Jeff and I have talked about this quite a bit in this blog.  “It’s about the donor,” we say, “not the dollars.”  But time and time again we run into strategies, systems and processes in non-profits that are set up to love the dollar and not the donor.
It’s easy to get off track on this point:

• You can spend a ton of time on organizing an event and all your investment of time and money will result in some net dollars in the door, but not really advance your valuing the donor agenda.  Events have a way of developing a life of their own.  Jeff and I have seen so many events where  the program is all about having fun or enjoying a nice dinner or a great golf game, but the people attending are no more enthused or bonded to the cause upon leaving than they were when they came in the door.
• You can make a great effort to get your public relations machine cranking out publicity, which does, hopefully, enhance your image and standing.  But hardly any effort is made to bond those people to the cause.
• You can have a tremendous lag in processing donor gifts, where the back-log runs way too long and donors who are sending in their gifts are not being acknowledged for their giving until sometimes three weeks after they gave their gift!
• Your meetings are filled with information on progress against financial goals with no information about the donor.

All of these ways, and many more, are clear signs that you and your organization do not value the donor, which is a “disease” that afflicts many MGOs and their organizations.  Donors are simply a source of cash vs. the partners they could be.
Today is Labor Day.  Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894.  Without all the good workers in our country and a proper valuing of those workers, our country would not be anywhere near the success it is today.
Think about it.  Work – the value of work – drives our economic engine.  It also is the source of charity.  It is where money comes from.  The gift a donor gives is a product of his or her work.  It’s a very personal thing –  which is why it is so important to value the donor in the giving transaction.
The donor is handing you a very personal and intimate part of herself when she makes that gift.  That event – the actual giving – is a sacred and special thing. Keep this in mind as you relate to the good donors on your caseload and as you solidify your plans for those donors in the coming months.
Richard