A Fundraiser’s First Obligation

A fundraiser’s first obligation is to philanthropy itself.

All ethical fundraisers and fundraising organizations must commit themselves, at a bare minimum, to do no harm to philanthropy. At best, they must commit to engaging in practices that reinforce, renew, and reignite the philanthropic spirit.

Harm is done to philanthropy when organizations:

• Over-promise and under-deliver on promises made to donors
• Fail to spend money donated for current use in a timely way
• Don’t honor and preserve donor intent
• Prove themselves incapable of relating money given to specific sustainable societal outcomes
• Pursue fundraising goals that are not tied to the betterment of those their missions call them to serve or self-aggrandizing goals that are pulled out of the air to simply set records or to raise more than other organizations they wish to be seen as superior to.

When fundraising is put in pursuit of the false, egotistical, greedy, or poorly thought out, it harms philanthropy by leaving the philanthropic dissatisfied if not disillusioned, wondering what difference they have made and whether they should give as generously as they once did or if they should give at all.

Some might argue that the fundraiser’s first obligation is to the organization – but the wisest of fundraisers understand that the best way to protect the credibility of the organization and its future fundraising potential is to put the protection, preservation, and perpetuation of philanthropy above all else.

Jim Langley is the president of Langley Innovations. Langley Innovations provides a range of services to its clients to help them understand the cultural underpinnings of philanthropy and the psychology of donors, and with that knowledge, to develop the most effective strategies and tactics to build broader and more lasting communities of support. Jim has authored numerous books, including his most recent book, The Future of Fundraising: Adapting to New Philanthropic Realities, published by Academic Impressions in 2020. 

Related Resources:

• Webinar: 4-Step Process for “Reimagining Fundraising Operations”
• The Power of Building Relationships: Why Donors Need Good Fundraisers
• What Is and Isn’t Philanthropic
• Why what you do is called ADVANCEMENT