In this blog, Sujit Peris Head of Regional Philanthropy and Partnerships, Amnesty International, reflects on how major donors have been respondent to waves of unprecedented challenges.
On a recent trip to my local supermarket, I found myself debating whether to buy a large chocolate bar. The chocolate bar in question was now 35% more expensive than six months ago. My salary has not gone up by 35% and I’m being told in the media that the chocolate bar is the least of my problems, given the likely energy bills coming my way this winter. This wasn’t a simple decision! I’ll come back to the chocolate bar.
I work in the area of major gifts at Amnesty International. My team, based around the world, supports our efforts globally working with many different offices in very different circumstances. The past few years have been unprecedented.
My first reaction as the first lockdown was announced in March 2020, was one of gloom. Over the years, I had been told and told others, that major gift fundraising was all about in-person relationships. If you could meet those major donors face to face, then you could build the relationships that could unlock transformational gifts. My gloom was unfounded. 2020 ended up being our best year for major gifts across the globe. 2021, followed a similar path. This year we are seeing some challenges but, if in March 2020 you would have given me two years of growth, I would have taken it with both hands. So, what happened?
On the donor side, I think it’s fair to say that philanthropists stepped up. Many of them focussed on big initiatives related to the pandemic. For Amnesty, many loyal donors could see the challenges we were facing and gave more. On top of that we adapted, we arranged online briefings and requested online meetings. On both the donor and fundraiser side, I think we were more grateful. Grateful for our own safety and privilege but also for the company of a friendly face on a screen. Technology was so important. Not long ago, in a world without Zoom or Microsoft Teams we had no way to meaningfully converse with our donors.
What I have seen, in the past 2 years and my experience of working in this sector in 2008 and 2009, tells me that there is always light in a dark tunnel. There is opportunity in a difficult fundraising environment. I recently shared with our global directors of fundraising that the motivations for philanthropists in a recession only increase. That is not to say some of our major donors won’t be adversely affected – some will. However, many will find themselves able and compelled to support social causes and see their role as even more important than before. We need to embrace the message that we need them more than ever, in an uncertain world. They may also be more demanding of our organisations, given how important it is that we are working effectively.
Now, we can get out and meet them, we absolutely should – human contact is as important as ever. But let’s not forget the lessons of the past two years. What used to be a long donor meeting might now be a 20-minute call on Zoom. We must make sure that we use that time wisely to engage our donors. Online or hybrid events allow more donors to engage with us – that is a good thing, we mustn’t lose that. We need to provide a great experience for donors, even those that may drop off in these difficult times. If we are seeing less of some of our donors, the role of text messages, handwritten cards and even video messages become more important.
Going back to the chocolate, I didn’t buy it. But I thought about why. It wasn’t because it was 35% more – I could afford it. My decision was driven by whether it was good for me, cost merely cemented what was the ‘right’ decision. Philanthropists also will be primarily thinking about making the ‘right’ decision’ for them. As always, the role of fundraisers is vitally important in this.