A Heavy Responsibility

If you’re a nonprofit that’s on the up and up, share what you have and remember that transparency is the signature of nonprofit fundraising. If you’re not on the up and up, well, that’s a whole other story. And all I can say is stop.

Maybe it’s not fair that what large nonprofits do affects fundraising in such a big way. But when you spend decades climbing to the top of a sector that prides itself on doing good, being among the biggest players in the game brings a great deal of responsibility — especially in a space that lives and dies by accountability. You are one of the most prominent faces in a field that, by its nature, is faith-based (though not strictly in the religious sense). Donors and other supporters must have faith in this sector. If not, it dies. And then people die. And animals die. And arts die. And dreams die. And hope dies.