#154 | Will Covid-19 remedy some of the bad fundraising habits that we have been ignoring?

In my first book, I made the argument that nonprofit organizations have developed an unfortunate habit of distancing themselves from their donors; and I believe the effects of this distancing is at the heart of why so many organizations are finding it hard to stay afloat right now. I refer to this distancing behavior as arms-length fundraising. If left unchecked, I believe arms-length fundraising will continue to fuel philanthropy's biggest critics and slow the recovery process that we hope to see glimmers of in the near future. This was the topic of my conversation with Andre who shares the opinion that organizations cannot afford to remain entrenched in practices that do not foster meaningful engagement with their donors.

We can't overlook the fact that the rising generation of donors has grown up with remarkable tools for increasing proximity while not requiring that they necessarily be in the same room. The genuine friendship that my fourteen-year old son has developed with another gamer who happens to live two-thousand miles away is the same type of relationship we have to learn how to develop with our donors. My conversation with Andre leaves me wondering whether the silver lining in Covid-19 for fundraising may be a remedy to some of the bad habits that we have been ignoring for far too long.

As always, we are grateful to OneCause for sponsoring The Fundraising Talent Podcast.