On Worthiness: How to Avoid Falling into a Charity Model Trap
The state of the world has made us want to connect with more of you, more often. For the rest of 2020, the Campbell & Company Communications team is sharing a new article every week that explores a topic in case development and fundraising communications, drawn from our work.
Whether it’s thinking about how to approach fundraising communications against the backdrop of current events or tackling an evergreen challenge we see time and time again in nonprofits across the sector, these articles focus on practical tips to empower fundraising leaders in their day-to-day work. Subscribe to the series here.
When it comes to philanthropy, the idea of “worthiness” is often an important factor in a donor’s decision to give. Causes are worthy of investment. Problems are worth solving. Committing to a nonprofit with a mission you believe in is a worthwhile undertaking.
But there is an insidious side to worthiness that sometimes plays out in our sector, too. When the assessment of “worthy” (and consequently: “not worthy”) is turned on the people our organizations serve, it becomes a weapon.
