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Tsunami Envy

February 2005

At this writing, barely a month has passed since the horrific earthquake and tsunami in South Asia. The response of the worldwide philanthropic community has been nothing less than awe-inspiring: over $4 billion has already been collected, and there is no sign that contributions are ebbing. By mid-January, Save the Children--which normally collects $30,000 to $50,000 per month via its website--had received over $10 million for tsunami relief. Scores of corporations and foundations have made seven-figure gifts, and many more will do so in the next few weeks. And within three weeks of the tragedy, over one-third of American households reported that they had made contributions to aid tsunami survivors.

If your everyday experience is anything like mine, you can't turn around without seeing collection cans for tsunami aid at grocery stores, coffee houses, pet shops and gyms. Schoolchildren have organized bake sales and other tsunami fundraisers that leave their traditional Halloween UNICEF efforts in the dust. And a Google search that I conducted this morning for "tsunami relief" offered a stunning 11,600,000 sites!

What can we make of all this? If you work for a nonprofit, has the tsunami phenomenon filled you with equal parts pride in the human race taking care of its own and loathing that it takes something of this magnitude to shake the shekels loose? While you are ever so thankful that the survivors are receiving the aid they so desperately need, are you convulsed with tsunami envy? Do you wonder why you have to suffer ulcers to meet your budget while international aid organizations are bursting at the seams with gifts?

As a fundraising consultant, my first reaction to the tsunami relief efforts is that "philanthropic sex appeal" is a reality. The horrific images of devastated villages and newly orphaned three-year-olds pack an overwhelming wallop. Fundraising is largely an emotional game, and the tears that have been shed over the horrific tsunami losses translate-as well they should-into big bucks. This is not new; a recent report indicates that more than $1.1 billion was awarded by foundations and corporations after 9/11, see www.fdncenter.org/research/911/.

How, you wonder, can your nonprofit measure up when such an "appealing" issue as tsunami relief has the public's attention? One of Zimmerman's rules of fundraising (which many nonprofits are loath to admit) is "Good Fundraising Is Opportunistic":

"It's an unfortunate fact, but fundraising is trendy. If your organization's issue is on the front page, it's easy to raise money. If your issue is not on the front page, it's tougher.

An obvious implication: get on the front page. All nonprofits understand that they have to raise money; too few understand that public relations and media relations are every bit as important as fundraising. Indeed, fundraising is virtually impossible without good public relations. Best-kept secrets don't raise money.

Fundraising is simply opportunism on behalf of good causes. If your issue is getting serious public exposure, make the effort to raise money as soon as is feasible. Be opportunistic!" Boards That Love Fundraising: A How to Guide For Your Board, p.32-33.

Keep in mind, too, that fundraising is not a zero sum game. A dollar raised for tsunami relief is not a dollar denied to the AIDS program, the homeless shelter, the ballet company. As we point out in our fundraising workshops, most nonprofit board and staff members view fundraising the way they view root canal-they're looking for reasons not to undergo the trauma. "All the money going to tsunami relief," they pine; "how can we possibly compete?"

The best way not to raise money is not to ask for it. It is short-sighted and self-defeating to throw up your hands in the face of the philanthropic outpouring for tsunami relief. Yes, there may be a momentary downturn in your annual fund solicitations in early 2005, but this is just a bump in the road. If you remain committed to a long-range fundraising plan and to diversification of your funding base, the money will be there-"philanthropic sex appeal" or not.

Copyright 2007 Zimmerman Lehman.

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