A new formula needed?

Donors should feel that their contributions are rewarding.

Charities and foundations by definition rely on a donor base. Most of us are willing to part with cash based on our priorities and convictions about certain issues, and we will gladly open our wallets for the appeals that appeal. 

When I was younger, I still remember starvation in Ethiopia, Biafra, and Bangladesh. More recently, people rushed to donate to victims of the tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile. In fact, public donations reached the recipients faster and more efficiently than promises by nations – and the UK was shamed by higher public donations than the government initially promised after the tsunami…

However, there is a sense among us that if we donate £10, £100, £1000 – we expect results. Why are people still today suffering from the effects of the tsunami, for example, when the many millions flowed? Why are those people still not settled in their rebuilt houses, conducting their businesses, given a new chance with our outpouring of financial support?

Donations and donor satisfaction

Doubtless the reasons are complex and varied, but a consequence is donor fatigue – most simply defined as a situation where past donors to a charity stop giving. Some reasons are easily understood – less disposable income around, a child needing college fees, a company running at a loss, or donors having exhausted their budget by giving to disaster relief rather than conservation. But what I’m talking about here is a sense of frustration by donors who contributed in good faith but that feel the donations did not achieve much. In other words, a sense of betrayal in that their heartfelt donation, their desire to be a part, was somehow mismanaged.

The internet, believe it or not, has plenty of advice for charities in order to avoid donor fatigue, but few seem to take them to heart. We have discussed the aspect of charitable organization responsibility before, but further emphasis in this post is not misplaced.

With the internet and within the media, charitable organizations generate thousands of marketing messages each day. A potential donor, by market analysis, seems to react best to a crisis – people are dying of HIV/AIDS – donate. People are dying of starvation and genocide – donate. Orphans need your help – donate. £100 per year could save this child (pictured) – donate. Don’t wear fur (graphic pictures) – donate. Our fox hunting rights are being infringed by potential legislation, we are fighting for you – donate.

Charity responsibility and partnerships

Surely there is a better way forward? We, as charities have responsibilities to you, as donors. Charities in the past have not been attentive enough to constituents. Donors have felt that giving was all they were asked to do. Donor involvement was not considered meaningful, and there was no principle of reward. Donors should feel that their contributions are rewarding, and remain fully involved. Charities should be more forthright with their finances, their failures, and their successes. All you as a donor get now is gloss, as charities are dead scared to admit that they might have gone wrong.

I think donor fatigue can be better defined. It is a situation where a donor contributes essentially to a black hole and very little comes back. You are not informed where your money went and how it is being used. You are not considered a partner in an enterprise that will have setbacks, overheads, and sometimes successes.

Lion Aid is campaigning to revisit conservation programmes for lions that have clearly not worked. A new formula needs to be derived and implemented, taking into consideration that the same old is doomed. But alongside that effort we would also like to evolve a better donor strategy. By donating, you must feel rewarded, involved, participatory, and always informed. 

Acknowledgement of image source:

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