Ken Goldstein, MPPA

Ken Goldstein has been working in nonprofits and local government agencies from Santa Cruz, to Sacramento, and back to Silicon Valley, since 1989. He's been staff, volunteer, board member, executive director, and, since 2003, a consultant to local nonprofit organizations. For more on Ken's background, click here. If you are interested in retaining Ken's services, you may contact him at ken at goldstein.net.

Friday, April 14, 2006

New Report on Donor Attitudes

According to a new report by the nonpartisan research organization Public Agenda, "typical giving tends to be based on personal experience and emotional connections." Hopefully most of us knew that already, but it's good to be reminded of it occasionally anyway.

The report, The Charitable Impulse, finds that "American donors are passionate and positive about the charities and nonprofits they support. But at the same time ... they are concerned when these organizations market themselves in ways that mimic 'big business.'"

Spending too much money on fancy brochures, mailing unsolicited "gifts," and using the dreaded telemarketers, all tend to backfire on the organizations, and sour donors on giving their support. Donors want their money spent on programs and advocacy, not promotional items.

The report goes into detail about the average donor's reaction when scandal hits the charitable world, and how it hurts us all.

For a longer review of the report, see New Study Shows Givers See Nation's Charities as Crucially Important But Wary of Slick, Pushy Marketing (on Independent Sector) - Or go to Public Agenda to download the full report (pdf file).

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