The NonProfit Times recently conducted some interesting research which Paul Clolery writes about in the March 1 issue. More than half of philanthropic contributions in the United States are to religious organizations. That's a longtime standard. However, when the Times surveyed donors about what they thought needed funding, the largest group (35%) answered "education." Religion was fourth, after health and civic and community organizations.
What should fundraisers make of this? Look to the for-profit market. It is well established that people say one thing and do another. We are far more complicated beings than fundraisers have ever given us credit for being. We should be doing a lot more research on people's giving behaviors. It might help organizations waste less money, leaving more to spend on actually accomplishing their missions.
No comments:
Post a Comment