Having gotten past the immediate shock, it’s great to see so many fundraising organizations putting rational, forward-thinking plans into place. Most everyone’s on some form of lockdown, but most staff is using our many digital platforms to keep doing good work. We’re starting to see funders beyond the “usual suspects” (i.e. major foundations) make emergency grants, and regular folks giving, too. Baby steps, but going in the right direction.
At the same time, there’s a non-profit version of TP hoarding going on around us, and we need to think seriously about the ramifications of it.
When people hoard TP or other basic supplies (including masks, medications, etc.), it leaves those who really, really need those supplies with nowhere to go. (Even worse are the people who hoard these things just to sell them at a huge profit, which is actually criminal. Thank you, Amazon and others, for tossing many of those sellers out of the boat.) For medical professionals, the mask and medication hoarding isn’t just unfair, it’s directly resulting in lives lost.
To get food and supplies to those who really need it, I love that many grocery stores started allowing only elderly and infirm people to shop for the first hour or two of each business each day, which does nothing for the stores’ bottom line, but does everything for their community’s safety and well-being.
Nonprofits need to do the same.
As much as you might have had your annual appeal on the calendar for sometime in the next few months, and that’s the most important thing in your organization, it doesn’t matter now. Timelines and norms will all be different this year, and we’ll all adapt. What really matters is the safety and security of your staff and the preservation of the good work you do. If you take a really hard look at your organization, and you know that the staff is protected, and you know that your work will continue even if you have a few months without revenue, you should let fundraising go for a bit.
Instead, do the fundraising groundwork — preparation for future fundraising that will dramatically improve your results once you’re back on track.
Let’s leave the actual pitching to the organizations who are raising money to save lives. As nonprofit leaders, we need to think of others before we think about “what would it look like in the community if we don’t have that annual event in the Fall”, or “that logo approval will be delayed”.
I love this post I saw today from the UK’s Evermore Dog Rescue, saying that they just don’t feel right asking for money when people are dying. Note that their many supporters replied that they’d donate anyway, because Evermore’s work was so important and well executed. Regardless, the “stepping back” that Evermore did is the right thing to do right now. They weren’t suggesting that dogs would die because they weren’t fundraising — they just said that it’s not the time to ask for money now. Clearly, the dogs would have been okay for a few months, so Evermore did the opposite of hoarding the TP — they let others, who were facing life and death situations — step in to do the fundraising.
In terms of the organizations who are facing critical life and death situations, and are fundraising to save lives, let’s do all we can to help them raise the money they need. If you’re a fundraiser who has the time now, maybe think about volunteering to help those organizations raise money.
And make sure the pitches match the need. Please don’t say that you’re looking for money to make your quarterly budget or to help lay the groundwork for something big that can happen in the next few years. If you need money to save lives or to save important organizations from collapsing, by all means, ask. If you’re not in that position, step aside for the moment — and let the TP go to the folks who really need it.
Stay safe!
Can't get enough? Read more on Twitter and follow me on Pinterest. And please feel free to share.
- Lisa
Lisa, I hear what you're saying. I even agree with much of it. However, I have a real problem with the idea that charities should make decisions on behalf of their donors. Donors are adults perfectly capable of deciding which charities are most important to them at any given moment. They can make giving decisions for themselves. And we're seeing that those charities on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle are indeed leading the way in terms of charitable giving revenue.
You wrote, "Evermore Dog Rescue, saying that they just don’t feel right asking for money when people are dying." Guess what? People are always dying. Tens of thousands die from flu each year. Tens of thousands die in car crashes. People die. So, does that mean Evermore should never ask anyone for money ever? I get that the coronavirus pandemic is a unique crisis, but let's not lose all perspective. If we lose perspective, what's next? Do we only allow fundraising for life-saving charities moving forward?
If the economy falters, and it will, all charities will find fundraising more difficult as time passes. For a number of quarters after the start of the Great Rececession, giving remained robust. Then, it fell off the cliff. Charities that delay fundraising now may miss an opportunity. They might not be able to raise vital revenue when they need it in six months. We don't know when we'll hit the cliff. However, we do know that the current fundraising environment is sound. So, why delay fundraising appeals to a time when we don't know what the environment will be.
Is it hoarding, or is it sound preparation?