Dear Kim Q&A Column Archive

A DONOR BILL OF RIGHTS

Readers: We recently received this letter by snail mail, and I reprint it here, with the name taken out. I have responded by mail to this person

Dear Grassroots Fundraising Journal:

I am an 80-year-old widow who lives comfortably but carefully on social security and a small pension. I give 10% of my income every year, which is about $4,000. Most of my gifts are small--in the $25-200 range. I feel that every bit helps and I try to do my part. I have also felt that my donations were appreciated. Recently, I have had two experiences which have almost made me want to stop giving. In the first, I asked an organization which I have given to for awhile (with donations of $100 twice a year) if I could have a copy of their most recent annual report. They told me it was available on-line, and I explained I do not have a computer. They said I would have to go to an Internet Café and look at it that way because they don’t have paper copies of it. In the second, I was called by a group I have also supported with small gifts for some time, and asked if I would consider pledging monthly and putting that on my credit card. I declined, and the caller said, “The problem is that your $35 once a year just doesn’t go very far, but $35 a month would be really helpful.”

My questions are these:

-Am I being unreasonable to ask for a paper copy of an annual report?
-Is it really not worth it for me to send $35 to an organization?
-Has it become the custom to be rude to small donors?

-Upset in Upstate

Dear Upstate:

First, I am so sorry that you have had these experiences and I am hoping that they will prove to be an anomaly. Certainly they are unacceptable. Second, to all of your questions, an emphatic NO.

a. The organization should have printed out and mailed you a copy of the report you asked for. This is actually a good lesson in the digital divide—not everyone has access or knows how to use a computer, and that should not be a requirement in order to get information.

b. Gifts of any size are helpful—every gift moves us closer to our goal, and they also show that people care about our work. Gifts of $35 are very helpful and many organizations thrive by building a broad base of donors who give in that range. The organization has the right to ask you to pledge monthly, but they do not have the right to question or criticize your declining to do that.

c. Rudeness is never acceptable, and actually I think is not common. Your experience is a good reminder to all of us to make sure that everyone who answers the phone is reminded to be polite.

I am enclosing a copy of “A Donor Bill of Rights” put together by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (www.afpnet.org) and others. It is an excellent summary of what donors can and should expect from the organizations they support. Some organizations actually send a copy of this with every thank you note and others publish it in their newsletter to remind their donors what standards they should be held to.

-Kim Klein

A Donor Bill of Rights

PHILANTHROPY is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I. To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

III. To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.

IV.To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.

VI. To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share

X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

D E V E L O P E D B Y
American Association of Fund Raising Counsel (AAFRC)
Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP)
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)
E N D O R S E D B Y
(in formation)
Independent Sector
National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC)
National Committee on Planned Giving (NCPG)
Council for Resource Development (CRD)
United Way of America