Zimmerman Lehman : September 11 And Beyond

September 11 And Beyond: Is Fundraising A Zero-Sum Game?

No need to re-hash what we all know. The outpouring of contributions for the relief efforts in New York and Washington has been breathtaking. It is now estimated that the final tally will exceed $1 billion. This is extraordinary and is worthy of our profound appreciation. But what about the rest of us in the nonprofit community? Is a dollar sent to the relief effort in New York a dollar denied to a ballet company in Topeka?

Is it invasive/obnoxious/poor timing for non-relief organizations to pursue contributions in the last quarter of 2001? Is "go slow" the order of the day? There are two questions here:

1) Is it "not right" to conduct fundraising now?
2) Is it not productive to conduct fundraising now?

As far as we are concerned, the first question is of no consequence.The needs of homeless people in Denver or abused women in Miami are no less important now than a year ago, and fundraising efforts should continue on behalf of these clients and millions of others. It is not disrespectful to the victims in New York and Washington to ensure the well-being of the nonprofit sector.

The second question is trickier. Are donors tapped out? Given the double trouble of the economy and the terrorist attack, is it the hard truth that donors are not ready to listen to other appeals from nonprofits?

After the September 11 events, the American Association of Fundraising Counsel (AAFRC) Trust for Philanthropy and The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University examined WHAT HAPPENED TO GIVING historically in the years surrounding major events of terrorism, war, and political or economic crises (see above link for the full report):

"We know that giving is closely correlated with the economy, and there do seem to be some fairly consistent trends in giving and in the economy in the years surrounding … major national events." The report indicated that "The total amount of giving in the U.S. has increased every year but one (1987) for the past 40 years, including through wars, recessions and other crises….For three of the six acts of war examined--the Fall of France, the Korean War, and the Gulf War--giving in the year in which the event occurred grew faster than it had the prior year. For the other three acts of war examined--Pearl Harbor, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and when the U.S. bombing of Cambodia began--giving in the year of the event increased more slowly than it did the prior year."

Whether the past is indicative of our future is of course open to question. Whatever happens, however, Zimmerman Lehman's advice to you is this: don't give in to the doom and gloom. As always, the worst anyone can say is "no." Talk about self-fulfilling prophecies: If we believe that people won't give, then we won't ask and voila!--they won't have given.

What is important in our fundraising appeals over the next few months is to acknowledge the events of the day and alert your donors to the fact that other causes still need assistance. Continue to believe in the value of your mission and its importance to grantors and individual donors. If we give into our fears and our reluctance to "go to the well too often," we will guarantee difficulties for a great many nonprofits that deserve better.

p.s. In case any of you are still wondering about online giving please note that in less than ten days after September 11 OVER $57 MILLION WAS DONATED ONLINE.

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