In spite of the fact that the recession is apparently having no effect on levels of giving, fundraisers are thinking hard about how to keep their supporters’ wallets open during the downturn. And I like the sound of what they’re saying.

Over at the influential marketing agency Bluefrog, Mark Phillips is telling charities that they should give a better account of where their donors’ money is spent, and what difference each of them can make to the charity’s work.

Commenting at Professional Fundraising magazine, online-fundraising guru Steve Bridger argues that charities should do more to build real, meaningful relationships with their donors. Steve argues that it’s “about time we started calling donors ‘partners’, and [gave] them the importance they deserve.”

And the American fundraiser (and great blogger) Jeff Brooks has also weighed in, praising the US charity-rating service, Charity Navigator, for empowering donors in its plan to offer an assessment of how effective charities really are.

This is really encouraging stuff. We’ve been banging on for years about how important it is for charities to be honest with their supporters, and explain what good donors’ money will really do. If the recession means that charities end up doing this, then that’s at least something we should be happy about.
 

 

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