This article was originally published in the Standards for Excellence® Institute series, “52 Tips in 52 Weeks” in February 2020. The series provides nonprofit leaders with a brief nonprofit governance and management tip weekly over the course of 2020. Standards for Excellence is a Replication Partner of Sacred Sector.
By amy coates madsen
Earlier this week, I answered my home phone and a paid fundraiser working for a nonprofit that my family and I have supported for years was on the line. Despite our past support, the call was a challenging one where the caller informed me that she was interested in speaking with my spouse about this institution (and was not interested in speaking with me). This really rubbed me the wrong way because my husband and I both have the same connection to the organization and because I coordinate much of our family’s charitable giving. When the conversation was over, I felt intensely disrespected and belittled due to the comments that the paid fundraiser made to me.
Nonprofits need to do all that they can do to treat donors respectfully and professionally. The Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector states that “solicitations should be free from undue influence or excessive pressure, and should be respectful of the needs and interests of the donor or potential donor.”
How does your nonprofit ensure that you are respectful of these needs and interests? What can you do to ensure that those raising money are your behalf are positive and helpful ambassadors for your nonprofit organization? With solicitations flooding our inboxes, I heartily encourage you to include yourself on the list of individuals who receive them (all written, verbal, and virtual!). Put yourself in the position of a donor who may not interact with your organization daily or even monthly. Is it possible that your solicitations may be considered disrespectful, distasteful, or offensive? Take the time to test your messages with your audiences and make adjustments as needed.
About the Standards for Excellence® Institute
The Standards for Excellence originated as a special initiative of Maryland Nonprofits in 1998 and has since expanded into a national program to help nonprofit organizations achieve the highest benchmarks of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management and operations. The program has been formally adopted by twelve state, regional, and national affiliate organizations. It is supported by over 170 Licensed Consultants and over 100 volunteers with professional experience in nonprofit governance and administration. Since its inception, the program has accredited or recognized over 200 individual nonprofit organizations that completed a rigorous application and review process to demonstrate adherence to the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector. www.standardsforexcellence.org.
Amy Coates Madsen is the director of programs for Maryland Nonprofits and the director of the Standards for Excellence Institute, a national initiative to promote the highest standards of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management, and operations, and to facilitate adherence to standards by all organizations. Amy received her Master of Arts in Policy Studies from the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies in Baltimore, Maryland, and her bachelor’s degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Amy is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was appointed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to serve on the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT), serving one term as the co-chair of the ACT’s Exempt Organizations subcommittee. The Standards for Excellence Institute is a program of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations where Amy has served for more than twenty-four years. Amy is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the association’s comprehensive ethics and accountability program and efforts to replicate the program nationally. She serves as a frequent trainer and writer in the areas of board conduct, program evaluation, program replication, fundraising ethics, and nonprofit management. She has taught courses on nonprofit ethics and accountability at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies Certificate Program on Nonprofit Management.