by Barry J. McLeish

Great achievements in the nonprofit world often occur when institutions harness their own internal energy and simultaneously, that of individuals around them and deal purposefully with an aspect of our nation or of any nation that needs intervention. Collectively they create for the briefest of moments a joint and reciprocally driven, caring, trusting community. Being accountable for the common good and the welfare of those needing help is assumed by all parties in the community and is a part of their underlying ideals and beliefs.

This has been my personal experience as a donor to a variety of causes. The urgency and ego of “me” is subsumed in the “we” as, bundled together with other donors and volunteers, I have contributed to solving an impending or immediate social problem, or have helped take advantage of a new opportunity that benefits a group of individuals in need. Just recently my wife and I helped in building a needed hospital overseas for a group of individual who did not have ready access to such facilities. Thousands of men and women – as donors and volunteers - had similar experiences after the Asian tsunami, the Kashmir earthquake, and the New Orleans flooding disaster.

However, what do you do as a development director when there is not an all-consuming crisis to draw everyone together? Are potential donors and volunteers increasingly becoming too narrowly self-serving in their approach to life to care for those who cannot succeed at the same level without the benefit of an event that demands their involvement? There is reason for some concern - some data suggests that major donors are retreating from giving and being much more cautious in their outlook on nonprofit involvement. Some authors have suggested that Americans could give billions more without decreasing their self worth.

However, a number of Americans choose not to follow suit. Why? One key may lie within us as development professionals. Regardless of how well those in need are served, many organizations have done a poor job in engaging donors’, customers’, and volunteers’ in a satisfactory way.

Is this the case with your organization?

While it may be true that for some donors their current involvement with causes they support is heavily in flux; it is equally true that many of these causes are changing their methods of operation to allow donors and volunteers access to their organizations mix and inner workings in a way previously not thought of as previously possible or appropriate.

Philanthropic tastes are changing and contribute to this churn, especially given the large number of individuals who no longer feel content to simply give financial gifts to charities. For many donors, being philanthropic now means not only choosing where their financial gifts to charities will go, but showing active interest, concern, and involvement with the recipient organization, with subsequent follow-up on how their gift is used.

A massive social and cultural revolution is at work, particularly in the way individuals relate to nonprofit organizations and each other, affecting what they will and will not support and what they expect from their philanthropic involvement.

Do you know what your donors expect from your organization? If not, why don’t you make a goal of talking to your ten most important donors and /or volunteers and find out why they are involved with your cause.