A Heavy Responsibility

I don’t know enough about the situation to draw solid conclusions, and I tend to give nonprofits the benefit of the doubt anyway. But in light of any questions — about any organization — an already wary public is going to assume the worst.

It pains me when organizations like the Red Cross seemingly forget that they are venerable nonprofits that represent the entire sector to donors … that this is the age of transparency, where murkiness and “trade secrets” (as was quoted by Red Cross) are frowned upon as vestiges of fundraising past and, worse, red flags to donors who more and more are demanding full disclosure from the organizations they choose to support. Fundraising is a challenge in the best of times. A constant — albeit highly noble and rewarding — challenge. But in a time when donors are stretched to the max, when one tragedy just barely fades out of the headlines before another strikes, it’s even harder.