Understanding, transparency key to building strong relationships

• Published date: 01 January 2020
• Date: 01 January 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nba.30700

JANUARY 2020 NONPROFIT BUSINESS ADVISOR

3

© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company • All rights reserved

DOI: 10.1002/nba

multiyear commitments and only 25% being transpar-

ent about their plans to do so (or not).

The same goes for unrestricted support. Per the

report, there is a major gap between how important

nonprot leaders say it is for major donors to provide

unrestricted gifts and the extent to which they do so.

Nonprot leaders say unrestricted gifts offer value

mainly through added exibility—the ability to al-

locate resources where they are needed most at any

given time—which is key to nancial management

and health. In short, they say, it’s an investment in the

organization as a whole, as opposed to one specic

program or project.

The CEP report also noted that nonprots would

very much like their major donors to be more engaged

with their organizations by providing support beyond

cash donations. More than 90% of nonprot leaders

say their organizations’ major donors provide such

support, and most of these leaders would like to re-

ceive even more. Examples of such support include

volunteering time or pro bono services—such as assis-

tance with nancial and volunteer management; legal

support; and general advice, skills or services—as well

as assistance with fundraising—especially providing

introductions to other people in the donors’ networks,

hosting fundraising events/helping with internal

fundraising events and serving as ambassadors for

the brand.

The CEP report concludes with a series of ques-

tions and discussion prompts that nonprots can

provide to their major donors to walk them through

each of these major ndings—and, hopefully, better

inform their giving and engagement with the groups

they support going forward.

For more information, the report can be viewed

online at https://bit.ly/2OiGTkZ. ■

Understanding, transparency key to building strong relationships

According to the Center for Effective Philan-

thropy, building strong relationships with nonprots

is crucial for individual donors and foundations

alike. The CEP’s research into this topic—based

on surveys of some 20,000 nonprots—shows that

in strong relationships, nonprots feel they have

been treated fairly by the funder; are comfortable

approaching the funder when a problem arises; nd

the funder to be responsive; feel that the funder

has clearly communicated about goals and strat-

egies; and feel the funder is consistent in those

communications.

Building relationships that achieve these goals

relies on two key components, the CEP said:

• Understanding. When nonprot leaders feel the

funder understands the reality of their work—of

their organization and of the context in which its

work takes place—the relationship is strengthened.

• Transparency. Nonprots want funders to be

more transparent about how they choose whether

to give to the nonprot and the likelihood of giving.

Although these ndings were developed with

foundation funders in mind, the CEP said they likely

apply equally as well to major donors. ■

• Keep these issues in mind year-round—not just

at election time. Voter protection is a year-round

issue every year, the report argues. Groups work-

ing in this arena need sustained, multiyear funding

so they are ready for every election and the years

in between, which are often when state and local

efforts seek to quietly weaken or remove voter

protections without an election-driven public or

media spotlight.

• Support litigation. Litigation groups have suc-

cessfully challenged countless new restrictions in

recent years, protecting the voting rights of eligible

Americans that are people of color, younger or

from rural areas, or reect other underrepresented

groups, the report noted. In short, litigation is a

critical tool for protecting voting rights. But it is

expensive, and groups ling legal cases need data,

technology, expert witnesses and experienced at-

torneys if they are to succeed.

• Support collaboration, including among

funders. According to the report, grantmakers

can trigger unhealthy competition among voting

rights groups when they set out to “pick winners”

and when they emphasize and reward grantees’

stand-alone victories. In contrast, voting rights

organizations get better, more sustainable results

when they work together, as do funders that work

together to align their investments and broaden

their impact.

The report offers several more suggestions for

funders to get involved and support this critical pro-

gram area. To access the report in full, visit https://

bit.ly/2QQUXny. ■

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