To Build Donor Trust, Nonprofits Should Answer Key Questions About Their Work

To the Editor:

Allison Fine’s article, “Relentless Fundraising Is Eroding Trust in Nonprofits. Here’s How to Fix Things” (July 10), expertly highlights how busy nonprofits lose donor trust. She wisely calls out the need to first build and maintain trust internally, something nonprofits frequently struggle to do. I want to add another dimension to this discussion.

Many nonprofits are so caught up in their day-to-day work that they neglect to define their role in the world. While it may feel uncomfortable, nonprofits should ask themselves why they exist, what other organizations do similar work, and — the heretical question — whether these organizations are more effective.

It’s natural to answer these questions with: “Our nonprofit is unique and important and is doing essential work.” Few people feel their organization is superfluous.

But donors and the public come into contact with a lot of nonprofits working on a wide range of issues. They receive solicitations from many of them, sometimes daily. I can think of at least three groups that email me four to seven times a week, which Fine refers to as “machine-like solicitation.” In response, prospective donors are likely to ask themselves why they should support one organization over dozens of others doing similar work?

Before responding with standard marketing language, nonprofits should answer that question themselves in a clinical and unbiased manner. This exercise could lead to critical changes in the organization’s work, what it reports out to the world, and even in how it thinks of itself relative to the larger ecosystem it exists in. If prospective donors are asking these questions, shouldn’t those seeking their money do the same?

Lara Jakubowski
Managing Partner
La Piana Consulting