What do donors want in return

One circumstance is when the terms of a donation agreement are substantially violated. If a donor stipulates that money must go directly to hurricane relief and the funds are instead spent on iPads for staffers, the charity is legally obligated to return the donation.

And, if a donor pays for a ticket to a fundraising event and the event is cancelled, the money must be returned — no questions asked. Return requests are unfortunate, but they happen. Although, make sure you understand why the request is being made so you can prevent similar requests in the future. After all, many small returns add up. With large donations, go over the potential ramifications of returning or not returning them with your legal and financial advisors.

Skip to content. January 5, A donor makes a cash contribution to a nonprofit community health organization. While U. Still, charitable regulations vary by state, and different courts have different rules on whether a donor has "standing," or permission to bring a dispute before the court.

As a donor, the best way to protect your right to a "refund," the Journal reports, is to draft a charitable gift agreement that includes a "gift over" clause that permits you to request a transfer of the gift to another charity in the event of its misuse, said Winton Smith, a lawyer who works with charitable organizations to set up planned-giving programs.

Such agreements, Smith added, should also give you the right to sue in order to enforce the terms of the gift. For example, if their motivation is for social recognition then it might be beneficial to suggest a naming opportunity. If they have a strong affinity to your cause, then maybe their gift can help fund an important project that will be meaningful to them.

This requires doing your homework to adequately get to know your prospect and, and then set alerts so you can stay up-to-date not only of wealth creating events but also of wealth eliminating events. Donors want to know the impact of their donation to you. What their return on investment is? Who or what did it impact or benefit? Keep them interested and in the loop, invite them for a tour of a new building they helped fund. Rather, send them a video showing them the social benefit of a program that their gift helped finance.

Not all donors want to meet face-to-face. Should we not respect them in this? In the past, we raised money by simply asking. We asked through the mail. We asked in person.

We asked at events. And we raised money. They expect more. They want to see a good return on their investment in your organization. They want satisfaction from their giving experience. Share with them the story of the child you just fed or the dog you just saved. Tell the story with a lot of emotion and use photos and video whenever possible so the donor can feel it. Clear explanation of the need.

The more clear and concise you can be, the better. Learn to describe the need in simple language, without jargon, without acronyms, and without extra words. Excellent customer service. When the donor calls or emails with a question, be prompt, friendly, and courteous in getting it answered for them.

Treat them accordingly.