Any Good is Good

I recently had an exchange with someone who was frustrated with people who give "restricted" gifts - those given by the donor with specific instructions about where the gift is (and is not) to be used. Think of when you were 8 and your grandmother pressed $5 into your palm, instructing you to use it for your new school clothes. It's the same idea - a donor gives money to a non-profit with instructions on what it's for, such as new books, transportation costs, or computers.

We all work hard for our money. If we decide to give it away, I believe that we should feel good, even inspired.  The more that giving feels good to those who give, the more givers will do it and encourage others to do so too. And over the long term, that is what will begin to shift the world.

One of the arguments against restricted gifts was that it circumvented the expertise of those working in non-profits. It is those leaders who know where the money really needs to go. My thought on this is that everything needs to be paid for, but some of the needs are more pressing than others. If there is a donor who really wants to give you new computers, but you got new computers last year, then be creative! Set up a fund with a plan to cash out and buy new computers 5 years from now, see if there's another organization who serves the same population who does need computers, or simply say "no thank you, but we could really use X if you can help us with that." The point is that it won't always work out, but getting creative, building a relationship with donors, and helping donors to feel that they are being as helpful as possible is better than cutting off any potential the donor had to feel connected to the cause.


As much as we don't like to think about our hard-earned money going towards repairing the non-profit's roof, or paying salaries because we really want it to go "directly to the clients" the truth is, its all for the benefit of the clients. That is the very reason for the existence of the organization.

As giving becomes a more deeply ingrained part of our culture, this will be less of an issue. Everyone is passionate about something, and for every thing you can imagine (and many things you can't) there are fans. So maybe the local roofing company decides to contribute to a fund for the non-profit's new roof, building it's own business and helping the non-profit at the same time, but you could think of nothing more boring than spending money on someone else's roof. That's okay! Non-profits are smart and creative enough to work with donors to make giving a great experience. And donors are smart enough to work with me to create a plan that allows them to give consciously!

Being concerned that people give restricted gifts is denying the passion of the giver, cutting off the expression and attachment to the gift - often the very reasons that the giver gave in the first place. It is looking at philanthropy from a glass-half-empty viewpoint, suggesting that there will not be enough and we are all buying dessert and none of us ordering from the main menu. I would rather focus on growing the pie, so we can all order what we want.