I have been running charities since 1989 when I registered by my first non-profit in Australia, called Hare Krishna Food for Life Hunter Valley. Back then I was a monk and while full of enthusiasm, I had much to learn when it came to donor relations. You can’t just expect people to give without asking them and most people will if you ask them the right way at the right time. However, something odd has been happening over the last 10 years that has tremendously impacted the non-profit sector — donor fatigue. Interest in supporting poverty, hunger and animal welfare have significantly declined over the last decade according to Google Trends. Maybe it’s because there are so many good causes in need these days, and many people find it hard to choose what one is better than the other. Added to this avalanche of good causes you also have an unstable US dollar, an estimated 48 million US citizens on food stamps, an increase in military activity with talk of marshal law, it is no wonder that people are shy to hand over their hard-earned dollars. They have other things on their minds, closer to home. The gap in income between rich and poor is greater in the United States than in any other developed country. Starting in the 1980s rates have consistently exceeded those of other wealthy nations. Half of the U.S. population lives in poverty or is low-income, according to U.S. census data. According to a survey by the Associated Press, four […]
