VIDEO: To Travel or To Give? That is the Question
Many organizations believe that donor trips are a waste of resources – that donors should give money directly to the organization instead of spending it on plane tickets to travel to the site. In this short video, Caliopy Glaros debunks this myth and explains why we shouldn’t be comparing the intrinsic value of travel to […]
What Funders Get Wrong About Site Visits
Site visits play an important role in helping funders determine which organizations and causes to allocate resources to, but unfortunately these engagements are also ripe for exploitation. Staff in nonprofits often spend undue time preparing for and facilitating site visits from funders, much of it to the detriment of their programs. Nonprofit clients are sometimes […]
Respect and Dignity are Not Good Enough: A Common Pitfall in Ethical Communications
If your Ethical Fundraising Guidelines rely on words like “Dignity” and “Respect” to inform behavior and practice, chances are you’re not accomplishing very much. When I read through guidelines for ethical storytelling or ethical photography and come across the phrases like “we believe in treating everyone with respect,” I’m inclined to ask three questions: What is considered […]
5 Tips to Collect Real Feedback
When portraying people who have benefitted from the work of our organizations, it’s important that they have a meaningful voice in their portrayal. Collecting their feedback is one of the only ways we can be sure to treat others the way they want to be treated. But we don’t know how they want to be […]
Why your Board and Staff need first-hand experience
I’ve written extensively about the importance and benefits of taking major donors to the field. In this article, I’d like to highlight the value that your organization can gain from sending board and staff members. In some organizations with international missions, it is routine for executive and development teams to make multiple site visits. In […]