May 21, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
When Polly Aris Stamatopoulos directed fund raising at a gay-rights organization, she recalls that “on more than one occasion, I was asked to send a young, attractive guy to meet with an older male donor” at the donor’s request. To protect her staff members, she says, “the decision I made was to send myself.”
Ms. Stamatopoulos, now a fund-raising consultant in Washington, says that sexually charged incidents involving development officers are so common that “there should be a class on the sexual politics of fund raising.”
Unwanted advances or even sexual harassment on the job are common complaints. As the Minneapolis consultant Bruce Flessner says, “These situations are not uncommon, unfortunately.”
I have noticed the same thing in 20 years of covering fund raising and hearing such concerns. One woman, who asked me to withhold her name, described two instances in which male donors made passes at her. “Twice I’ve had donors be inappropriate, and I don’t want people to think I brought it on myself,” she says, explaining her decision to remain anonymous.
Similar incidents occur in other professions, of course, but it is not surprising that it happens in fund raising. For starters, raising money is all about building relationships. Fund raisers are often interacting with donors, board members, and others in social settings where alcohol and personal information are freely exchanged.
I plan to write about this topic soon and provide advice on how to fend off unwanted advances without jeopardizing a potential donation.
If you have an experience that you’re willing to discuss—confidentially, if you prefer—please feel free to e-mail me.
How widespread do you think sexual-harassment issues are in fund raising? We welcome comments, which can be made anonymously, below this post.
