Fundraisers Have Rights too
Fundraisers Have Rights too
By Lindsay Jordan, CEO + Founder
The Donor Bill of Rights was created in 1993 in a joint effort between the Association for Fundraising Professionals, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and The Giving Institute. The initial purpose of the document was pretty simple: to let donors know what they could expect, ethically speaking, when making a donation to a nonprofit.
There are 10 tenets altogether of the Donor Bill of Rights, and I’ll paraphrase them here:
To know a nonprofit’s mission, understand how a donation will be used, and to be informed of a nonprofit’s “capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes”
To know who sits on a board and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment
To have access to a nonprofit’s financial statements
To be assured that gifts will be used “for the purposes for which they were given”
To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition for making a gift
To have their private data respected
To expect professionalism from nonprofit representatives
To know if their solicitors are volunteers or paid
To be removed from mailing lists if they wish
To ask questions when making a gift and to expect a “prompt, truthful, and forthright answer”
The problem with the Donor Bill of Rights, however, is that it focuses only on the donor and the nonprofit and fails to identify the person frequently standing in the middle: the fundraiser. The document also does a pretty spectacular job of highlighting the inequities and power imbalances that exist between funder and funded. For example, who decides what “effective use” looks like? Or what “prudent judgment” entails? Or even what professionalism means as we navigate a landscape full of unconscious bias? Why does the person holding the pen and checkbook receive carte blanche authority to ask any question they want of a nonprofit AND expect an answer?
Because power. Traditional philanthropy assumes, as is clearly outlined in the Donor Bill of Rights above, that the donor, in exchange for having the ability to make a gift and interest in a given nonprofit, automatically receives the benefit of the doubt, and the nonprofit must sing for its supper. This is a dangerous precedent because it creates a relationship where one party is told they are more savvy, better informed, and hold some kind of negotiating advantage when this is absolutely not the truth. Nonprofits are businesses staffed by educated professionals who care deeply for the people they serve and provide a critical service to the community. To treat them as petulant children with their hands constantly outstretched is disrespectful and inhumane, and this is the message we reinforce when we declare that only donors have rights.
We contend that donor relationships are partnerships. And the people involved in those relationships should at all times feel respected and equal. A Fundraiser Bill of Rights is absolutely critical in recalibrating what it means to engage in philanthropy, and I am thrilled to share with you the tenets we have developed around Fundraiser Safety, Donor Relations, and Nonprofit Support that bring greater equity to fundraising.
The purpose of Write On Fundraising’s “Fundraiser Bill of Rights” is to address the power imbalances created by traditional donor/fundraiser and donor/organization fundraising practices that negatively impact philanthropy; create a standard of conduct that centers respect and collaboration; and dismantle structural inefficiencies that contribute to turnover, burnout, and loss of talent in the field of fundraising.
Fundraiser Safety
Fundraisers have a right to a workplace and interactions with donors free from social discrimination because of the fundraiser’s race, color, religion, sex (including gender, identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.
According to Philanthropy.com’s survey on sexual harassment in fundraising, of fundraisers who say they have been sexually harassed, 80% faced inappropriate comments of a sexual nature; 55% experienced unwanted touching or physical contact; 36% encountered unwelcome sexual advances; 29% faced verbal abuse of a sexual nature; and 26% received requests for sexual favors in return for a gift. Furthermore, two-thirds of fundraisers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color have faced obstacles in their development careers, specifically due to race.
Fundraisers have the right to report unlawful, unethical, or inappropriate actions both in the workplace and/or in their interactions with donors and community leaders with the full support of their organization and its leadership and protection from retaliation in accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act.
Fundraisers have a right to a process to report, publicize, or speak about instances of sexual harassment, social discrimination, or any other form of harassment and/or discrimination with the support of the organization they represent.
One in four female fundraisers report having faced sexual harassment on the job, and two-thirds of fundraisers who report sexual harassment on the job blame donors.
Fundraisers have a right to refuse to participate in engagements with donors who have a history of or are suspected of participating in sexual harassment, social discrimination, or any other form of harassment and/or discrimination with the support of the organization they represent.
Fundraisers have a right to a process to report, publicize, or speak about instances of sexual harassment, social discrimination, or any other form of harassment and/or discrimination with the support of the organization they represent.
Slightly more than half of all fundraisers reporting sexual harassment said they were either somewhat dissatisfied or extremely dissatisfied with how their nonprofit employer handled their allegations. About 45% of respondents said organizations took no action after they reported an incident, and 13% said their allegations were minimalized.
Fundraisers have the right to assist in the development and execution of a messaging plan supported by the organization they represent if a donor demonstrates discriminatory or harassing behavior.
Donor Relations
Fundraisers have the right to question and/or request sufficient explanation about the practices and/or actions of donors before proceeding with a partnership, donation request, or grant contract.
Fundraisers have the right to question and/or request sufficient explanation surrounding donor application guidelines and requirements.
Fundraisers have the right to question and/or request policies and procedures surrounding the review, evaluation, and approval/denial process for written donation requests.
Nonprofit Support
Fundraisers have the right to build organizational trust and credibility through their academic, professional, and lived experience and to have this trust and credibility respected and weighted equally to donors, board members, and community leaders.
According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s study and article “Why Fundraisers Leave and How to Keep Them,” 27% of fundraisers most likely to leave their positions say unreasonable fundraising goals are the main reason. Of those who have already left their role, 62% say they were dissatisfied with how resources were allocated. Nearly 40% of current fundraisers are dissatisfied with the data or data analyses they receive about donors.
Fundraisers have a right to autonomy over their personal social identity and promotion of personal ideology without fear of reprisal or retaliation regardless of platform, as long as such identity and promotion is not discriminatory and is protected by freedom of speech laws.
Fundraisers have a right to unionize, collectively bargain, and advocate for their rights and fair treatment with coworkers, colleagues, and other kinds of nonprofit workers without fear of reprisal or retaliation from their employers or donors.
Fundraisers have the right to be compensated fairly, in accordance with the fair market value of their skills and experience, and to expect a reasonable track of advancement and professional development opportunities within their organization.
One-quarter of current fundraisers are dissatisfied with their access to professional development. Two-thirds of people who left fundraising jobs say they were dissatisfied with their access to leadership training, and 34% of current fundraisers say the same. More than 25% of fundraisers are dissatisfied with their salaries, and 20% with their benefits.
Personally, I have been kissed by a donor who had too much to drink. I’ve had my seatbelt buckled for me, a very strange and inappropriate touch. I’ve been physically held in place during a meeting, so I could not exit the conversation. I’ve been subject to “locker room talk.” I’ve had my dedication to motherhood questioned after returning to work at the end of maternity leave. I’ve been told I don’t “look” the part of a university fundraiser.
Do all donors behave badly? Of course not. Some of the most kind and generous people in the world are also donors. I count many of them among my friends. But the fact remains that tools like the Donor Bill of Rights have contributed to an environment wrought with a dangerous power imbalance where fundraisers are expected to endure unthinkable comments and actions because if they stick up for themselves, they might put a donation at risk, which puts a nonprofit worker’s job at risk, which puts a client at risk of not receiving services.
It’s time to release the pressure valve. These things can all be true simultaneously: a donor can expect transparency from a nonprofit; a fundraiser can expect a donor to engage respectfully in an authentic relationship; and an organization can receive the funds it needs to accomplish critical mission work.
Ready to take the pledge? Join a movement of nonprofits across the country ready to create more equitable relationships for donors, fundraisers, and nonprofits. Click here to add your name to the list of organizations working to implement the Fundraiser Bill of Rights in their own community!