Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My: Fundraising in Times of Crisis

As I’m writing this, Hurricane Florence is barreling toward North Carolina. Watching the news reports, I’m reminded that the best way to weather a storm is to prepare before one strikes. The tragic situation in the southeastern US can serve as a metaphor for coping with any type of crisis, even for the nonprofit sector.

The best way to deal with a crisis is to prepare for one before one strikes. 

Guest blogger Sophie W. Penney, PhD is a big believer in that axiom. Sophie is President of i5 Fundraising and Senior Program Coordinator/Lecturer for the Penn State University Certificate Program in Fundraising Leadership. As the co-editor and chapter author of the soon-to-be-released book, Student Affairs Fundraising, Raising Funds to Raise the Bar, Sophie will be sharing her insights at the CT Alliance 2018 Conference on October 2, 2018 where she will present a session about leading through challenging times, Lions, Tigers and Bears: Leading Through Crisis.

A crisis can affect any type of organization. The nonprofit sector is not immune. As I point out in “What is the Most Important Thing You Can Learn from Recent Nonprofit Scandals?” there are three broad types of scandals or crises: 1) self-inflicted scandals beyond your control, 2) self-inflicted scandals you could have avoided, and 3) guilt-by-similarity scandal.

I’m grateful to Sophie for her willingness to share with us a few tidbits from her upcoming presentation that will help us all become better prepared to weather any scandal or crisis as we continue to strive to raise more money:

 

Michael Rosen’s recent blog post, “The Dark Side of the Fundraising Profession,” was a clarion call to fundraisers. The piece served as a reminder that a profession designed to bring joy and result in great good can be fraught with challenges.

Fundraisers are pressed to raise ever-larger sums (and the sooner the better); as a result, it can be compelling to focus on fundraising tips, tools, and techniques that will bring in ever-bigger dollars. Yet a crisis, particularly legal or ethical in nature, can derail fundraising not only for a fiscal year, but for far longer.

Fundraising in times of crisis hit home for me in 2011 with the advent of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal. This child sexual abuse scandal toppled the Penn State University President, resulted in the abrupt firing of the University’s revered football coach, led to the sale of a nonprofit founded to serve the very types of children who became victims, and rocked a small community previously known as “Happy Valley.” What’s more, the scandal came to light in the midst of the University’s billion-dollar capital campaign, which was on the verge of going into a public phase. Yet, the Sandusky Scandal is just one of many such crises to rock the nonprofit world:

Remembering Karen Chizeck (1959-2018)

Karen Chizeck, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit and political fundraising consultant, died on August 31. She suffered from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

She had a distinguished fundraising career. Before establishing her consulting practice, Karen worked for US Sen. John Heinz (R-PA), WHYY-TV 12, and Fox Chase Cancer Center. Her consulting clients included US Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), state Sens. Joe Rocks (R-PA) and Bruce Marks (R-PA), Philadelphia mayoral candidate Sam Katz (R), Republicans for Choice, Pennsylvania Ballet, Temple University Health Systems, and Friends of Old Pine Street. She also served as a Republican Ward Leader in Philadelphia.

I was fortunate to have been friends with Karen. Decades ago, we met when we both first got involved with the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Philadelphia Chapter. We served on the same committee that happened to meet early in the morning, prior to the traditional workday. At the committee’s inaugural meeting, everyone was quite chipper, that is with the exception of Karen and me. We were the only non-morning people on the committee and, therefore, we developed an instant bond.

Karen Chizeck

Karen and I would always sit next to each other during the committee meetings. We would share side-jokes and, I’m sure, brilliantly witty comments; it kept us awake those early mornings. At one point, the committee chair jokingly threatened to separate us – at least I think she was joking.