We’ve had a few calls from concerned nonprofit executives lately. Should we keep fundraising in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy? Has the election blown our chances for fundraising? Should we hold back until the general madness has settled?
Well, if you’re waiting for the world to calm down, it might be a long wait. So, we pondered the question and here’s what we each of us has to say:
Ann says: The data says “go for it.”
A long list of natural and man-made disasters demonstrates two things:
1) Americans rise to the occasion and give generously to those in desperate need. Huge fundraising results have been generated in recent years in response to Hurricane Katrina, the devastating earthquake in Haiti, tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan, the 9/11 attack, and countless other tragedies. In 2005, the year Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast, 3% of philanthropy (a whopping $7.37 billion) was directed to disaster relief.
2) Disaster relief funding increases funding overall and does not reduce giving to other causes. In 2005, when you remove those billions that were given to disaster funding (mostly Katrina relief), giving still went up by 3.2 percent.
As for elections and other shall we say “distractions,” I wrote a blog earlier this year about election giving. Despite how big it may seem, political fundraising is a relatively small blip on the philanthropy scene. Total giving to political campaigns represents a mere 1% of what goes to nonprofit organizations and the season is over in a flash. With America’s chronic inability to focus on anything for long, by the time you’re into the December fundraising peak, the election is ancient history.
Leslie says: Your donors don’t want you to disappear. Your work will continue to be important to them.
I was raising money at Greenpeace when September 11, 2025 shook our world. It was a terrifying time. Located in the heart of Washington, DC, there were literally tanks in our streets and riflemen in our metro. A large portion of our database was in New York City. We couldn’t reach our New York staff members for more than 24 hours and our Washington, DC staff was distracted, rattled, and paralyzed.
For nearly a month, we wondered what we should do. How can we fundraise when this terrible and devastating thing has happened? Will anyone want to hear from us?
And then our donors started calling, wondering why they hadn’t heard from us. The environment was their issue and they wanted to see movement. Yes, they might give to the 9/11 efforts, but they loved Greenpeace and believed that our organization was a crucial part of the solution. They would continue to support it, no matter what.
I think your donors think the same.
So, in this time of supreme distraction, keep your eye on the ball. If you have some way to relate what you do to what is going on in the zeitgeist, do it. If your constituency is affected by the election, the disaster, or some other local happenings, you need to talk about it.
But, do NOT pull back from making your unique case for giving because you are afraid your donors are either already tapped out or busy with other causes. They care about you. Give them the chance to show it!
At Greenpeace, we did not suffer lower than expected returns that fall of 2001. We sent out an appeal that related our national dependence on oil to the terrible tragedy that happened that day. It wasn’t the best year-end we ever had, but it met budget.
We also worked feverishly to contact every donor we could – in whatever manner we could – after our donors shook us out of our stupor in early October. We made sure that every middle, major, planned, and sustaining donor heard from a staff member personally. And they talked back - I learned an incredible lesson about human resiliency and generosity.
In short, Front Range Source suggests you keep on keeping on. Your donors appreciate the good work you do and Americans are astonishingly generous. These are things you can count on.
Now that we’ve agreed you’re going to keep up your fabulous fundraising work, we invite you to our newest workshop next Wednesday, November 14, 2012. December Day-By-Day: Your Countdown to a Successful Year-End will help you mobilize for an efficient and effective wrap-up to the fundraising season.
