There’s a story circulating among fundraisers about a university that failed to cancel its scheduled planned-giving mailing to alumni. Subsequently, amid the pandemic, a letter went out declaring, “There’s no better time than now to revisit your estate planning!” Ouch.

We can probably all agree that making this kind of suggestion right now would be painfully tone-deaf. But it raises a question that many nonprofits are grappling with: how should we approach the topic of soliciting gifts?

There are two equally important considerations in this conversation:

1. Many nonprofits need continuing donor support to fulfill their mission during this season.
2. Nonprofit leaders don’t want to be inconsiderate of the challenges their donors are facing.

We’ve seen organizations squarely land on each side. 

Some organizations have continued fundraising activities full force. They have executed every planned appeal, launched new campaign phases, kept every donor visit, and even added some online giving avenues. We might wonder whether those organizations even realize we’re amid a global pandemic. 

Other organizations have withdrawn any mention of fundraising from their activities. They’ve scrapped appeals, scrubbed their social media of all fundraising related words, and stopped talking to their donors altogether. We might wonder whether those organizations need donor support at all. 

In our experience, neither approach will lead to long-term success. We can’t ignore either elephant in the room. Yes, our nonprofits still need to raise funds. Yes, COVID-19 demands sensitivity in our approach. That’s why we recommend practicing compassionate fundraising.

Compassionate fundraising is comprised of three elements:

1. It sees donors as human beings rather than ATMs. 
2. It recognizes donors as invested partners in fulfilling our nonprofit’s mission. 
3. It honors donors/partners by sharing information, including needs and opportunities to help.

Seeing Donors as Human Beings.
We shouldn’t have to say this, and yet we do. Donors are people too. People who are experiencing the same storm we are right now. We know you are busy, but have you considered checking on your donors? How are they doing? Do they have any needs? We may not be positioned to resolve the challenges our donors are facing, but we should care enough to ask. If donors were judging the depth of our organization’s relationship with them based on this moment, how would they say we view them? As a fellow community member? As a friend? As a monthly check? The relationship we share with donors should be about more than a transfer of funds. Now’s a great time to demonstrate it is! 

Recognizing Donors as Invested Partners.
Being sensitive and considerate of a donor’s life circumstances is healthy. Underestimating their passion and commitment for our cause is dangerous. There are hundreds of stories about donors giving through hard times because they were deeply committed to an organization’s mission. Fundraisers should not assume gifts in this moment, but they would do well to remember that donors may want to give right now. Please understand that we don’t encourage a mass appeal. Rather, we suggest reviewing our donor list, identifying our closest partners, and approaching them. If we talk with them with as trusted partners, they will tell us if this isn’t the right moment for them to give. If we don’t talk with them at all, we may lose a trusted partner because they don’t feel needed anymore.

Honoring Donors/Partners by Sharing Information.
As trusted partners, donors should know what’s going on with our organizations, especially now. One of our clients recently updated a donor on their activities amid COVID-19, and unsolicited, the donor gave a commitment for another $20,000. There literally was no ask. Information was offered. Gratitude was expressed. And before the nonprofit’s leader could walk away, thousands of additional dollars were committed to the cause. Another nonprofit leader shared that while employees would be furloughed during the pandemic, their health care premiums would continue to be paid in full. This leader suggested that if donors/partners wanted to make the biggest impact right now, they could restrict a gift to support this purpose. The gifts came.

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Final Thought: Successful requests for donations are embedded in a larger expression of mutual support, empathy, solidarity, and transparency. Our nonprofits need to offer help and ask for it. If we honor principles of compassionate fundraising in the coming months, we believe donor relationships will be strengthened, and missions will be fulfilled.