Internal Understanding of Philanthropy

At the core of managing donor relationships is a single truism: donors at all levels worry they don’t really matter to the organizations they support. To make matters worse, every time that a donor is addressed impersonally – or worse yet – disrespectfully or in error, that worry escalates. Donor attrition is directly related to the donor’s perception that he or she is just a number, that the gift wasn’t noticed, that giving doesn’t really matter. Education within the organization that leads to true understanding of the willingness to give will bring everyone on the team to treat donors with gratitude and respect. This will alleviate the donors’ fear. Understanding is the most critical component of a culture of philanthropy. Make sure that everyone within the organization understands what philanthropy is, why donors give and what donor support means for the mission.

POST WRITTEN BY ANNE MANNER-MCLARTY · NOVEMBER 26, 2014