Report shows donors cut support in light of sexual harassment

• Date: 01 September 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nba.30846
• Published date: 01 September 2020

NONPROFIT BUSINESS ADVISOR SEPTEMBER 2020

12 © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC • All rights reserved

DOI: 10.1002/nba

She also explained the stares were insignicant be-

cause the plaintiff and the accused couldn’t see each

other from their cubicles and didn’t work together

on any projects.

The judge was also unimpressed by the parking lot

incidents because the accused had never interacted

with the plaintiff.

EMPLOYER WINS ➔ The judge decided the

plaintiff had failed to establish any alleged conduct

either severe or pervasive enough for a reasonable

person to nd either hostile or abusive.

The judge granted a summary judgment in favor

of the defendant, stating that she didn’t even need to

address the other important issues concerning wheth-

er she knew of the incidents and should have taken

prompt and appropriate corrective action.

[Scarbro v. Saul, U.S. District Court for the

Middle District of Tennessee, No. 3:15-cv-01023,

03/26/2020]. ■

News

Report shows donors cut support

in light of sexual harassment

New research from the Better Business Bureau’s

Wise Giving Alliance shows that close to half of

its survey respondents believe sexual harassment is

a problem in charity workplaces, and news of such

harassment spurs many to halt their donations or

other support.

According to the Give.org Special Report: Sexual

Harassment and the Charitable Sector, which polled

more than 2,100 adults in the United States and more

than 1,000 adults in Canada, 22% of respondents said

they completely stopped supporting a charity in the

wake of alleged sexual harassment, and another 17%

reduced their support, but did not stop it entirely.

The report details how allegations of sexual har-

assment at a charity can have major implications for

the organization’s nances—highlighting the impor-

tance of curbing such behavior and instilling good

governance that ensures it is not tolerated.

“As mission-driven organizations, charities have

a special place in the hearts of the public and can be

held to a high ethical standard,” said H. Art Taylor,

president and CEO of the BBB’s Give.org. “As an

issue of good governance, charities must strengthen

their cultures so that sexual harassment is clearly

understood and never tolerated. They must be pre-

pared to react in a timely and appropriate fashion,

and openly communicate with their donors about the

issues and any implemented solutions.”

For more information, visit https://give.org/

donortrust.

Public trust in charitable sector

high, but uncertain

A new report from the Independent Sector and

Edelman Intelligence show that there is widespread

trust among the general public in nonprots’ abilities

to strengthen society, but that sentiment is on some-

what shaky ground.

According to the report’s authors, understanding

and managing public trust is critical for charitable

organizations to meet their goals and make progress

towards their missions. However, the global pandemic

and protests over racial injustice in recent months

have caused many people to doubt the ability of

nonprots to address major societal challenges.

Per the report, rural Americans and those with

lower incomes and education are more likely to ex-

press skepticism about nonprots. And respondents

from underserved communities—those most in need

of support—report the lowest levels of trust in non-

prots, the report said.

The research can help the sector identify strate-

gies for deepening levels of trust going forward, the

IS said. For example, they found that the ability of

nonprots to demonstrate their impact and empha-

size their mission and values is key to building trust.

Other important drivers for building public trust

include having a relevant mission, having a presence

in the community, demonstrating accountability to

donors and highlighting their accountability to the

communities the organization serves.

For more information, visit https://independentsector.

org. ■

Have a nonprot question

or story idea you would like to share?

Contact Nicholas King, Editor, at

nicholaskingllc@gmail.com