501c Success Fundraising Series

Decoding the Motivations and Strategies of Affluent Donors
The 2025 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy

With the number of Americans giving to charity on the decline, many nonprofits increasingly rely on a smaller, more affluent circle of supporters to meet their fundraising goals. The 2025 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy, the10th in a series of biennial reports on giving by wealthy households in the United States, offers practical insights into where, how, and importantly why affluent Americans give and volunteer. This understanding can help build the confidence and increase the success of nonprofit leaders when seeking the support of high-capacity donors. Please join our speaker, Anna Pruitt, Senior Vice President, and Philanthropic Strategist at Bank of America Private Bank, for a discussion about this important and timely topic.

Speaker:

Dr. Anna Pruitt is a Senior Vice President and Philanthropic Strategist with the National Consulting and Advising Practice group at Bank of America Private Bank. In partnership with Merrill and Private Bank advisors, Anna delivers data-driven custom consulting solutions to advance the charitable missions of individuals and institutions. Anna has dedicated her career to translating complex research into strategies that leaders and practitioners can put into action. Anna’s research and insights have been featured in a myriad of publications including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NPR, Fast Company, Vox, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Anna is a leader in philanthropic research and strategy. As the Associate Director of Research at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (LFSOP), Anna partnered with organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Google.org, and the Jessie Ball duPont Fund to answer the most pressing questions in philanthropy. She has led studies on the impact of economic factors on charitable giving trends, giving to equitable causes, generational giving differences, and donor-advised funds.  She has a deep knowledge of philanthropic data and has worked with Candid, CASE, GivingTuesday, the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, the American Council on Gift Annuities, and others. In addition, for eight years Anna served as the Managing Editor of  Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy, the longest-running annual report on charitable giving in the United States.

Anna is a published author, sought-after speaker, and devoted teacher who continues to hold an adjunct faculty position at LFSOP. She received her undergraduate degree from Boston College and her doctorate from University of California, Davis. Anna is passionate about the arts and is a board member, volunteer, and enthusiastic audience member for a range of organizations in her community. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, and hiking with her husband and mini-dachshund, Paprika.