History of Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Nonprofits

Giving Institute, formerly the American Association of Fundraising Counsel (AAFRC) was founded in 1935 to promote the need for professional and ethical standards of practice, and to influence the creation of laws governing philanthropy.

Giving Institute has been involved in many milestones of philanthropy, developing the widely accepted Standards of Professional Conduct, helping to fund the start-up of the United Way, and working with the New York State Legislature to develop and enact the Charity Registration Act, the basis for a nationwide model. Several years later, it created the Giving USA Foundation, formerly the AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy, providing America with an annual publication reporting philanthropic trends.

Today GIVING USA is researched and published by the Giving USA Foundation in partnership with The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. The publication is America's most frequently quoted and widely circulated reference compilation of annual giving. GIVING USA provides a statistical breakdown with year-by-year analysis by source, recipient, and location.

Giving Institute firms are professionally and geographically diverse, raising billions of dollars annually for and providing invaluable types of counsel to philanthropic institutions. Member firms meet standards and complete an extensive client review process, with re-qualification occurring every five years.

Giving Institute was founded out of need, and its mission evolves out of that same need today. The mission of Giving Institute is to educate and engage members in the ethical delivery of counsel and related services to non-profits through research, advocacy, and best practices, while its vision is to develop extraordinary leaders in the world of philanthropy.