The Power of “Why”: A Better Way to Navigate Donor Requests
In the realm of ethical storytelling, resistance to policies and procedures is inevitable. Sometimes, the pushback comes from within, staff who don’t understand why extra care and caution are necessary when telling stories or why consent matters so much. But sometimes, the resistance comes from donors. Lately, I’ve had no fewer than five people ask […]
Navigating Ethical Boundaries in Q&A Sessions
Many of my readers who grew up in U.S. classrooms might remember teachers saying, “There are no silly questions.” Actually, the original phrase was “There are no stupid questions,” but we’ve wisely moved away from using such language. While these statements were intended to encourage curiosity and inquisitiveness in children, they don’t hold up as […]
Beware the Research: Donor and Beneficiary Reactions to Nonprofit Communications
As a consultant and social researcher deeply immersed in the world of fundraising, one might expect me to champion research dictating which stories drive charitable giving from donors. However, my knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative methods, combined with my frontline fundraising experience, has instilled a healthy dose of skepticism in me. In this article, […]
The Ethics of Compensating Storytellers
As a nonprofit consultant, I am frequently asked whether or not nonprofits should compensate program participants for sharing their stories (to be used on the website, in fundraising appeals, in grant reports, etc). I have encountered people who feel very strongly either way, and those who are totally on the fence. Let’s take a step […]
Italics Reconsidered: A Tip for Using Non-English Words in Nonprofit Communications
As a principle ethical storytelling, I often stress the importance of honoring our contributors’ terminology, and using they words they use to describe themselves and their experiences. Sometimes we use words are not widely used in the English language, and a common thing to do is italicize them so the reader doesn’t confuse them for […]