Last week, my colleague Austin Detwiler stressed how important it is for fundraisers to stay humble. Though there’s been much talk of pride this month, I’d rather join him in considering the virtue of humility. Is humility still important? Or, knowing how crucial they are to nonprofits fulfilling their mission, can givers pat themselves on the back and even preen?
I think you know the answer to those questions. It’s all too easy to go from feeling good about giving to falling into the trap of self-importance, or, even worse, being a know-it-all. After all, you as a donor have insight into many organizations, whereas nonprofits are only exposed to one. It can start to feel like you have all the answers and nonprofits are obligated to listen to them.
If only these nonprofit leaders would listen to you. If only they would catch up with technology and climb abord the good ship AI. Why are they still offering shelter to the unhoused when they could be moving upstream by offering mental health services instead? Why aren’t they acting on my incredibly wise suggestions?
Yes, a good fundraising team will treat its donors like royalty—customized agendas for every event, handwritten personal notes after every gift, recognition at events and in publications, speaking opportunities, invitations to fun outings and galas—but what all donors must bear in mind is that graveyards are full of indispensable men.
How, then, should a donor best practice humility? How does a sincere philanthropist resist the allure of pride?
1. Nonprofits will inevitably tell you that Your Gift Makes All of This Possible. In one sense this is of course true; in another, it couldn’t be less true. Your money supports the nonprofit, but it’s the people who work at the nonprofit who actually make the work happen. They need your money, but they are the experts. Your job isn’t to second-guess how the nonprofit does the work (though of course you should understand the model). Your job is to give money to the organization, then stand back and let them do the work laid out in their mission. Remembering this will help you keep your ego in check.
2. Stay humble by staying accessible. If you don’t have time to respond to all the letters and emails and phone calls you get from hopeful fundraisers, get someone to help you with it. Don’t let them languish in your mailbox or inbox or voicemail. It doesn’t matter if you say no to every single one—when you are in the throes of fundraising, every “no” is a gift, too. The most demoralizing thing about raising money is the deafening silence that most often greets you after seemingly endless follow-ups. A fundraiser’s job is to keep trying, because their mission is important; your job is to read (or hire someone to read and summarize) their pitch, then give them a definitive response. “Yes, I’d like to learn more, here’s how you can do that for me,” or “No, you do good work, but I’m not interested in your organization.” Your time is a gift, even when it leads to a “no.”
3. Don’t stop at being accessible. Institutional philanthropies (foundations, corporate giving programs) should make every effort to hire people with nonprofit fundraising backgrounds. I cannot overstate how important it is to know what it feels like to be on the other side of the table.
Before you add a question to your portal or ask your applicants to submit something, pause and ask yourself: Is this is something you actually need? Could a phone call suffice? Could you piece together the info you want from publicly available documents? Lighten the load as much as you can for the nonprofit, and listen to those who have been in the shoes of the applicants and grantees—i.e., those who know best how to do this.
4. Don’t overestimate the significance, or potential significance, of your giving. If you have a decent sized pot of cash you need to give to away, you’ll be tempted to narrow your focus and become hyper-strategic in your giving, rejecting most of the requests you might receive. Having a strategy is really important, I want to be clear about that—but the risk is that you could become so Philanthropic that you forget how to be charitable. There are people, and needs, that you are uniquely qualified to address—so don’t overlook the needs in your own backyard, in your own circles of influence, for the sake of an expansive, attention-grabbing Philanthropic strategy. A few thousand dollars to a small, local nonprofit might not mean much for your strategic portfolio, but it makes a heck of a difference to the local Little League, soup kitchen, and women’s shelter.
5. Finally, you can practice humility by acknowledging that humans are myopic. Many foundations are set up to exist in perpetuity or have no clear path towards sunsetting. For most givers, I’d argue that’s not the best way to achieve their philanthropic goals (for more on this, subscribe to my newsletter here). Not only is it really hard to ensure that your money supports the things you care about after your death, but also it is not possible to foresee the needs of the future. So, consider setting a timeline for the expenditure of your charitable assets so that those in need during your lifetime can benefit from the fruits of your giving.
In summation: trust the people and orgs you give to (and if you don’t trust them, email me so we can diagnose the issue); be generous with your time and access; seek to work with people who have been on the other side of the table; and don’t aim for an eternal earthly legacy.
