Have you heard the statement, “This is not the time to fundraise”?
I grew up poor. I will never forget the texture of government surplus peanut butter from the food bank. It stuck to the roof of my mouth like a dry clump.
Every year, my childhood church organized a Thanksgiving dinner food basket for the poorest family in the congregation. Even as a kid, it was an joyful moment to see the look of delight and gratitude on the faces of the family chosen.
One year, my family was picked. But there was a problem. We were actually planning to contribute to the food basket and my family already had all of the fixings for Thanksgiving. Talk about an awkward scene when we, as donors, weren’t allowed to contribute and were instead forced to accept the basket as recipients. I’m sure it was embarrassing for my parents.
The decision to be generous was made for us.
The financial numbers from COVID-19 look grim. A surge in need at food banks and other direct services. Way beyond record-breaking numbers for unemployment.
In light of this, it is easy to justify making the decision to give for donors. We tell ourselves… “I want to be respectful.” “I don’t want to add to their financial stress.” “The nonprofit I serve is not as important as _____, so I don’t want to bug them.”
Consider the assumptions we are making:
- Respect: is it more or less respectful to treat donors as ATMs, only talking to them and asking them when we think they have money?
- Financial stress: do we have access to the donors’ bank accounts, budgets, and debt levels?
- Importance: do we know what role the nonprofit serves in the donors’ lives and identities?
Obviously, the answers to these questions relate to the agency – the decision-making – of the donor. A donor may be financially better off now due to less discretionary spending on restaurants and the like. A donor may be choosing to be generous – even in a time of financial stress – because it helps them conquer their fears. A donor may be feeling a loss, especially if he/she is a volunteer, of identity, self-satisfaction, and meaning, and therefore wants to give more as a substitute.
Now the reverse could be true, too. A past donor could feel too overwhelmed to give. Or, the financial damage in his/her life is greater than can be easily seen. Or, the past donor never really felt tied to the cause and was previously giving out of some type of obligation.
Like the Thanksgiving dinner basket for my family, we can’t make the decision for the donor.
With the Global Day of Giving and Unity coming up on May 5th, let’s give our donors the opportunity to respond and support the causes they care about.