In a post called Watch the money, marketing maven Seth Godin asserts:
"If you work for a non-profit and you don’t give money to charity, what exactly are you doing in this job? I’ve met some incredibly generous people in the charitable world, but I can also report that a huge number of people—even on the fundraising side—would happily cross the street and risk a beating in order to avoid giving $100 to a cause that’s not their own. And the shame of it is that this inaction on their part keeps them from experiencing the very emotion that they try so hard to sell.
Money is more than a transfer of value. It’s a statement of belief."
Well, I guess I agree with the last sentence, in the context of his entire post. But I think he’s making an over-broad statement.
For example, time — as in volunteering — can be an even more valuable gift … or "statement of belief." So can practicing law for a human rights group or legal aid versus a mergers & acquisitions firm.
What do you say?
Tom
This article was posted in: charities, Don't Miss these Posts, fundraising, nonprofits.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
For some spending time is easier than money. I know for me that was the case. Giving money was harder at first, but I am not sure which one if any is more valuable. They do say, however “cash is king”. It certainly gives the person or organization at the receiving end more choices.
I suspect it’s not that people working in “for impact” organisations don’t want to give, just that we’re paid nothing like our counterparts in the private sector (especially if you compare fundraising with marketing). Clearly it’s our choice to work in this sector (Seth’s “statement of belief”), but it does carry financial implications, so we are already giving by receiving less – plus all the overtime, weekend and evening working.
Seth and Tom both make very valid points. As a non-profit employee, I do feel a large part of my generosity is expressed through my choice of job. However, the experience of being able to give/contribute apart from my job is an experience that is freeing and extremely gratifying and uplifting. So I think there is value in doing both. It seems that at the exact time that my job begins feeling like a “job” is the time when a contribution of time or money to another organization rejuvenates my commitments to non-profits and reminds me why I work where I do.
I’m inclined to agree with Seth… I think the process of sifting through multiple organizations’ materials to figure out where my scarce resources will go is an important exercise that puts me in the shoes of the donor. How do I decide? Which case is most compelling to me? What do I need to know or feel about the organization? Is there a pattern over time to whom I give? Why is that? The insights that come from these very personal questions are illuminating and add perspective to all the other information out there about trends. My donations are not large but they are as important to me as they would be to most other donors.
I’m surprised by this. Almost everyone I know in fundraising is a soft touch for a good cause. Of course, there are the younger staff who, in most organizations, earn so little and spend their pay on rent and ramen noodles. I think they can be excused from giving freely. Board members…well, that’s another story.
I think Seth makes a great point, although I agree that volunteering is another way to give.
Being a donor yourself is one of the best ways to continue to put yourself in your donors’ shoes – which is critical if you want to communicate with them well!
On the surface I agree with rabble-rouser Godin. He consistently provokes us in the right ways. Yet, I think tying working in the sector to giving money to charities is a non-sequitor. Why treat nonprofit professionals different than donors? As a former nonprofit executive, I gave to nonprofits just as any donor would–I was moved and my gifts were appreciated. Obligation is not a motive we expect of any donor, right? We want them to be inspired. And if Mr. G is suggesting that we model giving behavior–I’m not sure nonprofit mangers are the peers of their best donors. Rather they model committment to the mission, which I find far more inspiring to a donor. By the way, would Mr. G expect a similar quid pro quo from for profit professionals about buying products from competitors? Finally, generosity and giving are not always evident in a gift. Generosity and giving are characteristics that extend to family, friends, relatives, the nonprofit we work for… and often, as expressed by Ms. Blackwell, our gift is embedded in a lower salary.
I think Seth massively over-generalizes about nonprofits to seek attention.
In addition to seconding Penelope’s comment, I must also say that I’m highly doubtful any emotions I will experience by donating a gift, even a substantial gift, could possibly match what I felt while volunteering in Russian orphanages or consulting (pro bono) a new nonprofit on its marketing and fundraising strategies. And while the orphanages and the new nonprofit can definitely use more money, money can’t play Uno with kids or develop a sustainable growth strategy. Working for, volunteering with, or donating to a nonprofit are all statements of belief. The key for everyone engaged in the sector is to use their capital (financial, time, skills, etc) to best benefit the nonprofits they support.
Tom, I agree with Seth’s statement — I think it is important for anyone who works in the non-profit world to participate in it as fully as they can. Working in the sector is certainly a “statement of belief.” Forwarding an email to a friend or tweeting them, or emailing your representative is also a statement of belief. Volunteering or participating in an event (like walking in a Susan G. Komen walk), which is donating your time [which, by the way, has monetary value, particularly if you practice your profession in donating the time]) — is a statement of belief. Serving on a board — which often includes donating expertise, time, AND money — is another “statement of belief.” But donating money is still important for anyone working in this sector. Why? Because it gives you “heart” experience, rewarding you for supporting a cause you believe in. AND because, if you are a professional, you gain valuable experience about how organizations you support will treat you. If you like it — you win all the way around. If you don’t like the way you are treated — acknowledged, asked to participate or donate further — you have ammunition for how you do your job. And finally, it doesn’t matter how much or how little you give — what’s important in this economy, at every level, is that if you work in the nonprofit sector, you support that sector. As a fundraiser, giving today is a statement of belief in the cause you choose to support, but it is also a statement of belief in the professionalism of your colleagues and of the sector you have chosen to work in. Not giving while citing long hours, lower scales of pay, week-ends worked doesn’t cut it in my book. In the for-profit sector, lots of people are paid no more than we in the non-profit sector are paid. As non-profit workers, we should be pleased to have jobs we have chosen and accepted, that contribute to the GDP. Why not skip dinner or that cup of coffee out, or whatever small way you can trim, and give money, as well as belief and time?
I respect Godin’s work, but I didn’t feel good reading this post. In fact, I felt angry. Giving $100 to another nonprofit when you’re scraping by just to make ends meet on your own–it’s simply not feasible. I am a fundraiser and I love my job. I give a tremendous amount of time and a good deal of money to my own nonprofit and I give $20 a year to two other nonprofits. I also volunteer at other nonprofits throughout the year. Perhaps if Seth lived on a nonprofit salary he would think twice before knocking a fundraiser for not giving $100 to another nonprofit.
Having just capped off our first staff giving campaign in over 5 years (and my first one at the helm), I was not prepared for the number of disgruntled comments coming from mostly junior staff about the notion of giving back to one’s employer, even when it’s a charity we all believe in (right?).
Many program staff argued that their extra blood, sweat, and tears they devote to our programs with little (or no) compensation qualifies equally as giving financial support. I’m not so sure I agree with that.
What I did learn is this, there are two camps of people working in non-profit – those who truly believe in the mission and the outcomes and will do whatever they can to advance it even at modest means, and those who simply are here because it’s a job. The latter are most likely the ones to jump ship when the waters eventually settle back down too.
That’s my two cents.
-mw
PS…our participation numbers were pretty good all things considered
Volunteering is certainly a strong “statement of belief.” At the same time, for anyone personally asking others to give money to an organization, either as a staff person or as a volunteer/board member, the first step is making your own gift. It certainly doesn’t have to be a $100 donation. But it should be an amount that feels significant to you. Otherwise, you’re asking others to do something that you aren’t even willing to do yourself. That doesn’t make for a very persuasive pitch. Plus, just being a donor in general makes you a far more effective fundraiser.
Giving money is just not the same as volunteering. Just ask any non -profit. Both are good but don’t for a second think they are the same. And if you don’t give something you can’t be a good fundraiser. It has to be a stretch for you-not your neighbor-you. Thanks, Margie
While I can’t understand not giving at all, certainly we should give whatever we can to the causes that are our own. The “very emotion that they try so hard to sell” is not found in just donating, the emotion we are trying to sell is found in the cause –the real people and animals on the ground that will benefit from the money we raise…the houses we build, the refugees we save, the voters we educate, the candidates we elect, cures we find, rights we extend, and museums or hospitals we build. Lastly, if the emotion we are trying hard to sell is best found “in the trenches” then volunteering should be considered the best way to find the moving language we need to craft the fundraising mail and scripts that will lead to the donors who can afford those big gifts– giving them. Personally, I believe in putting your believes into action, taking volunteer vacations—going to New Orleans and building houses after Katrina, heading out to primary states and knocking on doors, and participating in walks for the cure.
II work for a nonprofit and am absolutely with Seth Godin on this one with one qualifier. It’s not the amount of the donation that matters – it’s participating financially at any level that works for you/your family/your budget. I believe this is an absolute baseline to ever be an effective contributor to the beautiful world of philanthropy.