3 Fundraising Ethics Lessons From the Nevermore Academy in 'Wednesday'

If you’re a fan of the show “Wednesday,” you’ll know that amid all the outcasts, zombies, hydes and werewolves, season two was chock-full of references to fundraising. In fact, major gift fundraising and special event hosting were two big themes throughout.

The big takeaway? Don’t be like Dort. Principal Barry Dort employs coercion, misrepresentation, pledges against purportedly disliked minority groups (aka sirens), hostage-taking and threats of immolation in his quest to acquire large donations. 

Despite all of the worst-practice behaviors, there are some lessons to glean from Nevermore Academy when it comes to raising funds. 

1. Know Your Real Donor Base

Fund development at a private boarding school for outcasts means you’re working with a closed constituency. Basically, the people most likely to give to support operations are those already behind the wrought-iron gates — families of current students, grandparents, alumni, the board of directors and staff. While different community members may have different reasons to give, this is the school’s main target donor profile. 

Principal Dort eschewed a variety of fundraising vehicles, such as email solicitations and direct mail, and narrowed his approach to just two methods: targeted major gift asks and a large fundraising gala. The gala, however, amounted to an extravagant party with elaborate sets and décor that mysteriously came together without anyone actually doing any real work. It is entirely possible that Lurch assembled it all quietly in the dead of night. 

The attendees included students, one major donor and the gala chair — and there was no actual fundraising taking place. Instead, the event served as a place to announce and celebrate a transformational gift from an illustrious alumna. So I’ll chalk up the gala to being a really beautiful but expensive party with a fantastic dance routine.

2. Don’t Chase Wealth Over Willingness

That brings us to Dort’s targeted major gift strategy. He produced a short list of potential donors for his chair to contact — a reasonable part of the identification process. But he narrowed his focus to just one main target — Wednesday’s grandmama, Hester Frump. His reasoning? She was the richest person on the list.

In the scheme of major gift fundraising, however, Frump was not the best prospective donor to cultivate. She was a long-lapsed donor who had stopped giving for unknown reasons and displayed pure disdain for the school and the idea of supporting it. 

The concept of linkage, ability and interest tells us that potential donors must have:

• Linkage to your organization or people associated with the organization.
• Ability to give at the desired level.
• Interest in your mission, organization or project. 

Frump had linkage (as an alumna) and ability (as the wealthiest prospect), but had less than zero interest.

Since Dort planned to use manipulation of the siren song to secure the gift, the technicalities of linkage, ability and interest were a moot point. But for the rest of us mere mortals, they matter immensely.

3. Be Curious, Not Presumptive (and Stay Transparent)

It is safe to say that Dort broke every rule in the fundraising handbook — and a few big no-nos occurred at Nevermore Academy. 

When Dort finally met with Frump to pitch his big ask, several issues arose. For one, he never once asked her any questions. Instead, he unveiled a scale model of a proposed School of Mortuary Science he could build in her honor. He had no feasibility study to determine if such a thing was needed or desired and no conversations with her about her interests. He simply decided what might be the biggest boost to her ego and created a presentation to match. 

Additionally, the fundraising thermometer in his office showed a $1 million goal, yet he repeatedly claimed he needed a gift that would “save the school.” Realistically, $1 million would do little to sustain a private boarding school’s operations. And if the fundraising goal was $1 million for operations, why pitch a capital project that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars? 

Viewers know that Dort was a scam artist planning to secure the biggest check possible and then abscond with the funds, but in the reality of fundraising, these are all prime examples of what not to do. 

Use these resources as a moral compass for you, as a fundraiser, in the real world:

• The Donor Bill of Rights
• Code of Ethical Standards 
• Proposed Beneficiary Bill of Rights, outlined in the fifth edition of “Achieving Excellence in Fundraising”

Fundraising is about building relationships, connecting people who want to help with missions that need support and honoring everyone involved in the process. Basically, don’t do anything like Dort — and you’re on the right track.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.