There’s much to be said about impact investing, a “buzzword” or term that has become the “next big thing” over the last decade. When people talk about impact investing, it’s typically discussed by bankers and entrepreneurs trying to get a piece of your stocks/bonds/real estate pie — and helping you to feel good and “impactful” about it. Not to say it’s a bad thing at all — but it is generally not in the 501(c)(3) category, so it’s using a different “pile of money” than charitable money.
Having said that, I, like many others, like to think about my charitable contributions as a different kind of “impact investing” — investing in nonprofits so that they can make a difference, without expecting a dividend or direct financial return.
Impact is, as I see it, the name of the game. If there isn’t impact, why are we bothering? Yes, some folks donate to get their name “in lights”, but most of us donate because we want to have our money mean something — we want it to make an impact on someone or something. Unfortunately, many nonprofits that I’ve encountered don’t like to talk so much about impact, as it sounds a bit too business-y and metric-y and, ew, financial, for their taste.
So imagine my delight when I received an email from Swipe Out Hunger with the subject line “our 2019 Impact Report”. 2019? Really? You’re going to tell me what impact you’ve made so far this year? Fantastic!
When I clicked on the link in the email, I immediately got a page telling about the impact of the organization for the first half of 2019. And, shockingly, I got to read that without begin faced with a big giant “Donate Now!” button. It felt very genuine and respectful that I got to learn about the organization’s successes before being asked for money.
As a donor, when I get the “Donate Now!” on the same page as where I’m looking to read about the organization, the narrative gets completed overshadowed by the request for money. In fact, in my mind, it often feels like the narrative on the page is only there as “filler” for the solicitation.
Fundraisers — here’s a thought. If the information you are telling me about is compelling, I will click to that next page, and then, once I’m engaged with the information, if you ask me for money, I’m much more likely to donate.
Let’s think differently about philanthropy. I don’t think it’s coincidental that Swipe Out Hunger is run by a group of Millennials.
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- Lisa