HERE IS ONE OF THE MOST significant and most difficult questions of philanthropy.
Why?
Three letters and a bit of punctuation within which is captured an inquiry that could easily set us scrambling for information. In our rush we may articulate a reverse justification that begins at that thing we wish to fund. Or so often we can side step the question. The donor gives us the benefit of the doubt, maybe driven by their own emotional connection to the work our non profit is doing. They may even have their own answer to the question and on the strength of that choose to make their gift commitment. But why should we, the fund raising professionals, leave that to chance?
EVEN WHEN THE QUESTION is never asked we can get ourselves into trouble. A bequest comes unexpectedly that is larger than our mid term fund raising aspirations. For one organization the amount is $20 million. For another it is $400 million. While not named here, both are real non profits. Neither can explain to themselves what they will do with their new resource and are set to scrambling for years figuring it out. In view of such an incredible gift what is the justification for continued fund raising? Neither could address that issue and their development programs stagnated for some time.
Development professionals have to know the answer. Every executive director, president, CEO should have it on the tip of his tongue.
You want to know why you should make this gift? You want to know why you should do it now? Our non profit has an answer.
Of course, you won’t be surprised to know the answer has little to do with your organization’s needs and everything to do with your mission.
The donor will have her own reasons for making a gift. But non profit leadership should be prepared. The larger the gift, the better the answer must be. It seems so simple. Why? So innocent. Why? So devastating. Why?
One Comment
So true, and such good advice! This kind of thinking & writing can be so hard to do, and hence gets avoided, but the rewards of gritting the teeth and working on it (and then practicing saying it out loud, repeatedly) are enormous.
So glad to have found your blog – into my google reader you go. I found you via a google search on “case statement.” Sitting down to tackle one for a client – another challenging type of writing – and was looking for inspiration. Loved your post on that from last summer.
All the best!