If the donor isn’t a hero, who is she?

For decades, the common way of talking about donor-centric fundraising was defined as “the donor is the hero.” 

The sentiment was harmless in its intent. Noble, even.

It was meant to help charity administrators realize that people play the main character in their own lives. They care about their kids and family; and their values and legacy. 

Few wake up in the morning thinking about your charity.

And certainly most aren’t used to thinking about choosing—or being loyal to—a certain kind of nonprofit “brand” simply because of how amazing the organization says they are in their marketing.

But donor-centric fundraising has the power to become harmful when misinterpreted or misapplied.

• It can lead to organizations being donor-led; where donors get to influence how the money is spent or administered 
• Organizations may centre the role of the donor in an outsized way at the expense of staff, volunteers of beneficiaries  
• Donors who write larger cheques may have outsized influence and power 
• It might contribute to the “white saviour complex” problem facing the charitable sector

On today’s podcast, Louis and Mike talk about designing fundraising for the human behind the donor (who they are), and inviting them to be an important part of the team (the community they can join) to help achieve our mission (what they can do).

Getting away from “the donor as hero”, good fundraising is simply focused on relationships; not conversions and transactions. 

And it can still take into account that people often play the main character in their own story—and that holds true for donors, charity leaders and beneficiaries. 

GET CONNECTED

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Join the Donor Participation Project here—a community of fundraisers who get together every month to co-create solutions that increase donor participation.

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ABOUT THE HOSTS

Louis Diez advises nonprofits in annual fund development, digital fundraising, and engagement strategies. He's the host of the Donor Participation Project and founder of the Annual Fund Toolkit.

Mike Duerksen hosts the Build Good Fundraising Podcast. He’s the founder and CEO of BuildGood, a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors.