Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Plaza Theatre, Atlanta | 10:00am -11:30am
Join Purpose Possible for The Purpose of Giving, an insightful conversation on the state of philanthropy and what it means for mission-driven organizations.
Hosted at the historic Plaza Theatre, this free event will unpack the key findings from the Giving USA 2025 report—the most comprehensive and longest-running analysis of charitable giving in the United States. We will explore the latest data, shifts in donor behavior, and how nonprofit and philanthropic leaders can apply these insights to strengthen their strategies and impact.
The program will feature a panel discussion moderated by Laura Hennighausen, Purpose Possible’s Director of Strategic Philanthropy. Panelists include Laura MacDonald, Past Chair of the Giving USA Foundation and Founder of Benefactor Group; Atiba Mbiwan, Executive Director of the Zeist Foundation; Ashley Collier, Chief Development Officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta; and Rev. Tony Johns, Executive Director of Crossroads Atlanta.
Whether you’re a fundraiser, executive director, board member, or philanthropic advisor, this event offers timely insights to help you navigate today’s giving landscape with confidence.
Admission is free and open to all nonprofit and philanthropic professionals.
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Click here for the insights and video from the 2024 Purpose of Giving event in Atlanta, GA.
EVENT PANELISTS
Panelist
LAURA
MACDONALD
Past Chair of Giving USA Foundation & Founder of Benefactor Group
Moderator
LAURA HENNIGHAUSEN
Director of Strategic Philanthropy
Purpose Possible
Panelist
ATIBA
MBIWAN
Executive Director
Zeist Foundation
Panelist
ASHLEY
COLLIER
Chief Development Officer
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta
Panelist
REV. TONY
JOHNS
Executive Director
Crossroads Atlanta
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKERS FOR THIS EVENT
Laura MacDonald, CFRE
Past Chair of Giving USA Foundation & Founder of Benefactor Group
Laura MacDonald has earned a national reputation for her dedication to the nonprofit sector with decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and philanthropy. In 1999, she established Benefactor Group to serve the needs of those who serve the common good.
Laura’s work with clients combines her talent for identifying innovative and practical strategies with data-driven decision-making. She has guided clients to achieve unprecedented successes: the largest contribution ever to an arts organization in central Ohio; consistent increases in annual fund revenue for a women’s fund; an innovative digital giving strategy for a conservation organization; a reinvigorated board for a literary society.
Laura is constantly curious about trends in fundraising and philanthropy and an astute storyteller. She is a frequent speaker at local, regional, and national conferences (AFP, AAM, AMDA, Fundraising Bootcamp, etc.) and has addressed hundreds of nonprofit boards. Her articles related to advancement and philanthropy have appeared in Advancing Philanthropy, Nonprofit Quarterly, and other professional publications. A past chair of the Giving USA Foundation, she contributes to Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy, the seminal study of the sources and uses of charitable giving in the United States, and is consulted widely by publications such as TheNew York Times, Ms. Magazine, Penta Barron’s, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and was named her chapter’s “Fundraising Professional of the Year” in 2007.
Laura Hennighausen
Director of Strategic Philanthropy for Purpose Possible
Laura Hennighausen is dedicated to improving communities through empowering organizations to work their missions. Her specialties include philanthropic strategy, board management, nonprofit governance, grant writing, and individual giving. Her work as Director of Strategic Philanthropy focuses on working with corporate, private, individual, and intermediary funders to establish and evaluate equitable and effective charitable practices. In keeping up with current philanthropic trends and leading practices, she produces a monthly round up of third sector news called Dispatches from the Philanthrosphere on the Purpose Possible website.
Prior to joining Purpose Possible in 2020, Laura worked for several nonprofit organizations focusing on public space, historic preservation, and visual art. With two cats and two dogs, Laura is the proud caretaker of a 117-year-old home in Grant Park. In her free time she enjoys weaving.
Atiba Mbiwan
Executive Director of Zeist Foundation
Atiba is a family man with two adult children and eight grandchildren in Georgia schools ranging from early learning to higher education.
He attended Brown University and graduated in 1982 with a B.A. degree in Economics and Urban Studies, including a semester at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. When he was a high school teacher in Providence, RI, Atiba served as a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Fellow and in Atlanta he was in the inaugural class of the Education Policy Fellowship Program managed by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education.
Atiba currently serves on the Board of Directors of Park Pride and the East Coast Greenway Alliance. His three decades of volunteering with the BRAG Dream Team, a statewide youth cycling program in Georgia, led to his recognition as an Atlanta Journal Constitution “2024 Everyday Hero.”
Ashley Collier
Chief Development Officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta
As Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta’s (BGCMA’s) Chief Development Officer, Ashley Collier oversees all fundraising efforts and strategies. Ashley brings with her an impressive wealth of experience, boasting over 14 years of nonprofit and fundraising expertise.
Previously serving as the Director of Development at Westside Future Fund, she led critical fundraising initiatives and strategic endeavors. Her remarkable achievements include securing the largest donation in the organization’s history during their most extensive campaign. Before her tenure at Westside Future Fund, Ashley served as the Director of Development at Hands on Atlanta, where she not only expanded the fundraising team but also enhanced signature events to optimize revenue generation. Her dedication to philanthropy extends further back, having held positions as a Development Officer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Furman University.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Ashley enjoys exploring family-friendly attractions across Atlanta with her husband and their two daughters, all while fervently supporting Atlanta United.
Rev. Tony Johns
Executive Director of Crossroads Atlanta
Tony Johns is a graduate of Lee University (Cleveland, TN) and the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, where he was recognized in 2011 as Alumnus of the Year. He is an ordained minister and has served as Executive Director of Crossroads Community Ministries, a nonprofit provider of supportive services for those experiencing homeless in Atlanta, since 2016.
Since 1995 he has been active in the nonprofit sector, including homeless service agencies, church ministry, community development, and secondary and post-secondary education. His experience includes serving as Director of Academics for Master’s Commission Collegiate Training Center – Atlanta and as founder of the Richmond Oaks Mission, a community development ministry for immigrants and refugees located in south Atlanta. As director of the Richmond Oaks Mission, he developed the Urban Discipleship Center to train young men and women in urban community development.
He has served on the staff of The Mission - Atlanta as Administrative Pastor and in several different leadership roles for City of Refuge, including Chief Development Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Tony has taught and lectured at multiple universities, seminaries and conferences in the areas of Bible, theology and nonprofit development. He is a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Atlanta where he regularly preaches and leads Bible studies.
Tony has been married to his wife Angie for 29 years. They have two children, Whitney and Wesley.