Donors don't care about you any more

It's not a question of whether or not you're going to share power with donors: It's whether or not they'll share any power with you!

Marc Sirkin over at npMarketing Blog looks at the way donors are changing their orientation to giving at Causes Vs. Organizations. He says:

... people more often than not raise money for a cause, not for an organization -- even if they themselves don't know the difference!

If he's right (and he is), nonprofits everywhere should be nervous. Because here's where it all leads:

[Donors] maintain their control and get to define how they raise money, who they raise money for and who they'll tell.

If donors care only about causes, where does that leave organizations?

You can become synonymous with a cause. With thousands of new nonprofits coming into existence every year, that could be tough, unless your cause is very narrow or local.

Or you can enrich your cause with something very, very cool. Better information, closer connection, more fun -- that's how you can be the choice for people who support your cause.

Donors don't have to choose you when they want to change the world. It's up to you to win them over.

Technorati Tags: fundraising, philanthropy

Comments

[Sam Davdson]

This is very well said. Thanks for highlighting this.