Accountability

You thought Fundraising Hell couldn't get any worse after seeing what's happening to the Brand Cops? Think again. (Evil laughter.) It gets worse as we drop down a massive cliff to the level of the Fraudulent — fundraisers who lied to donors. These fundraisers were loose with the truth. They knew what kinds of stories moved donors to compassion, so they told those stories. Even when the stories weren't true.They fudged a statistic here, exaggerated a truth there. They failed to tell the truth.

Russ Reid CEO Tom Harrison, who will be presenting Operation Smile's case study session at Engage along with Operation Smile's Kyla Shawyer, has been a longtime member of the FundRaising Success Editorial Advisory Board, as well as a regular columnist for the magazine. Here is Tom's latest column from our January issue, "The Debate Over Fundraising Costs," where he explains how fundraisers must convey their practices clearly, authentically and honestly while emphasizing the impact over ratios and watchdog benchmarks.

And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand — but can you think of a more divided sector than ours? Despite shining exceptions on the whole we’re divided internally, divided from our partners, divided from the public, and (unforgivably) divided from those we serve. One in six charities fear closure this year. This apocalyptic scenario should force us to question these divisions.

A friend recently commented that as a fundraiser, you are first and foremost selling integrity. If donors feel that you — or your organization — lack integrity, they will likely look elsewhere to donate.

This Editor's Note, "An Ounce of Prevention," from the October 2008 issue, talks about the importance of donor trust and how you should protect it at all costs. It's true that some things never change.

I’m more of an optimist than fortune-teller, but the nonprofit sector is changing in some exciting ways. And I, for one, am excited to see what the new year brings. Following are five trends we should watch for.

Some question whether the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance charity ratings really have teeth, and if the up to $15,000 it receives annually from charities that pay to use its seal of accreditation influences its decisions. The questions come as many charities, particularly smaller ones, struggle to raise money as the proportion of people's incomes devoted to charitable giving remains stagnant.

Listen in as some of fundraising's freshest thinkers take on some of the sector's toughest topics — the things that should be top of mind in the new year.

There will come a time when someone doesn't like something you write, when you make a mistake or even just use a turn of phrase that rubs someone the wrong way. The key is in how you handle it.

Robert Croft and Jennifer Renner shared three keys that make the difference between mediocre fundraising and successful fundraising in tough times during an AFP presentation.