A fundraising prospectus crossed my desk the other day that actually shocked me. In a document to be shared with prospective donors, a nonprofit listed the shortcomings of its “competitor” agencies. I wouldn’t quite call it bashing, but it was most certainly not nice. “Rough play” is what Leslie called it and I agree.
First I thought, “C’mon people. This isn’t Coke vs. Pepsi.” Then I thought a lot of other things, including:
Unlike business competitors, nonprofits actually share the same bottom line — improved lives, improved communities.
I have yet to come across any agency or organization that can do everything. We need each other in order to meet the needs of our constituents. We should be overt about our support for other agencies and applaud donors for investing anywhere in the nonprofit community, not just in our own agency. This isn’t a call for complacency. We must strive to be the best we can be, find new solutions to social problems, and move the sector forward — together.
It’s unfair to put donors in the middle.
I thought about all the people who would see this negative fundraising piece and how many of them would truly like to support the agency requesting funds AND all the other agencies it was negating. Why would we ever put donors in an uncomfortable spot? They should feel good about every gift they make.
It’s also unfair to make other highly functioning nonprofits have to defend themselves.
I feel terrible for the fundraisers at the agencies mentioned in this piece. Odds are that some of their next donor conversations are going to have to start from a defensive position. Fundraising is already enough of an uphill battle without making it more difficult for our colleagues.
If we can’t sell our work on its own merits, we’ve got big problems.
A solid statement of need, a compelling vision, and a powerful call to action should trump any necessity of putting another organization’s work into question. I’ve been writing case statements and teaching case writing for years and “compare yourself favorably to other organizations by listing their shortcomings” has never been on the agenda. “Demonstrate your unique ability to fulfill the need,” most certainly is a part of any good case. One could argue that this is a fine line, but I don’t think it is. Leveraging and complementing the work of other agencies is what we’re all about.
I worry that this particular agency will experience donor backlash.
The culture of any community is unique. Leslie and I work in communities all over the world and make every effort to be responsive to the politics of place. This particular piece is being used in a community that overtly celebrates collaboration. A divisive approach may not fly. I actually hope I’m wrong on this point because the project in question has so much to offer and I would like to see them succeed!
I’d wager I’m preaching to the converted in this blog. It truly is a rarity to see such a lack of camaraderie and support in the wonderful nonprofit sector. Let’s keep it that way!
As long as we’re on the topic of making a powerful and positive case for your organization, think about coming to the next Front Range Source workshop: Cooking Up a Case Statement on January 29, 2013.
