ProFile: Hans Wolters

FS: How has your experience working for and with different organizations over the years helped shape your fundraising philosophy?
HW: There are three key aspects that I believe to be essential when it comes to fundraising: Organizations must always be transparent, accountable and professional. In the same way as businesses do, we have to demonstrate value for money. A donation is an investment — think what the donor is getting in return. The very least we can offer is to ensure that donors are acknowledged and thanked, that they understand how the organization uses its funds and how the charity will go about meeting its objectives. Nonprofits need to be run effectively and efficiently. We cannot and should not be seen as a business — we play a very different role in society — but that doesn't prevent us from looking critically at the business sector to learn from them about improving our effectiveness.