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HomeOur Legal SystemTo Give Or Invest - Which Do You Prefer?

If you are currently supporting a nonprofit organization by donating your time and/or money, how do you view your giving? Is it a “gift” or an “investment?” Does one of these words appeal to you more than the other?

The word “giving” is fraught with various definitions and connotations. In the world of fundraising, we use this word interchangeably and in so many different ways, it is often difficult to know exactly what someone really means by it.

Many nonprofit organizations offer extensive benefits in return for “giving.” Invitations to special events, membership discounts, and coffee mugs are standard, sometimes even for a gift as small as $50. These benefits may be nice, but are they enough to satisfy you? How important are they when it comes time to decide how much you’re going to give again, or whether or not you even will?

As a donor, you may wonder what happened to that $50 you just sent to your favorite nonprofit. The reality is, a gift that comes in the form of a check has a rich afterlife. There is, indeed, quite a lot happening with it! But if you are left wondering about it for too long, your wondering can turn into frustration. If you do not hear a well-told story about what exactly your gift has helped the organization accomplish, you may get the impression that it didn’t matter. This is the kiss of death for a nonprofit organization. Forget the coffee mug–what you really want is to know that your gift was spent on something worthwhile, right?

So why is this information so important to you if your donation is a “gift?” Because you are hoping to discover (consciously or not) that your donation has been treated as an investment. Basically, if you set aside legal terminology, a “gift” is an “investment” when it is treated as such by the recipient. Every nonprofit organization has the ability to treat their gifts as investments, simply through good communication, and the power in doing so is incredible.

How does it make you feel when you receive not only a nice “thank you,” either in the form of a sincere letter or phone call, but also a detailed story about how your donation was spent, and where the organization is headed in the future? Don’t you feel like you are integral to furthering a cause? And doesn’t this feel better than being just another donor in the donor listing? Or the recipient of yet another coffee mug?

We all want to be part of a grand plan, a greater mission, something bigger than ourselves. Being an investor in a cause allows us to feel this way. The more you integrate this truth into your attitude, the more you will serve yourself and others.

If you donate to or volunteer for a nonprofit, give feedback about which benefits you’d like to receive and which ones you’d rather do without. Treat yourself more as an investor than just a donor, and see what happens. By doing this, you may help your favorite nonprofit save money and potentially serve you better in the future.

Alternatively, if you manage a business, think about what might happen if you were to send a heartfelt “thank you” message, along with a brief story, to each of your most valued clients telling them 1) how your company’s mission has advanced over the past year, 2) which companies and/or nonprofits you’ve partnered with or donated to and why, and 3) what you are aiming for in the future. You might just make your clients feel like investors in something important. That sure beats leaving them feeling like donors to your salary!

The coming year will be a time to be more strategic about showing people where their money has gone, whether through donations, products or services. We all want to feel we maximize our dollars every time we spend money, now more than ever before. Both nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses can use this to their advantage by making their donors and clients feel like they are investors in a cause that matters.



Source by Lilly Schlachta

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