NONPROFIT PROFESSIONALS ARE UNHAPPY WITH FUNDRAISING

By Anna Rebecca Lopez, AR Lopez Consulting

Go back to the infographic via this link

(Introduction text)

A group of BIPOC* fundraisers and nonprofit professionals began a collaboration to build a movement for racial and economic justice, sharing dreams of a world beyond capitalism and the nonprofit industrial complex. To gauge perceptions of nonprofit fundraising, this group distributed a survey in May 2019. Intended to highlight the thoughts and experiences of fundraisers and presented through a series of infographics, here are some findings from over 2,000 fundraisers and nonprofit professionals surveyed.

*BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and People of Color

THE TAKEAWAY

(The following section is visualized through a brown box wrapped around the following text:)

The majority of fundraisers and nonprofit professionals are unhappy with how fundraising is being done in the sector. BIPOC fundraisers/nonprofit professionals are ‘very unhappy’ (30%), more so than white fundraisers/nonprofit professionals (16%).

(The following section is visualized through two line graphs stacked on top of each other, one of BIPOC fundraisers, which is colored in browns, tans, sea green, and pink-coral, and the other graph is of white fundraisers, which is colored in dark greens, sky blue, and cotton pinks. The charts show the happiness levels of fundraisers.)

(The BIPOC graph:)

BIPOC fundraisers who are very unhappy with how fundraising is done in the sector: 30%
BIPOC fundraisers who are somewhat unhappy with how fundraising is done in the sector: 43%
BIPOC fundraisers who are neutral with how fundraising is done in the sector: 13%
BIPOC fundraisers who are somewhat happy with how fundraising is done in the sector: 13%
BIPOC fundraisers who are very happy with how fundraising is done in the sector: 1%

(The white graph:)

White fundraisers who are very unhappy with how fundraising is done in the sector: 16%
White fundraisers who are somewhat unhappy with how fundraising is done in the sector: 47%
White fundraisers who are neutral with how fundraising is done in the sector: 17%
White fundraisers who are somewhat happy with how fundraising is done in the sector: 17%
White fundraisers who are very happy with how fundraising is done in the sector: 1%

(The following section shows three circle/pie charts in yellow, dark green, and lighter green. It  depicting the above data more broadly.)

(Pie chart #1 has a 66% wedge colored in, in yellow)

The majority of nonprofit professionals are unhappy with fundraising in the nonprofit sector.

(Pie chart #2 has a 63% wedge outlined in indigo)

Two-thirds of white fundraisers are unhappy

(Pie chart #3 has a 73% wedge colored in, in lighter green)

Three-fourths of BIPOC fundraisers are unhappy

(The following section is a new section. It features introductory text and then a dark green box with a bulleted list in white writing and yellow arrows as the bullets. It says:)

WHY FOLX ARE UNHAPPY

Although the 2019 survey did not ask respondents to qualify why they were unhappy, a CCF Summit held in August 2018 gives insight into challenges BIPOCs face with current fundraising practices. When asked what wasn’t working in fundraising, BIPOC fundraisers at the summit mentioned a variety of concerns. These include:

• Fundraising and philanthropy built on racist systems and white supremacy
• Transactional process of fundraising
• Power dynamics in discussions around money
• Generational wealth inequities between white and BIPOC folx
• Lack of BIPOC inclusion and representation in the sector
• Capitalization of trauma in donor-serving communications and storytellingUnrealistic expectations and stipulations in grant processes
• Inaction and lack of direction in changing fundraising practices
• Competition for scarce resources
• Prioritizing donor-driven projects over organizational and community mission
• Lack of education on how to engage donors and organizations in social justice
• Limited resources and capacity of fundraisers
• Limited resources and capacity of community
• Misconceptions around how communities give
• Concern of donor loss with increased social justice activities and discussions
• Donors paternalism, when donors think they know more about a community than the people who actually live in the community

(The following section is a new section. It takes about the demographics of respondents surveyed and is a mix of color graphs and charts along with accompanying text.)

WHO WAS SURVEYED?

The 2019 survey asked respondents to self-identify their race and/or ethnicity. Respondents were able to select multiple options of the list provided and were able to write-in races and/or ethnicities not provided in the options. The majority of respondents identified as white (84%), this included respondents who identified as Caucasian, Jewish, and/or European. Of the 16% of respondents who identified as BIPOC, this also included individuals who self-identified as coming from ‘mixed ancestry’ or ‘multi-racial.’

(Here, there is a dark indigo pie chart showing that 84% of respondents were white and 16 percent of respondents, shown as a pink wedge, were BIPOC.)

(Next to the BIPOC percentage, there is deeper-dive information. There is a breakdown of ethnicities of respondents who were surveyed. The list is shown as a bar graph in descending order, from highest percentage to smallest percentage. The list says:)

Latinx and/or Hispanic – 31%
Asian/Asian American – 29%
African American/Black/of the African diaspora – 22%
Native American/Indigenous/ First Nations – 8%
Arab American/Middle Eastern – 6%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – 4%
South Asian/Indian – 1%

(The following sections are subsections of the demographics info. The subsections are arranged side-by-side with yellow headings that say “Geography” and “Immigration.”)

GEOGRAPHY

Nearly all respondents live in the United States (white 94%, BIPOC 95%). People outside the U.S. represent 26 countries, with the largest representations coming from Canada, United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

(There is a brown pie chart here that has a dark indigo wedge in it. The chart shows that nearly all respondents were from the U.S.)

IMMIGRATION

Of the folks who live in the U.S., less than one-tenth of white fundraisers either immigrated to the U.S. or whose parents immigrated to the U.S.

(There is a small pink line graph here featuring two data points with the word “white” over the top of both graphs. The graphs show:)

3% [of white respondents] immigrated to the U.S.
5% [of white respondents] have parents who immigrated to the U.S.

In contrast, more than half of BIPOC fundraisers either immigrated to the U.S. or had parents who immigrated to the U.S.

(There is a small indigo line graph here featuring two data points with the word “BIPOC” over the top of both graphs. The graphs show:)

15% [of BIPOC respondents] immigrated to the U.S.
38% [of BIPOC respondents] have parents who immigrated to the U.S.

(The next subsection is titled “Career Roles” and features bar graphs in multiple colors, showing what jobs white respondents and how BIPOC respondents hold in nonprofit.)

CAREER ROLES

People who responded to the survey identified their main work roles, with the majority of respondents holding fundraising and/or leadership roles*.

*Totals exceed 100% as folks could select more than one role.

Development/Fundraising
BIPOC – 40%
white – 45%

Senior Leadership
BIPOC – 33%
white – 36%

Direct Service
BIPOC – 16%
white – 10%

Communications
BIPOC – 14%
white – 12%

Operations
BIPOC – 10%
white – 9%

(Underneath the chart are three sections that expand on the information conveyed in the chart. The first two are portrayed through bulleted lists and the third is portrayed through two pie charts.)

ADDITIONAL ROLES

Additional roles beyond the top 5 highlighted here include:

• Volunteer Engagement
• Administration Research
• Advocacy
• Consultation
• Finances
• Program Officers

DIVERGENCE

When looking at the roles BIPOC respondents held compared to their white counterparts, there was a higher percentage of BIPOC respondents holding positions in:

• Direct Services
• Communications
• Volunteer Engagement
• Administration

FUNDRAISING RESPONSIBILITIES

72% of BIPOC respondents and 82% of white respondents said they do fundraising as part of their role.

(The last subsection is titled “Length of Experience” and features bar graphs in multiple colors, showing how long respondents have worked in nonprofit.)

LENGTH OF EXPERIENCE

Of those who do fundraising, BIPOC respondents have been doing so for less years than their white counterparts.

0-2 years
BIPOC – 19%
white – 13%

3 to 5 years
BIPOC – 25%
white – 23%

6 to 10 years
BIPOC – 25%
white – 22%

11 to 20 years
BIPOC – 21%
white – 30%

21+ years
BIPOC – 10%
white – 13%

(The last part shows two sets of pie charts, depicting the difference in years of experience between white respondents and BIPOC respondents. The pie charts are in dark indigo and brown.)

5 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE OR FEWER

Nearly half (44%) of BIPOC fundraisers and one-fourth of white fundraisers (25%) have engaged in fundraising for less than five years.

11 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE OR MORE

In contrast, nearly half of white fundraisers (43%) and one-third of BIPOC fundraisers (31%) have engaged in fundraising for 11 years or more.

(The very bottom of the infographic shows the CCF logo on the left hand side. On the right hand side, it says: “© 2020 Community Centric-Fundraising” and “Infographic design by Stacy Nguyen.”)

This infographic is part of a multi-part series. Read part two of the series here. Follow CCF on Instagram, Facebook, or sign up for our mailing list to get notified of the next part!