August 11, 2013 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Donors want to be solicited by people who look and talk like them, says Marybeth Gasman, co-author of “Engaging Diverse College Alumni: The Essential Guide to Fundraising.”
Along with Nelson Bowman III, executive director of development at Prairie View A&M University, Ms. Gasman asked minority donors at 61 institutions how they most wanted to be courted.
Ms. Gasman, a professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, says organizations that encounter trouble finding minority candidates for fundraising jobs should look at their own staffs to see if anyone might be a good candidate for development training. Offering internships to local college students might also be a way to start building a pipeline of minority fundraisers.
In addition, she suggests turning to people who work in relevant jobs outside the nonprofit world, such as sales.
“You have to stop limiting yourself in terms of only wanting people to come out of the fundraising area,” Ms. Gasman says.
Among her other suggestions:
Train everyone. Fundraisers from across the development office should learn as much as possible about how people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds think about giving and what motivates them. She also suggests gathering data, such as by surveying alumni and holding focus groups.
Don’t hide the past. Organizations that have checkered histories with blacks, gays, or other members of minority groups should acknowledge their past. They also should update their constituents on how the situation has improved or is improving and seek out their ideas on how to make amends.
Make photos count. Include pictures of minorities in publications and other items designed to attract donors. “Over and over, when I look at fundraising materials, I rarely ever see people of color. Or women,” Ms. Gasman says. “That’s really important. It’s a visual representation of people.” Also, avoid showing a picture of a white donor with a bunch of black children, one of the most common sights in fundraising materials. “I see it over and over,” Ms. Gasman says. “Why is this the only picture? Why is it always the white savior?”
Ask potential donors what they want. Check whether minorities want to take leadership roles, such as on alumni boards, she suggests, or whether they want to socialize and build professional networks with others like them. Black or Latino donors may want a “safe space” for connecting with others, she says. “Sometimes white people can’t get that.”
