up succinctly: When non-profits thrive, America thrives. There is no part of the quality-of-life non-profits don’t enrich and make better. They embody the best spirit and values of our nation. During the pandemic, we vividly witnessed non-profits turn up the volume and do even more to help those struggling.

Why celebrate on August 17th? Because that’s the date the Tariff Act of 1894 became law. It imposed the first federal income tax on corporations, which included exemptions for non-profits and charitable institutions.

Keen Appreciation of the Sector
Our perspective on the subject is personal. For the better part of the last three decades, we’ve enjoyed the privilege of leading advancement and raising money for higher education institutions. It was instructive, challenging, and enormously fulfilling. Then in 2018, we decided to combine two passions. To teach the art and science of fundraising with the desire to venture out as an entrepreneur and launch Eskin Fundraising Training.

After conducting more than 250 workshops, webinars, podcasts, webcasts and board trainings, working with hundreds of board members, volunteers, and staff from a broad cross-section of organizations, appreciation and admiration for the non-profit sector have only deepened. It is truly inspiring to interact with men and women who have selfless devotion in their unwavering commitment to improving the lot of others. Toiling away in relative obscurity, they’re genuine unsung heroes.

Speaking of unsung heroes, National Nonprofit Day was founded in 2017 by Sherita J. Herring, an author, speaker and business strategist, to recognize the impact of non-profits on their communities and the world.


Nonprofit Proliferation
Though voluntary organizations endorsed by private contributions have existed in the U.S. since the mid-eighteenth century, they have only recently become an omnipresent part of American society. As recently as 1940, there were only 12,500 secular charitable tax-exempt organizations. Today, there are more than 1.5 million tax-exempt organizations in the nation. This figure includes all 501(c) designations such as churches, cultural centers, food banks, and disaster relief organizations. They each make a positive difference in the world

Their story is compelling. The sector represents 10 percent of the American workforce or about 13 million jobs making it the third largest force in the U.S., behind retail and manufacturing.

High Job/Volunteering Satisfaction
You won’t get rich working for a non-profit, but the level of job satisfaction is much higher than among American workers. A survey by Classy, creator of online fundraising software for non-profits, reveals that 84% of non-profit employees are satisfied in their current roles at their organizations. Those involved with their organization’s fundraising efforts are especially satisfied, with 92% of this cohort expressing contentment. This contrasts with just 51% of all employees reporting that they were satisfied with their jobs.

There are so many more people who toil for non-profits. However, they’re just not paid. America is blessed with a gigantic army of dedicated volunteers. According to U.S. Census Bureau data an estimated 63 million Americans, or about 25 percent of the adult population, volunteer about 52 hours per year with the value of a volunteer calculated at $34.79/hour

These volunteers set an amazing example. As champions of good causes whose time and resources are already stretched, they find ways to give more time and more money to better the lives of others. And they do so with smiles on their faces. The secret is that they are energized, not drained, by their labors of love.

Fundraisers have even more reason to love volunteers. Gifts of time, talent, and treasure go hand-in-hand. Volunteering and Civic Life in America research reveals that nearly twice the number (80%) of volunteers donate to charity as people who don’t volunteer (40%).

By the way, the term “nonprofit” is a bit of a misnomer. Non-profits can make a profit and should try to have some positive revenue to build a reserve fund to ensure sustainability. The key difference between non-profits and for-profits is that a non-profit organization cannot distribute its profits to any private individual. However, non-profits may pay reasonable compensation to those providing services.

In Closing …
Whether we like it or not, the stark reality is that it is likely that the government’s role and grant funding in meeting escalating human service needs will continue to shrink. It will be up to non-profits to fill gaps to ensure that people in need and pressing issues aren’t abandoned.

During a time when the nation is alarmingly polarized and divided, non-profits provide a beautiful model for bringing together people from diverse backgrounds and with different viewpoints for the common good.

Non-profits are all around us and improving the world through advances in education, healthcare, arts and culture, economic development, animal welfare, human services, seniors, children, and other vital areas. They remind us that more is possible and that we can take matters into our own hands and make the world a better place to live, one person and one community at a time.

Eskin Fundraising Training can’t wait for each new day to partner with non-profit staff and volunteers to develop more resources so that they can extend the impact of their noble missions. Their passion for their respective causes gives them an essential tool to be effective fundraisers. Armed with the Jeffersonian virtues of a “knowing head and an honest heart,” they can effectively tell their stories, nurture relationships, and ask for and obtain gifts.

About Eskin Fundraising Training
After a successful career leading advancement for three institutions of higher education, Jim Eskin’s consulting practice, Eskin Fundraising Training, launched in 2018, builds on the success of more than 250 fundraising workshops, webinars, webcasts, podcasts and board sessions, and provides the training, coaching and support services to equip non-profit leaders to replace fear of fundraising with comfort and confidence. He has authored more than 150 guest columns that have appeared in daily newspapers, business journals and blogs across the country. He publishes Stratagems, a monthly e-newsletter exploring timely issues and trends in philanthropy. Sign up here for a free subscription. You will also receive invitations to free virtual learning community programs. He is author of 10 Simple Fundraising Lessons, an 82-page common sense guide to understanding the art and science of fundraising, and How to Score Your First or Next Million-Dollar Gift, 104 pages filled with strategies, best practices and homework assignments to unlock exciting opportunities that elevate organizational impact to the next level. Both are available in print and digital formats through Pathway, the book distributor, and Amazon. Quantity discounts are available to non-profits who want to share books with teams of management, development staff, board and volunteers. Eskin is also available for customized virtual training for boards, staff, and fundraising committees. His newest customized service, Fundraising Urgent Care, offers 48-hour turnaround in addressing general strategy and tactical challenges that require immediate responses.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jim Eskin
Founder
Eskin Fundraising Training
10410 Pelican Oak Drive
San Antonio, TX 78254-6727
Cell: 210.415.3748
E-Mail: jeskin@aol.com
www.eskinfundraisingtraining.com

Links
Website: www.eskinfundraisingtraining.com

Newsletter sign-up: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/36Wz1P1

10 Simple Fundraising Lessons purchase: www.pathwaybookservice.com/products/10-simple-fundraising-lessons

How To Score Your First or Next Million-Dollar Gift purchase:
www.pathwaybookservice.com/products/how-to-score-your-first-or-next-million-dollar-gift?_pos=1&_psq=ho&_ss=e&_v=1.0


Nominate Your Non-Profit North Star Podcast:
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Jim Eskin
Eskin Fundraising Training LLC
+1 210-415-3748
email us here
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