Nonprofits, Don’t Fail This Test

The nonprofit never got another contribution from me because they failed the test.

Big time.

I gave to them in honor of my mother, an annual Mother’s Day tradition. But I chose a new organization that year. I thought she’d really like this one.

I dutifully filled out the online form, including the information for them to send Mom a written notification of the gift.

But the notification to her never came. And I never gave them another dime.

According to Penelope Burk of Cygnus Applied Research, Inc., 50% of donors say their first gift to a nonprofit could have been larger.

Why?

Because they’re testing the organization, for among other things, reliability.

And if a nonprofit can’t reliably acknowledge a gift, it’s failed the test.