The donor is….canceled?

Our culture is shifting. Word, phrases, and actions that were generally accepted a generation ago have now been re-examined and acknowledged as racist or sexist or homophobic, etc. Cue most comedic sitcoms from the 1980s and there will be cringe-worthy scenes. It is a positive change that we are learning how our words and actions affect others. As an unforeseen consequence over the last few years, we have also seen a number of employees in high profile positions fired as a result of statements made 10, 20, and 30 years ago. This cancel culture has become widespread across various sectors. I am concerned when it reaches the donors to the nonprofit sector as a binary choice of canceled or not-canceled. To be clear, when a Board member - who is also a donor - is making racist or sexist comments publicly, they are an ambassador of the nonprofit. The leadership of the nonprofit, the Board and Executive Director, has to confront, request a public apology, and, depending on the reaction, require a resignation. An ambassador cannot be allowed to undermine the mission of the organization. Back to the donor. If a donor is making racist, sexist or offensive comments publicly, should the…

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Thriving During Fundraising Slumps

Yesterday, I attended a webinar for nonprofit consultants that started with a focus on brain science and stress. The stress we are all consciously or unconsciously facing right now is affecting our ability to plan for the future. With that in mind it is important to consider how the next phase of fundraising during this pandemic will impact you personally in your fund development role. If you have not yet reviewed the research from The Better Fundraising, co. and Jeff Brooks Fundraising on phases of donor generosity during an economic or natural disaster, please download it here. It will be helpful to share with the organization and Board you serve. Credit: The Better Fundraising Co. and Jeff Brooks Fundraising. Download the research summary here. The authors describe the four phases of generosity (as pictured above) as the bump, the slump, the surge, and the new normal. This pandemic bump was quite extraordinary and lasted about 2 months. Network for Good, one of the largest and longest established organizations that receives and distributes donations, saw a 30% year over year increase in donations for both direct and indirect service nonprofits. To put that in context, a 3% increase is considered a conservative, but…

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Living Authentic

The blur between a fund development professional's work and personal life has increased with the rise of social media. A Facebook post or Twitter tweet meant for friends or as a personal view can have a greater impact than just a Letter to the Editor because the potential viral nature. Accepting or declining a Friend request of a donor to the nonprofit you serve is fraught with decisions on how to be authentic in the online and the off-line relationship with that donor.

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