The common sense advice that is frequently given about social media is to keep your personal and professional identities completely separate. Much like the age-old saw about not discussing religion or politics at social gatherings, this is meant to avoid controversy, and, more to the point, not give any work associates reason to disagree with you (or terminate your job, etc.).
I've generally followed this advice, with separate blogs and distinct Twitter identities for the personal and professional. I try to keep my Facebook "friends" to only social contacts and my LinkedIn "connections" to only professionals (doesn't always work out that way). I've not gone out of my way to completely hide one identity from the other, but I've been reasonably careful about not deliberately mixing the two.
But, really, what have I got to hide? I'm not a recent college graduate with pictures of wild parties filling my personal social media streams. There are no illegal or immoral activities shared on my personal streams (although, there are some that are fattening). If alcohol is mentioned or pictured, it's most likely in reference to a visit to one of my state's many world-class wineries. The only possible area of controversy is the political.
Then, yesterday, following news of the death of George McGovern, I wondered why I am not more overtly political on this blog. The political is an essential element of the nonprofit sector. Political decisions drive the demand for social services, the results of elections can effect the flow of grant money into the nonprofit sector. And, this coming Presidential election could possibly have a major impact on the tax deductibility of the individual donations we depend on for support.
So, let me make one thing perfectly clear to any readers who may not have already figured this out: I am a liberal. Sometimes I use the euphemism "progressive," but I don't hide from the L word. Liberalism is not just a guide to how I vote, but a key to who I am. Liberal values and ethics permeate my being, and flow through my veins. It comes from my family upbringing, it comes from my religious background, it comes from my education (BA in Politics, Master of Public Policy & Administration), and it comes from my life experiences. It's not likely to be changed by a 30 second attack ad.
My liberalism is why I have made my career in the nonprofit sector. It is liberalism that keeps me dedicated to making the provision of social services efficient, effective, and possible. It is liberalism that makes me a better consultant, more interested in looking for ways nonprofits can better serve our communities than ways to extend my contract and increase my income. Without a conscious choice to live my liberalism, I would more likely have made a career in media or the entertainment industry, and made quite a bit more money. Oh well.
George McGovern's Quixotic campaign for President in 1972 was also part of the background and education that made me a liberal. Yesterday I wrote more about that on my personal blog, here: George McGovern: Acts of Faith
Let me make one more personal, political confession: I am not a Democrat. I was, from when I was able to register to vote in 1979 till about 1995. I was registered as a Green briefly after that, but have been happily DTS ("Decline to State") since. I describe myself as "left-of-center, independent." No one party or candidate owns my vote or can expect it without first earning it.
That said, my final point here is this: The Nonprofit Consultant Blog proudly supports and endorses Barack Obama for a second term as President of the United Sates.
I believe that this President, while far from perfect, has shown dedication to the issues we work on as a sector, and that he deeply cares about the people who we serve. Meanwhile Mitt Romney's private remarks to donors about "the 47%" have disqualified him from consideration by anybody who has dedicated their career to helping those on the lower side of the economic ladder.
We need to give President Obama another term to continue the progress that he has made. Further, we need to help him by removing the obstructionist Tea Party Republicans from Congress. I am an independent, who has regularly split my vote, but this year it is vital to elect a straight Democratic ticket. I hope you will join me.
Showing posts with label privacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label privacy. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2012
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Whose Story is it Anyway?
I am one who has always believed in the value of good story telling in fundraising. Nothing earth shattering in that statement. Most anybody who has been successful in nonprofit fundraising - whether writing grant proposals, doing direct mail, or creating event programs - will tell you the same thing.
Even with foundations (and others) seemingly more focused than ever on outcomes and measurements, when I teach proposal writing I always caution my students from getting so caught up in the numbers that they forget the human element. Data and statistics, I tell them, may help make the case, but it's putting a face and a story to that data that gets signatures on checks.
With that in mind, I also believe that nonprofits who want to be effective at fundraising should always be on the look-out for good stories from the people they serve, encouraging them to (if possible) write out their experience of how the organization helped in their own words. These can be used in proposals, letters, speeches, etc.
For years this was considered good advice, and was appreciated by my students and clients alike. Until earlier this year.
The program staff of an organization I was working with all very strongly felt that using these real stories - even with names and identifying details changed - was a violation of their client's trust and privacy, ethically questionable, and akin to an act of violence.
The clients had been through rough times and did not have much. What they did have was their personal story, and to take that from them was beyond exploitation. Unless the client voluntarily and without prompting offered, "I want you to use my story to market the organization," there would be no compromise on this position.
I completely understood where the program staff was coming from on this, and the importance of being respectful of telling somebody else's story. But I also know the reality of trying to raise funds for even the best of causes without the ability to talk about the organization's success in terms of the success of the individuals it serves.
I have no simple answers with this blog post, other than to inform and ask permission before using a client story in your organizational material. But what do you think?
Are the stories of your client's success so important that it justifies exploiting them to raise money? And while the circumstances that brought a client to your nonprofit may be their private affair, don't you have some right to talk about how you helped them out of those circumstances? Please comment below - I'd love to know how you handle this delicate issue.
Even with foundations (and others) seemingly more focused than ever on outcomes and measurements, when I teach proposal writing I always caution my students from getting so caught up in the numbers that they forget the human element. Data and statistics, I tell them, may help make the case, but it's putting a face and a story to that data that gets signatures on checks.
With that in mind, I also believe that nonprofits who want to be effective at fundraising should always be on the look-out for good stories from the people they serve, encouraging them to (if possible) write out their experience of how the organization helped in their own words. These can be used in proposals, letters, speeches, etc.
For years this was considered good advice, and was appreciated by my students and clients alike. Until earlier this year.
The program staff of an organization I was working with all very strongly felt that using these real stories - even with names and identifying details changed - was a violation of their client's trust and privacy, ethically questionable, and akin to an act of violence.
The clients had been through rough times and did not have much. What they did have was their personal story, and to take that from them was beyond exploitation. Unless the client voluntarily and without prompting offered, "I want you to use my story to market the organization," there would be no compromise on this position.
I completely understood where the program staff was coming from on this, and the importance of being respectful of telling somebody else's story. But I also know the reality of trying to raise funds for even the best of causes without the ability to talk about the organization's success in terms of the success of the individuals it serves.
I have no simple answers with this blog post, other than to inform and ask permission before using a client story in your organizational material. But what do you think?
Are the stories of your client's success so important that it justifies exploiting them to raise money? And while the circumstances that brought a client to your nonprofit may be their private affair, don't you have some right to talk about how you helped them out of those circumstances? Please comment below - I'd love to know how you handle this delicate issue.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Donor Care & Privacy
Mary Allie of Marquette, Michigan is a regular donor to the North Shore Animal League - an animal rescue organization that has a no euthanize policy. Recently, she's received a new benefit of being a donor to North Shore: sweepstakes advertisements in the mail.
No, North Shore is not in the sweepstakes business, they've simply sold their mailing list to the sweepstakes company. Buying and selling mailing lists is a perfectly legal activity, but it is not without ethical issues.
Does your nonprofit organization sell your donor lists? Do you have a privacy policy that spells out under what conditions you will release the names and contact information about your donors?
In the case of North Shore Animal League, their policy is, "if donors want to remove their name from the list, they just have to mention it." The problem with that policy is that it is up to the donor to figure out that their names might be sold and be pro-active about removing it.
If she so requests, North Shore will no longer be able to sell Mary Allie's name, but now that the sweepstakes company has it, who else will they sell it to?
It is a much better policy for the nonprofit to be the pro-active one. First, create a list management and privacy policy and decide if and when you might share your list. Then, make that policy public - post it on your web site, publish it in your annual report or a newsletter. Then, on your donation forms, place a check box for donors to opt-in (I.E. "Check here if we may share your information with other organizations and corporate partners").
Personally, I don't think nonprofits should ever be selling their donor lists. There are times, however, when it might be appropriate to trade lists with another kindred organization. But, before you do so, make sure your donors are aware of how you use their information.
Don't wait for the phone call offering to buy your list to decide what to do. Get your management team and board together to discuss this and create a list management and privacy policy today.
Tags: nonprofit, donors, mailing lists, privacy policy, information sharing, ethics
No, North Shore is not in the sweepstakes business, they've simply sold their mailing list to the sweepstakes company. Buying and selling mailing lists is a perfectly legal activity, but it is not without ethical issues.
Does your nonprofit organization sell your donor lists? Do you have a privacy policy that spells out under what conditions you will release the names and contact information about your donors?
In the case of North Shore Animal League, their policy is, "if donors want to remove their name from the list, they just have to mention it." The problem with that policy is that it is up to the donor to figure out that their names might be sold and be pro-active about removing it.
If she so requests, North Shore will no longer be able to sell Mary Allie's name, but now that the sweepstakes company has it, who else will they sell it to?
It is a much better policy for the nonprofit to be the pro-active one. First, create a list management and privacy policy and decide if and when you might share your list. Then, make that policy public - post it on your web site, publish it in your annual report or a newsletter. Then, on your donation forms, place a check box for donors to opt-in (I.E. "Check here if we may share your information with other organizations and corporate partners").
Personally, I don't think nonprofits should ever be selling their donor lists. There are times, however, when it might be appropriate to trade lists with another kindred organization. But, before you do so, make sure your donors are aware of how you use their information.
Don't wait for the phone call offering to buy your list to decide what to do. Get your management team and board together to discuss this and create a list management and privacy policy today.
Tags: nonprofit, donors, mailing lists, privacy policy, information sharing, ethics
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