Changing The Way We Donate

I love hearing Scott Harrison and the team at Charity: Water talk about their organization’s philosophy towards funding, donations, and operational commitments to maximize their organizational effectiveness and transparency. 

Not only do 100% of public donations go directly to building wells, they can go specifically to one well. Even better is that ever donation to a water project is tracked from donation to completion with photos and GPS coordinates. 

They find private donors and grants to cover operational costs as well as cover 100% of the credit card processing fees. This is all extremely hard to do and has the potential to collapse at any point, but doesn’t any funding stream? 

I believe this type of focus and effort truly is pushing nonprofits towards a better way of operating. What I see happening is due to the amount of interaction and transactions that Charity: Water has, you begin seeing education by practice in the donors. When you have a donor who’s given to an organization that’s translating the value of their gift to them, it can’t help but transform the way that donor will give in the future. They now have a new filter they will pass any future donation request through and if you can’t provide similar donor benefits, you’re jeopardizing your chances of getting that donation.

It doesn’t matter how big your organization is or whether you’re local or global, I believe you have to begin thinking of things in a new way.

At NeighborLink, we’ve been operating with the 100% in, 100% out mentality for well over 4 years. We’ve had a group of private donors who believe in our organization enough to ensure our operation costs are covered since NeighborLink began. They want to make sure every bit of effort by the staff, volunteers, and donors go to fulfilling the mission of practical neighbor-to-neighbor expressions of God’s love. 

We’re currently working on a fundraising tool for our volunteers that will help them raise funds on the website for the specific projects they’re working on. This gives them an opportunity to share the story of the project and invite donors into how that story will unfold. 

I encourage you as a donor to learn more about the organizations you’re considering supporting and ask them tough questions about their effectiveness and how they’re using donations. As Scott says in this video, it’s ok to support operational items and request that your donation go to keeping the lights on or paying the phone bill. It’s necessary and ok. The point is to encourage more transparency and more choices as a donor.