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ATTAINING FULFILLMENT
Avoiding Donor Remorse
Donor remorse occurs surprisingly often and occurs for many reasons. A donor may be unhappy about how a gift was used or the recognition he received.
In addition, donors sometimes impose unnecessary restrictions on major gifts, resulting in unintended consequences. A nonprofit will often accept gifts with inappropriate restrictions. Because it is eager to get the gifts, the nonprofit may ignore the long-term consequences of the gift restrictions. Nonprofits often find it difficult to tell a donor that a proposed gift restriction is disruptive, unhelpful, or outright impossible to implement. The philanthropic literature is full of colorful stories of very large gifts that were returned years later because the institution was unable or unwilling to implement the terms of the gift. Sometimes these situations end up in court, with the donor suing the institution that received the gift. For an article by Mark Neithercut on the perils of restricted giving, see "Loosen your strings on charitable giving," published in Crain's Detroit Business.
NPA has significant experience in negotiating the terms of major gifts and grants. We work with donors to ensure that their gifts can be successfully implemented and that they are happy and fulfilled by the gift many years later.
Personal Giving Plan
By aligning your charitable giving with your personal values, you can have more impact on the causes or issues that are important to you. Values-based giving provides a rewarding sense of fulfillment; you will feel much better about your giving because it is having an impact on the issues that matter to you.
Neithercut Philanthropy Advisors works with individuals to develop a “personal giving plan.” This plan will review your past patterns of giving, clarify your values and interests, and recommend a new plan of giving that will enhance your charitable impact and bring you a greater sense of fulfillment. If one’s charitable giving is not aligned with one’s values, then giving becomes obligatory instead of fulfilling.
An excellent book on this topic has been written by our colleague, Tracy Gary: Inspired Philanthropy: Creating a Giving Plan and Leaving a Legacy.
