Comments on: Percentage Based Fundraising

By: Marc A. Pitman

Marc A. Pitman — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 04:13:49 +0000

Thanks everyone! These comments got hung up in my blog system somehow.

Chaz: I’m not in favor of government regulation either!

Tom & Sandra: I like the idea of weeding out the extremes. But that begs the question…what’s extreme?

Tom & Chaz: I hadn’t thought of how odd it could be to have one group setting laws for all fundraisers. But special interest groups seems to be how the US gov’t works, doesn’t it?

Howard: Interesting point. Dollar goals need to be assessed but in a way that isn’t commissioned based.

Thanks for playing you guys!

By: Howard

Howard — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 03:57:33 +0000

I am in agreement with you – NO COMMISSIONS! Just the other day a friend who is negotiating a job with a nonprofit and whose responsibilities include fundraising was asking about this.

It’s okay and even expected that someone’s supervisor has dollar goals for you and can use results to assess performance, but it’s definitely a Bozo nono to pay for performance or give a cut of the bacon.

By: Sandra Sims

Sandra Sims — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 03:26:10 +0000

Good question! I wonder if the companies that do the sales are misleading when they make the proposal.

I have also heard well-meaning people make comments like “some donations are better than no donations.” So perhaps that is the kind of misguided thinking that leads them to sign up for the programs.

Maybe a percentage limit should be in the law rather than an out and out ban. Then that would outlaw these kind of extremes, where companies are taking advantage of both the charity and the public.

By: Tom Durso

Tom Durso — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:50:53 +0000

I’m not so sure that Congress should step in and render illegal what one professional group calls unethical. That said, I think the call for legislation is a smart move by AFP, since fundraisers on the up-and-up are at risk of getting slimed thanks to the shady practices of the bad guys.

By: Chaz Cirame

Chaz Cirame — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:23:38 +0000

I am fine with it as an AFP policy. I think it is a good idea to discourage the practice.

However I don’t think it is in any fundraisers best interest(or Charity for that matter) to ask for government to start to regulate fundraisers.

In fact the only institution that would benefit from government regulating fundraisers would be AFP itself.

I don’t think AFP has bad intentions with promoting this as public policy but I fear they will get a bad result.

-Chaz