When I saw this online headline from Fundraising Success — 5 Lies to Stop Telling Donors — I knew without reading the article that here indeed was grist for an Agitator post.
Actually, my first question was … Why these five lies?! Are there five others that are OK? Are they just fibs?
So here are the ‘lies’ not to tell, as suggested by Neil Edgington at Social Velocity:
1. X percent of your donation goes to the program
Overhead is not a dirty word, says Edgington, adding: “A nonprofit exists to deliver programs. And everything the organization does helps (I would substitute ‘should help’) make those programs better, stronger, bigger and more effective.”
2. We can do the same program with less money
If that’s actually true, then I’d advise: ask for less money!
3. We can start a new program that doesn’t fit with our mission or strategy
Donors must align with mission, not vice versa.
4. We can grow without additional staff or other resources
Don’t promise magic.
5. 100 percent of our board is committed to our organization
I’m not as bothered by this one as Edgington … I’d put it in the fib category. True, not all board members are equally committed and some could be asked to do more, but I’ll wager they are all committed.
OK, take The Agitator polygraph test. How many of these lies have you told your donors?
Here are three from me:
6. Thank you
(Unless you really mean it and demonstrate it by the care you take to do it properly.)
7. Each dollar you donate will be matched # times
(Unless it’s for real … that is, the matching donor is serious about the proposition and not prepared to give regardless of response from the rank & file.)
8. We’ll honor your giving preferences
(And then you slot them into the same contact stream as everyone else.)
Any others you would add to the list?
Tom
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The worst lie is an extension of the “X percent of your donation goes to the program” lie — the claim that “100%” of your donation goes to the program. The fine print, of course, says that the Board of Directors or some other donors are paying for all administrative/overhead costs, but obviously the money is fungible. So this is not only a lie, but it gives donors the idea that an organization can and should run with zero overhead; in mechanics this would produce a world with zero friction! Charity Water, which does so many things right, is one of the culprits here. Their home page says “100% of all public donations directly fund water projects.” (I’m not sure what this even means — what’s the distinction between “public” and “private” donations?)
I love this list of lies not to be told. Lying–even fibbing–undermines both individuals and organizations. I just read the new book Lying by Sam Harris. This little book is a great reminder of the importance and power of telling (and living) the truth. It was free on Amazon for a while, not sure if it still is.