Education
MacLaughlin graduated from Indiana University in 1997 with a Bachelor in political science and English. MacLaughlin later earned a Master of Science degree in Interactive Media from Indiana University.
MacLaughlin graduated from Indiana University in 1997 with a Bachelor in political science and English. MacLaughlin later earned a Master of Science degree in Interactive Media from Indiana University.
During his undergraduate days he had early experiments on the Web that garnered mentions in Yahoo! Internet Life magazine and Rolling Stone. In 2001, MacLaughlin worked at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis on the development of the self-assessment for the re-accreditation of a university based entirely on the Web. He also taught a course on "Fundamentals of Managing Internet Development Projects" at Indiana University.
After joining Blackbaud in 2004, MacLaughlin spent time growing Blackbaud"s interactive services group and later had product management responsibilities for the company"s Internet product lines.
MacLaughlin serves on the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network (NTEN) Board of Directors and supports its focus on both the growth and professionalism of the nonprofit technology field as well as building knowledge and information sharing capacity throughout the sector. MacLaughlin is a frequent speaker at events including the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), American Marketing Association (American Medical Association) Council for Advancement and Support of Education (Computer-Aided Software Engineering), Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation (DMA), Giving Institute Summer Symposium, Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network (NTEN), Institute of Fundraising National Convention, Civil Society Congress, Resource Alliance’s Fundraising Online and a keynote speaker at such events as the Crescendo Practical Planned Giving Conference.
MacLaughlin has been featured as a fundraising and nonprofit expert in many mainstream publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, United States of America Today and Bloomberg. and has appeared on National Public Radio. MacLaughlin has been an author and contributor to several reports including the 2011 Online Giving Report. Several media outlets used this report as the basis for stories about online giving trends, including slowing growth.
The 2012 Charitable Giving Report examined overall giving trends in the United States.
The report noted that charitable giving was up only 1.7% in 2012 and there was speculation that tax increases influenced giving. The 2013 Charitable Giving Report once again analyzed overall fundraising and online giving trends in the United States. The 2013 report found that Americans gave 4.9% more to charity during 2013 compared to 2012, while online giving had a double-digit increase.