Hands-On Fundraising ⋆ Advice and insights for you

Your donors don’t care about your fundraising goals

Your donors really don’t care about your fundraising goals. But they care – a lot – about your mission.

Fundraising goals are important – inside. But donors care about your mission. If you’re fundraising, you already know that. But is that reflected in how you ask for gifts?

Time and again, I see it: internal fundraising goals, how hard the staff is working, paragraph upon paragraph explaining how good the organization is at their work.

Your donors? They’re already there. They assume you work hard. They know you need to raise money to fund that work. And, most important of all, they trust your organization.

So why aren’t you talking with them – in all your communications – about your mission? About the people, communities, animals, or environment you’re there to serve – and how a gift will help?

What’s getting in your way? Here are some potential roadblocks to better fundraising.

Your organization’s “voice” as declared by non-fundraisers focuses only on happy stories

There’s so much room in your fundraising communications for happy stories! Newsletters can be full of them. And donors deserve to hear good news. But you cannot avoid talking about the problem your organization is there to solve – or at least, help.

Appeals are where you describe the problem. And if it’s a truly serious problem, worthy of serious donations, you have to show donors as well as tell them. And yes, it’s hard. I expect to cry as I write appeals. Because I feel the pain I’m describing.

And that’s what you want your donors to do, as well. Not to torture them. Not to exploit any beneficiaries. But to reach their hearts. And to explain that there’s a real problem… and they have the power to help.

We like to help. Helping makes us feel good. Don’t deny your donors that chance.

You’re buried in your fundraising goals

Maybe you feel like your job depends on meeting them. (There are far too many variables for that!)

Or maybe you’re already connecting “fundraising goals” and “problem solved” in your head. After all, this is your day-to-day life, right? You totally get it!

But donors have their own jobs and causes. And their own deadlines and worries. How you do your job shouldn’t be another concern to them.

So, fundraising staff: set your own goals. (And not based solely on the expense side of the budget!) Set them wisely – a little stretch, something to work hard for. But make them reachable.

Then translate that into your mission for your donors. Telling donors you need to raise $250,000 this month doesn’t explain the problem. You need to raise that amount because a new, life-saving piece of equipment costs $250,000. And if they can help, your organization will be able to buy it and put it right to work, in your community.

You’ve read that telling real stories – hard to tell stories – is “poverty porn” or the like

Covering over bad situations isn’t going to help. Avoiding reality isn’t going to help. And fundraiser, we’re in the reality business in a big way. People are hurting. Animals are being killed. And the climate crisis is real, friends.

But if you’re telling a personal story, you MUST treat that person with respect and consideration. And you share nothing they’re not comfortable with. You give them the power to veto sharing and find a new story if necessary. Their privacy and comfort are paramount!

Your job is to connect donors to mission

There’s a world of pain out there. And you, along with your donors, are part of healing it. But like a doctor can’t fix what she can’t diagnose, your donor can’t help when she doesn’t know how badly help is needed.

Be honest. Be real. Be full of empathy and respect – for anyone whose story you tell and for the people who’ll read that story.

Photo by Peter Conrad on Unsplash

Get behind me, Satan!

cartoon figure of a devil. Long eyelashes, pink shoes, white gloves.

Maybe you’re putting the finishing touches on your year-end appeal. Or maybe you’re already thinking about the next one. (Go you!) In either case, there are temptations – usually suggested by someone who doesn’t understand fundraising – that you will need to resist.

If you want the appeal to succeed, that is.

Temptation one: Keep it short to save money

It might be possible to write a really great one-page appeal. But I’ve never heard of one. And there’s a pretty huge body of experience to show that longer appeals do better.

All things being equal, two pages will do better than one. And four pages are better than two. Eight pages – yes, I said eight pages – will do better than four.

This is when someone will insist they’d never read an eight-page appeal. And when you get to explain to them that you don’t expect anyone to read the whole appeal.

(Pause here for their confused face.)

Almost no one reads every word of your appeal. You know that. And it’s ok because you also know that more real estate means more chances for you to catch their eye. And that a longer letter signals to your reader that they’re holding something important.

Write the appeal as long as it needs to be. Repeat your ask often. Give them a story to follow… a bit of suspense… a lot of emotion.

Temptation two: The kitchen sink

Now you know that adding some things to the package can boost your response. Premiums can work. (Yes, address labels work!)

But that doesn’t mean you just toss everything you can think of in the envelope like you’re packing to escape a nuclear meltdown.

Think of your appeal package as a whole. And keep it focused on your ask. Can you fold whatever someone wants to add into the package and the ask? Try it.

But if you’re thinking that more always means more… think some more.

What about messaging? I’ll bet you’ve been asked to add information or requests that have nothing to do with your appeal. An upcoming event, maybe.

Resist this temptation as well. Even with a long letter and a lift piece or two, you must keep your focus. Saving a few cents on postage to inform donors about something unconnected to your ask is not worth killing your response.

Temptation three: Your almighty brand standards

Your brand definitely matters. But sometimes, what is considered your brand is nothing more than a designer’s choice of colors, logo, and fonts. That’s not really your brand at all. Your brand is really how people feel about your organization.

And just because someone chose a cool modern font and colors to represent your organization doesn’t mean you should use them all for fundraising. That’s putting your organization’s sense of self before your donors’ interest in helping.

For print, a serif font, and a good point size, work best. It doesn’t matter if it looks sort of ugly to the brand police. They’re not your audience. Chances are your audience is older. Probably having some vision loss.

And what they can’t read, they won’t read.

Also, those old-fashioned fonts – like Courier! – remind people of typewritten letters. Back when things weren’t mass-produced. When that letter was intended for them, personally. That matters, too.

So tell the brand police to back off. You’re the fundraiser, so you’re in charge.

Temptation four: Happy talk!

So your organization does so much good work? And everything in the world is so dark right now? So why don’t we focus on the good news and make people happy?

Good news about that: you can make people happy. That’s what donor newsletters are for. Go to town. Give them all the credit. Share all the great news about what their gifts have made possible. Include all the happy photos, too.

But not in your appeal.

You are asking donors to solve a problem. If there’s no problem to solve, there’s no reason to give. It’s really that simple.

So avoid happy endings. Focus on the problem instead.

Sometimes, this temptation is about concern over how your organization is seen. You’d like to be the successful place taking names and kicking butts and making the whole world fair and equal and happy.

But you can’t be that if you don’t have donors. And you won’t be that if you’re focused on your organization instead of the donor. Practice shrinking the organization down until it’s just large enough to be a bridge between donors and the problem you solve. Let them cross that bridge and be the hero.

You don’t need pats on the back. You need support.

Temptation five: Skip the appeal

Ah… if only you could wish donor gifts right into your bank account, right? After all, sending out appeals costs money. Can’t we just send, like, a postcard or something?

Sure! But not if you need to raise money.

There aren’t many shortcuts in fundraising. (A great donor database system can be one!) You really have to do the work.

Fundraisers talk a lot about relationships. For many, if not most, of your donors, your fundraising mailings ARE the relationship. They’re how they know you need them. How they learn how they’ve helped. How they feel connected to your cause.

So yes, mailing throughout the year costs money. But not keeping up those relationships is so much more expensive! Fundraising requires investments to succeed. Don’t quit your donors like that.

There’s a reason so much fundraising has rules. They keep us on the straight and narrow – focused on donor relationships and inviting people to be part of your cause. Go and do good!

Mobile Bidding In Your Fundraising Efforts: A Quick Guide

The fundraising software landscape was already wide and extremely varied, but the seismic changes we’ve seen related to virtual events and donor engagement have provided nonprofits with more options than ever before!

So which tools do you need to engage donors? What software would benefit your nonprofit in the most impactful ways? What are the best investments you can make to raise more money and reach more donors?

If you’re running an auction as part of your fundraising efforts, mobile bidding is the answer. Mobile bidding allows you to simplify the process of receiving bids, maximizing your fundraising efforts in a way that’s extremely engaging for donors.

What is mobile bidding?

Mobile bidding is a paperless bidding method that lets individuals bid directly from their mobile devices. It can be incorporated into all types of auctions, including traditional live or silent auctions, virtual or online-only auctions, and hybrid events that incorporate bidding. Using the right mobile bidding tools can generate amazing results for your events in terms of logistics, revenue, and donor engagement.

Ready to learn more? Let’s take a deep dive into mobile bidding and its benefits, plus a few top tips for getting started.

Mobile Bidding: The Basics

Before incorporating a new tool into your fundraising strategy, it’s important to understand its full capabilities. Your mobile bidding software should include a broader range of features to streamline your in-person, virtual, and hybrid fundraising events—not only bidding tools, but also registration, donation, check-out, and more.

With robust mobile bidding support, you can make every part of your event process easier, including:

Pre-event. Sell event or raffle tickets as well as merchandise online, allow guests to register their credit card information prior to the event, and start online bidding.
Registration. Provide your event staff with easy access to registrant information and communicate in-person details like table numbers and seating.
Main event. Simplify the whole bidding process for guests and create new ways to keep them engaged right on their smartphones with gamification tools like scoreboards, countdowns, and outbid notifications.
Check-out. Split guest bills into multiple payments and process payments onsite.

Ensure your bidding process is easy and straightforward with mobile bidding software, always prioritizing the donor experience. Your attendees will enjoy this streamlined process, opening the door to creating long-term relationships with donors and raising even more revenue as you go.

Mobile Bidding: The Benefits

Gone are the days of guests walking around to each item to continue placing bids, never knowing if or when they’re going to be outbid and lose out on an item that they were originally willing to pay top dollar for.

When you’re looking to inspire more silent auction bids, mobile bidding is your answer. Mobile bidding drives impact by:

Widening your outreach. Mobile bidding makes it possible to host virtual and hybrid auctions with ease. By participating on their mobile device, remote donors can quickly and easily participate as if they were in person. This increase in virtual attendance can increase your overall donation revenue.
Streamlining your data. Let’s say you want to look at your top bidders from your event and cross-check this data with your annual fund or other campaigns. You should be able to take full advantage of this accurate source of data by using built-in data analytics tools, reports, and export capabilities.
Making the planning process easy. With mobile bidding software, individuals can start placing bids a few days before the event, which is a great method of engagement and allows you to walk into your event with revenue already generated. Digitizing registration also drastically simplifies logistics for your planning team!

The usefulness of mobile bidding for all of today’s event formats can’t be overstated. With a reliable set of mobile bidding features (ideally part of a broader suite of fundraising software), you’ll be able to quickly launch all kinds of virtual and hybrid events without needing to worry about getting set up with new tech.

Once you’re up and running, you may notice that some bidders are especially engaged during your auction or that bids increase dramatically due to remote attendance. Take advantage of mobile bidding during your auction and witness the impact it can have on your nonprofit’s goals.

Mobile Bidding in Action

There are plenty of steps you can take to maximize your fundraising potential with mobile bidding. This starts with finding the perfect mobile bidding software and learning its features, as well as determining the type of auction you want to host and boosting engagement during the event.

Let’s take a closer look at each step.

1. Find the perfect mobile bidding software.

Finding the perfect mobile bidding software can seem daunting, but if you take advantage of the right resources and do your research, you can find the right solution.

Since the shift to virtual events, many platforms have evolved to include full suites of digital fundraising tools, mobile auction software, and livestreaming functions. These more comprehensive options can be a smart choice if your organization hosts many events or is looking to diversify the range of events and virtual offerings on its calendar.

Start by comparing different services and deciding what features you absolutely need. This will require a good look at your nonprofit and its mission and goals, and from there you should start finding some answers. Try this comparison guide to get your search started.

2. Determine what kind of auction you want to host.

Mobile bidding software is versatile and can benefit a variety of auction types, such as:

Silent auctions. Allow guests at your in-person silent auction to place bids straight from their phones. Rather than placing bid sheets and pens on the table in front of your auction items, you can go digital and streamline the entire process.
Virtual auctions. Conduct your auction entirely online as a standalone virtual event or as part of a broader event. The ability to run seamless online auctions in the background also gives you flexible ways to easily diversify in-person events.
Donation event. Enable guests to support your live appeals and Fund-a-Need events right from their phones. When the ask is made, they can enter donations and watch your proceeds soar with this seamless giving experience.
Hybrid events. Nonprofits are increasingly targeting both in-person and remote audiences with their galas and other events. Mobile bidding makes it easy to include auctions as a shared experience for both audiences regardless of where they’re located.
Live auctions. Using mobile bidding in your live auction brings a bit of friendly competition to your event. Keep the excitement up and the bids rolling in!

It’s important to consider which type of mobile bidding event best fits your nonprofit’s current goals and how your mobile bidding software can support the type of event you choose. And get creative! Mobile bidding opens all kinds of opportunities to easily incorporate fundraising thermometers, raffles, and other engagement-boosting tactics that will help you raise more money while showing donors you value their experience.

3. Familiarize your team with the software’s features.

Familiarizing your team with the features of your mobile bidding software is essential to avoid any hiccups during the event. Mobile bidding software has several functionalities that can streamline your event planning process, such as:

Auction item procurement tools. Track, price, and manage your items as your catalog takes shape.
Promotional tools. Successfully market and promote your auction to your supporters online and via social media.
Bidder alerts. Prompt push notifications that can alert your bidders when bidding is about to close on an item they’re watching or when they’ve been outbid.
Event registration tools. Help increase attendance and easily get all your guests checked in and out.

Mobile bidding can help your event run smoothly and efficiently. Give your guests (both remote and in-person) a great experience and increase your auction revenue by taking advantage of all its uses.

4. Employ ways to boost bidding and engagement.

You already know that mobile bidding can increase your revenue, but how can you maximize its impact? There are several techniques you can use to boost mobile bidding, and they can help to increase engagement and excitement for practically any auction event.

Try out some of these tactics:

Procure interesting items. Though it may seem obvious, procuring interesting and valuable items is the most surefire way to increase bids. The wider your items range in value and type, the more likely you are to engage a wide audience. If your auction is targeting a smaller audience segment, consider what price ranges will be most appealing to them.
Tell stories. Rather than focusing on statistics during live announcements and appeals, tell your nonprofit’s story and who you’re aiming to help. Humans are naturally driven by stories and want to be invested in your cause, so give them a compelling reason to do so. Then, explain how to use your mobile bidding software to make a quick donation!
Encourage friendly competition. Motivate your supporters to continue bidding with real-time status updates, such as current bids and donation progress, and be sure to consistently recognize your donors. Digital scoreboards are a great way to recognize top bidders and boost the event’s momentum at the same time.

With the right tools and the right research, you can put on a great event, encourage donations from all over, and maximize your donation revenue. Head over to the OneCause virtual events guide to learn more tricks to drive more engagement and revenue with your events.

5. Educate your audience on how to use your tools.

Finally, remember that all the effort you put into creating an engaging event won’t pay off unless your guests actually know how to engage with it! As your event approaches, explain to your registered attendees both how the event will work and how to use your mobile bidding tools. Try these strategies:

Allow attendees to get set up with your mobile bidding tools in advance if possible. This will reduce unnecessary confusion or slowdowns on the big day as attendees will have already taken time to explore it.

Create a dedicated event microsite or landing page on your main website. Use this space to both promote the event and provide instructions for registered attendees about what to expect. This is particularly important for hybrid and virtual events, especially if you’ve never hosted one before.

Develop an email stream to start sending to attendees as soon as they register for your event. In these emails, you can tease auction items, explain the purpose and impact of the event, and most importantly, provide upfront instructions.

Even if not everyone pays close attention to your pre-event explanations, you’ll still have taken a valuable step toward improving the donor experience and streamlining your team’s work. However, you should still ebe sure to have one or more team members on deck during the event to assist with technical questions when they arise.

There are many ways an investment in mobile bidding software can benefit your nonprofit’s charity event.

Finding the right software and studying ways to increase engagement can seriously boost your event’s revenue and make every bid count. Start exploring all the options available to your organization, and you’ll be on your way to putting on your best auction yet.

Guest author: Kelly Velasquez-Hague

Kelly Velasquez-Hague brings over 20 years of fundraising, nonprofit management, and sales/marketing experience to her role as the Director of Content Marketing for OneCause. As a member of the OneCause sales and marketing team, Kelly manages all of the company’s content strategy and execution. She is passionate about empowering great missions and loves that her current role allows her to continue to help nonprofits reach new donors and raise more funds for their cause.

Too many cooks spoil the chili – or your next appeal

Or why too many cooks who don’t know what’s already in the pot can make a mess.

Years ago, my family was gathered at my parent’s home to celebrate Christmas. By then, we were a big crowd – I have three siblings, and each of us has two children.

So my mom planned to make eating easy: simple, hearty stuff we could help ourselves to as we wished.

That included a big pot of chili.

Now, my mom’s chili was known to all as a little… cautious. Definitely not highly spiced. Mom could make some seriously good cookies. But I think her heart wasn’t into cooking… it was an act of love.

Of course, no one wanted to hurt her feelings.

So without saying a word, I added a little seasoning to the pot. And without letting anyone else know, my husband, sister, and brother all did the same. Each of us just wandered into the kitchen, took something from the spice rack, and tried to fix the chili.

You can guess what the result was, can’t you? From a bit bland, the chili became inedible.

Our well-meaning contributions hadn’t been coordinated. Nor had any of us really tasted what was in the pot as we worked. And without knowing what had gone in, how could we improve it?

We took “almost right” and made “what a mess”.

My mom’s chili is what happens when people who don’t know what they’re doing mess with your writing.

It could be board members. Or staff members. (Or even consultants.)

But it usually involves people who don’t know as much as you do about writing to your donors.

They mean well. They want to help. But they haven’t considered everything.

They can’t taste what’s in the pot.

If you’re the expert – if you’re the one charged with writing to your donors – then you need to be in charge of the chili.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek out some help.

Had Mom asked one of us to take charge, all would have been well. (My husband makes some good chili, for instance.)

If you’re new to donor communications, bringing in outside help is smart. Your job then is to trust them and learn.

But if you’re the fundraising copywriter, you should know your stuff and be trusted to do your work.

So let’s take some lessons from mom’s chili and too many cooks

Before you start cooking: collaborate on the front end

If we’d thought to coordinate better with Mom, I could have brought the chili – already seasoned.

Think about why you will write, what you will write and who will sign the letter before you even begin. Outside copywriter? My clients who gather great content end up with the best work. Line up interviews, gather background… and clear any internal paths before the writing starts.

What story will you tell?

Get all the permissions you need now, instead of later. (“We couldn’t possibly use her name!” “Well, yes we can. She loved the idea.”)

If you’ve found the perfect story, but the subject of the story is uncomfortable, find a different story. It’s hard to dance around the edges without wrecking the details that make a story work.

A conversation at the start will uncover ways to collaborate that will make the subject feel good. Trust is important in every aspect of fundraising. This is no exception!

Who will tell the story in your appeal?

If your board chair has an impressive degree and will not allow his signature to go on a letter that uses contractions, look for a different person. Do it before you even begin.

In many cases, he’s not the best person anyway.

Look beyond someone’s position:

What about someone personally affected by your work?
A staff member who works directly with clients?
Even a truck, like my friends at Agents of Good used?

Be creative. Find someone whose voice and signature enhance your appeal.

Who will approve the appeal?

Do you need approval from your Development Director or Executive Director? Talk through your concept now, before you start writing. Get them on board from the start, and you’re more likely to get that approval later.

You need that trust.

The people you have to run your appeal by aren’t trying to make life difficult. They feel responsible. But if they’re not experts, their well-meaning help can derail your work.

When you bring them in early and keep them updated, it helps them feel comfortable. When you use those early conversations to show them you know what you’re doing, that helps even more.

Consider every objection an opportunity at this stage. Explain why the letter will likely be more than one page. And why the language will be conversational, not formal. And, yes, it will be emotional, but that’s not manipulative.

Back up your arguments – try sending them to SOFII for Jerry Huntsinger’s tutorials. Or read Lisa Sargent, Pamela Grow, Julie Cooper, Sheena Greer, Ann Green, Jeff Brooks, Steven Screen or Tom Ahern.

Too many cooks: say no to committees

You can work upfront with the person who will sign and approve your next appeal.

But do not invite opinions from everyone.

Everyone has their own agenda – and unlike yours, theirs is likely not focused on your donors. Or not focused at all. (Don’t use your P.S. for all the “oh yeah, tell them this!” requests.)

A committee – staff or board – is a surefire way to wreck an appeal.

They are not all donor communications specialists. And they don’t understand the appeal is about donors, not about how they want to present the organization. They’re probably convinced that good arguments win the day.

You know that’s not the case.

A tasty finish: Approval

Since you’ve already helped those who have to approve understand what works, you’re more likely to get that yes.

But here’s the truth – you will rarely get through without some changes. We all make mistakes. Or facts have changed.

So you’ll have to make some changes. Just be careful. Factual errors? Absolutely! The rest? Negotiate and teach. Try to keep the changes to things that won’t ruin the final creation.

Then serve your appeal up to your donors

You’ll learn about your audience when you see your responses.

If it’s just right – to their taste – you’ll see gifts coming in. If you’ve missed, they may pass this time. Learn, try again, do better.

That’s what we all do.

Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

What does giving mean?

How do we define giving?

In our own lives? With our friends and families? As fundraisers?

Do our definitions differ?

Tony Martignetti shared a fascinating, yet troubling, piece recently in Vox the other day. “What happened to giving money to charity?” looks at how the ultrawealthy are donating more, but it seems the rest of us are giving less.

“Seems” is the operative word here.

You’ll want to read the article if you haven’t seen it already. But the short version? It’s about how we define “giving”. If we’re only looking at 501 (c ) 3, tax-deductible gifts, we’re missing a big piece of the puzzle.

From the article, for instance:

According to a 2022 study by Independent Sector, a coalition of philanthropic nonprofits and corporate giving programs, 57 percent of Gen Z believe that giving directly has more impact than giving to nonprofits.

And:

Because one of the effects of a consolidation of donations into fewer and fewer wealthy hands is that those people have a larger voice in what problems are addressed and how nonprofits operate.

That should concern us all. But beyond accounting, I’m concerned that so many people are getting the message that their generosity and kindness don’t matter. After all, when placed next to the big bucks of a MacKenzie Scott, what does my $50 matter?

Are we sending the wrong giving message?

Recently, I got to take part in a webinar with an unlimited question-and-answer period after the presentation. (Boy, that was fun!)

But one person’s question made me so sad. They were trying to thread a needle between good fundraising practice, especially communications, and “donor dominance”. This was a sincere question, offered by someone really trying to get it right.

And I get it. Donors who give large gifts have usually been treated to a lot more personal attention. It’s logical. And getting to know the donors who give your organization the most money is smart. After all, they’re actual humans who care to some degree about your mission.

But…

They’re not the only donors who care. And if we forget that most donors are not huge dollar donors, we miss the real point of philanthropy. And we miss the chance to show the people who care the most that they’re appreciated and needed.

Think about:

How do you treat the donor of a $5 gift?

How do you treat someone who drops off gently used towels for your animal rescue?

Or coats for your organization that works with people who need homes?

What about volunteers? Are they a different, separate group from “real” donors? Or treasured for the precious gift of time they give?

How much attention is paid to gifts given via social media – and are those gifts counted and acknowledged by your organization? (And is the platform even allowing that to happen?)

Accounting is one thing; caring is another

Of course, there are tax rules. And you need to follow them. And there’s accounting software that can make tracking anything but money difficult.

But there’s no reason not to broaden how we *think about* and *treat* the people who give differently.

And that leads me to another good piece I read recently, in the New York Times. “The Unexpected Power of Random Acts of Kindness” was a great reminder about the huge potential out there for cultivating and celebrating caring.

Again, please read it, but the shorter version is that studies show people often underestimate the value of small gestures of kindness, like giving someone a ride home or baking cookies for a friend.

In one study, participants were given hot chocolate and told they could keep it or give it to someone. Those who gave it away were asked to guess how “big” their act of kindness would feel to the recipient and how the recipient would rate their mood.

The people doing the kind thing all underestimated how much it was appreciated. We downplay how much it matters. But of course, one “small” act of kindness has a way of inspiring others.

Giving – doing something kind – feels good

This is such an important idea for fundraisers! People do not give because they must. Most of the time, we give because it makes us feel good… about ourselves.

The people who gave away their hot chocolate made someone else feel special, seen. But they also made themselves feel like a good person. That’s important!

It’s not really about the dollars

Money is needed to run our organizations. But when we start chasing the dollars, we lose something.

When we value only the donors who give the largest gifts, equating the size of their gift with their value, we lose something. And we allow our whole sector to drift into dangerous territory… where everyone isn’t welcome to help, where only the wealthiest are valued, where giving is all about tax deductions.

That screams for a big change in how our governments approach charities and taxes. It also means we need to find more ways to track gifts. (And how those social media-driven platforms share donor data with our organizations.)

It may also require a re-alignment of values. Can we let go of the idea that there are important and unimportant donors? Because thinking in dollar signs is also why a few donors feel privileged enough to misbehave, that is, display donor domination.

But mostly, we all miss the chance to broaden the net that is philanthropy. To include every kind person who sees a problem and wants to help fix it. And when we miss the chance to thank every donor – sincerely, emotionally – we all lose, too. There’s so much joy in that exchange!

Caring and kindness are reciprocal. They each carry their own blessings. Both giving and receiving feel wonderful.

Thank goodness.

Photo by Norbert Hentges on Unsplash