Jim Alvarez

Jim Alvarez is the founder and CEO of full-service fundraising technology company Gesture. Gesture has helped nonprofits across the country raise over $300 million since 2011 through the use of technology. Alvarez is the recipient of the Chicago Innovation Award and Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce James Tyree Emerging Business Leadership Award for his innovative idea and launch of Gesture. Alvarez drives the growing company to make hope happen for nonprofits developing innovative ideas that embrace technology.

Articles by Jim Alvarez

• Capturing the fundraising power of millennials

  Tuesday, March 14, 2017

  ​Millennials — otherwise known as Generation Y, digital natives, Generation Me, Generation Rent and echo boomers — are generally defined as those born roughly between 1980 and 2000. The group is increasingly making their presence known with an estimated 75.4 million millennials currently living in the United States.

• Savvy nonprofits raise awareness and donations via social media

  Tuesday, September 06, 2016

  Nonprofit organizations are driven to provide meaningful support to those they serve. Many nonprofits have unique and compelling stories that illustrate the impact of what they do. Savvy nonprofits embrace social media to highlight stories punctuated with engaging images along with video and audio clips to evoke emotional responses from supporters. Adding a distinct call to action puts nonprofits in the driver's seat to increase revenue opportunities.

• Shaping events to inspire donations

  Tuesday, April 05, 2016

  ​Nonprofit organizations face a constant challenge of funding. From homelessness and hunger to education and the arts to conservation and animals, as well as youth, health and faith-based, most nonprofits search for ways to combat declining governmental funding, an aging donor base, an often overburdened small staff and limited volunteers.