One of Students United’s first fundraising appeals set off an unexpected brushfire for development director Christina DeVries.
The nonpartisan group helps Minnesota State students advocate for themselves with the university and state officials and lawmakers. Its email sought support for that work — and included a link for those who wanted to donate to a similar organization at the University of Minnesota.
Phone calls poured in almost immediately from angry Republicans in the state legislature. They were convinced DeVries was trying to put them out of a job. It turned out that Students United’s counterpart at the University of Minnesota processed gift payments through a firm used by Democratic Party groups.
“I spent hours talking to them about this,” DeVries says. “That was never something that I thought was going to cause division.”
DeVries is just one of the many fundraisers nationwide discovering that nothing — whether an appeal, a tweet, or a talk with a donor — is guaranteed to be routine in this age of polarization. The intensity of the nation’s battles over political and social issues seeps into the everyday work of advancement offices in ways big and small.
At the extreme are episodes where blocs of disaffected donors protest an organization’s position or work. But fundraisers report that even casual encounters with supporters can lead to challenging conversations about political and social issues. “Folks are grappling with: ‘What do I say? How do I say it? And should I even be talking about it?’” says Angelique Grant, senior consultant and principal with the Inclusion Firm, which advises nonprofits on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In some cases, missteps have big ramifications. Chris Charbonneau, the longtime CEO of Planned Parenthood’s Northwest affiliate, was removed from her post in part, according to media reports, because of how she handled a conversation with a donor who used a racial epithet.
Fundraisers need to be ready for such situations, says Marjorie Jean-Paul, chief community engagement officer at Buckley Country Day School in Roslyn, N.Y. “Either you’re going to prepare yourself for it or you’re going to be the next person that we hear about” in the news.
Fundraisers also are having tough talks internally. A former advancement chief with a major national organization says progressive activist staff members pushed the group to turn away big gifts from donors who didn’t meet a litmus test. “They want to sit in moral judgment,” says the executive. Objections were raised to gifts from the CEOs of businesses that aren’t unionized or the wealthy who pay little in income taxes. “Where does it end? If they’re in People magazine because their divorce got ugly, do we not take their money? Can you take money from a Catholic or a Southern Baptist if you disagree with some of their religions’ tenets?”
For Black advancement professionals, the political headwinds pose unique challenges. They are often asked to help build new equity and inclusion efforts and answer colleagues’ day-to-day questions, says Jan Abernathy, chief communications officer at the Browning School in Manhattan. Now, she adds, that work is being challenged in the “woke” backlash, with donors chiming in.
“It’s exhausting,” Abernathy says.
She and two colleagues — Jean-Paul at Buckley Country Day and Courtney Archer-Buckmire, chief advancement officer at Grace Church School in Brooklyn — have launched the Black Advancement Networking Group to help Black professionals at independent schools navigate these times and seize opportunities to help shape the direction of their institutions.
“We want to empower our members,” says Jean-Paul. “When you’re in that meeting or helping to organize an event, don’t take your position at the table for granted. Bring your perspective.”
‘Donor-Centric’ Flaws
For advice about how to navigate these polarized times, the Chronicle talked to more than a dozen fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, and consultants.
Several suggested that fundraisers lean in to the shift in recent years away from “donor-centric” strategies. Grant, who started in nonprofit work more than a quarter century ago, says organizations at the time often “walked on eggshells around donors” and did everything possible to keep them happy. Individual donors were routinely told they were the key to a group’s impact.
Today, fundraisers are more likely to root messages and conversations in the values and missions of the nonprofit itself and less on the influence of any one donor. “It’s about centering the relationship back on mission and values and what we’re trying to accomplish as an organization,” Grant says.
Other advice:
Prepare your nonprofit for challenging conversations with donors. Advancement leaders should ensure that staff are prepared with messaging and other resources that address how the organization’s efforts on equity or other matters fit within its mission and values. Also, leaders should review gift policies and develop guidelines for how fundraisers can respond to donors who make inappropriate remarks and report instances of abuse or poor behavior if needed.
DeVries has been part of Association of Fundraising Professionals panel discussions in which she says some participants reported feeling alone in dealing with these issues. “A lot of people did not feel like they had enough power to do anything,” she says.
Repeatedly emphasize how your strategy ties to your mission. “Keep up the drumbeat of explaining,” says the former advancement chief whose organization had donors who balked at its racial-equity efforts. “You want to make clear this is a strategy, not a whim or a fad.”
“If you stay focused on your mission and vision, you become stronger,” says Mary Moss, a consultant in Durham, N.C., who works with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and other Research Triangle nonprofits.
Be upfront. Abernathy says private schools, for one, “have been overinvested in reputational safety and underinvested in transparency to the folks who are paying the bills.” Donors are happier when they believe organizations are forthright.
Resist the temptation to curtail outreach. Some groups may limit social media, appeals, and stewardship communications, hoping not to hit any ideological trip wires. But people weary of pandemic-forced isolation are eager to connect and feel part of something, says Sarah Linn, president of the AFP chapter of Madison, Wis., and development and marketing supervisor for the Dane County Humane Society. “This isn’t the time to slow down your donor communications,” she says. “This is the time to keep them going strong.”
Still, consider your social media thoughtfully. “We now have an opportunity through social media to do an enormous amount of damage very, very quickly,” says consultant Kim Klein, whose clients include many grassroots and justice organizations. “A lot of groups are saying ‘Let’s be cautious.’”
Don’t shy from an awkward conversation. “Take time to listen to what the person is saying and use it as an opportunity to connect that person back to your organization,” says Jean-Paul of Buckley Country Day School.
Discussing difficult issues with donors can deepen your relationship, DeVries says. “It takes a long time to change a mind. We don’t always know what seeds we’re planting.”
Share your own views if the time is right. “You are a person; you have your own beliefs and opinions,” says Trisha Blosser, a development officer with the Eastern Mennonite School of Harrisonburg, Va. “You want to respect the views of others, but you should respect your own views as well.”
Apologize for mistakes. Appeals or personal letters may be offensive to some because of language or photo selection. Own up to that, says Cathy Brown, associate director of education for the Fund Raising School at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “You’ve got to say you’re sorry. It doesn’t always fix everything, but it’s a beginning. And that opens the conversation. You thank them for the feedback, and you say, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do.”
Don’t panic if donors threaten to end their support. Recognize that the decision may be an emotional one that could change. In the fall, supporters of the Salvation Army loudly objected to a racial-equity guide the group had posted online, with some declaring they wouldn’t give to the organization anymore. Those heat-of-the-moment decisions didn’t always translate into lost dollars, says Kenneth Hodder, national commander of the organization. “Almost every time we’ve been able to speak with them, it completely changes the conversation.”
