Thoughts on Philanthropy
By Kevin Doyle, Ed.D.
President/CEO, Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School
I have been around non-profits as well as public sector higher education my entire career, both of which rely heavily on philanthropy as a way not just to “keep the doors open,” but to thrive, and I have learned several important lessons along the way. I’d like to share a few of them as we celebrate a year of record-giving here at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School.
First, I would urge all to resist the temptation to rule out any group of people as potential donors. I have seen it time and time again, working in education, addiction treatment, and similar settings. It takes the subtle form of “well, your students/clients/patients will never really make much money, so it’s really not worth reaching out to them for financial support.” Those (usually) well-meaning critics then suggest that we should instead approach so and so (fill in the blank with important person here) who has never heard of us and gets asked for help by every non-profit or charity around. The initial burst of excitement is then replaced with the reality that this famous person/company/organization has no tie to our mission, as opposed to those who benefited directly — and are eager to help in whatever capacity. To this, I say: “NO — let’s not put people in boxes and make assumptions about them!”
The world is filled with people who have resources about which we have no idea, from the thrifty, hard-working individual who makes a totally unexpected major gift after a lifetime of saving, to the entrepreneurial beneficiary of services who advances to a position of being able to make a major donation, to the person who comes from a family with resources, to someone whose partner generates the higher income but whose giving is done as a family/couple.
The fatalism and pessimism that sometimes get in the way is something to challenge and overcome — not something to doom us to failure.
A second important lesson I have learned, from a very wise early mentor of mine, is that “people give to success, not to need.” As I was just dipping my toes into the philanthropic world, this was important to hear as I made the assumption that a compelling ask was one that highlighted how much we needed a donor’s or a prospect’s help — not how much more good work we could do with it. This is a crucial piece of any outreach strategy, that is engaging with someone and dreaming about what could happen with additional financial resources.
The third and final thought here is that non-profits are not entitled to anyone’s money. Giving is a very personal decision and not all people are inclined to give (financially or otherwise) — but if we do a good job of sharing the power of giving, how it feels, and the difference it makes, as well as being great stewards of gifts, many generous people will indeed come forward to help.
Ultimately, of course, all of this comes down to the importance of relationships, listening to people, and sharing the amazing things being done at one’s institution. Donors want to be part of these things, and their wishes and passions are an important consideration. We need to listen to them, avoid making assumptions about what interests them, and, perhaps most importantly, not dismiss their potential to be helpful due to their line of work, appearance, or assume lack of capacity.
