Why fundraising doesn't always need to be polite

Traditional thinking in the charity sector is that fundraisers should always be polite when dealing with the public.

 

But that is based on the, sadly, false presumption that the public is always polite to them.

 

While most people are considerate, there is now a growing acceptance that fundraisers can face abuse, intimidation, and discrimination. Female fundraisers can be a particular target of harassment.

 

Here we look at a culture change taking place in how fundraisers are expected to be behave amid the threats they face in the street, at high end donor events, and online.

 

This is leading many in the fundraising sector to realise they simply cannot always be polite and should act robustly should they encounter abuse.

 

 

Fundraising abuse

 

Emerging evidence has shown the extent of abuse and intimidation fundraisers, especially women, can receive as they look for donations.

 

A report by academics at Ohio State University found that three quarters of fundraisers have experienced sexual harassment at some point in their career and two in five have experienced this in the last two years.

 

This also found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual fundraisers experience high rates of sexual harassment.

 

The problem could be even greater with many incidents not reported. Less than three in ten fundraisers harassed by a donor or other stakeholder report the incident to their charity or organisation.

 

Similarly, a Cambridge University report details the sexual harassment fundraisers receive from donors, particularly major gift givers.

 

This found fundraisers are “required to cultivate close professional relationships with donors, who are often older men with high net-worth and social status”. This creates a “power imbalance” that “frequently leads to donor perpetrated sexual harassment”.

 

Charity sector body the Chartered Institute of Fundraising has also noted this “uneven power dynamic” in donor fundraising relationships, particularly for major giving.

 

It warns that “sexual harassment can be a risk for fundraisers as they often find themselves working alone and attending external events”.

 

Its guidance says that “fundraisers should never be under pressure to accept any inappropriate behaviour or harassment of any kind”.

 

Meanwhile, charity fundraiser Aaron Mahmut, who has campaigned for Unicef and Save the Children, among others, told UK newspaper Metro in 2017 how often people can be “rude and aggressive” to street fundraisers.

 

He details how over the years he has been “punched, strangled, chased and attacked” for approaching people for a donation.

 

 

Fundraising regulator

 

Such intimidation, abuse and harassment has been acknowledged by the UK’s Fundraising Regulator, as part of a 2023 review of its Fundraising Code, that fundraisers are expected to adhere to.

 

In a consultation around the code the regulator admitted that fundraising’s current “expectation to be polite ‘at all times’ could be a problem for fundraisers facing abuse or intimidation during their work”.

 

Instead, it considers whether a revised rule “could include an expectation for fundraisers to always behave ‘professionally’, rather than “be polite’”.

 

It adds: “This adjustment could allow fundraisers to respond with appropriate assertiveness to inappropriate behaviour from potential donors and the public”.

 

The regulator has also been considering changing the current rule to ensure fundraisers do not continually ask a person for a donation if a person has indicated they do not want to continue the conversation.

 

Currently the rule says fundraisers must “end the conversation in a polite way”.  But under proposed changes the focus will be on ensuring a person’s privacy is respected and that any requests for a fundraiser to leave are not ignored.

 

 

Code of conduct

 

The Fundraising Regulator’s concerns link in with a policy document published by think tank Rogare in March 2023. This called for a code of conduct for donors to commit to ensuring they behave “in a respectful and non-discriminatory manner towards fundraising professionals”.

 

It is a commitment aimed at all donors, but Rogare believes this would be particularly useful when dealing with high end givers.

 

When faced with sexism, fundraisers can “feel obliged to conform in a way that would not endanger the donor’s gift to their organisation of their relationship with the donor”, as well as tolerating “unacceptable behaviour”, says Rogare.

 

Clearly, the relationship between fundraiser and donor, whether offering small change in the street or thousands of pounds at an event, can be strained at times. By being kind and respectful of each other there is no need for these relationships to be anything other than polite.

 

But when this relationship breaks down fundraisers need to call out poor behaviour, abuse, harassment, or intimidation, to show that it is not acceptable.

 

“Clearly, the nonprofit sector has an obligation to acknowledge and address the serious issue of donor perpetrated sexual harassment of fundraisers,” adds Rogare.

 

It urges charities to have open discussions around donor relationship policies so that fundraisers do not have to tolerate unacceptable behaviour and to challenge the status quo of fundraising where possible.