Relevance

Previous Topic: Impact

By relevance, I’m referring to you. What is your passion? We don’t need to spend a ton of time on this, because we’re talking about things that you’re already feeling. But the big key with this final topic is just that: feeling, emotion.

The most obvious passion tie here is something about the cause for which the organization works. It may be the geography in which the organization serves. Or maybe they are addressing an issue with which you can identify because of a childhood experience. Or maybe they are developing a solution to a problem that would change the quality of life for a loved one. The possible reasons are endless. One thing for sure though is that the best way to avoid donor’s remorse is to be passionate about the cause you are supporting.

A more subtle emotional tie has to do with the culture of the organization itself. You may feel drawn to organization who operate in similar ways to how you run your own company or division. If you are a technophile, you may be drawn to sophisticated organizations who incorporate technology to streamline what they do. You may be drawn to organizations that maintain deep benches of professionals within your area of expertise: lawyers, social workers, psychologists, etc. Again, it would be impossible for me to list all of the potential cultural connections, but you get the idea.

Like I said above, we don’t need to spend much time on this. But here’s one final thought. You’re going to involve passion either at the beginning or the end of this process. Your passion may direct you toward a specific cause or type of organization, and then you can use the other metric-driven tools to narrow it down. Or you may use the data to identify several best-of-breed organizations, and then rely on your gut and your heart for the tiebreaker.

Thanks for taking the time to explore the non-profit world with me. Stay tuned as I pull the curtain back on my own organization, Legacy of Hope Foundation, to provide a real world example of how a charity may, or may not, measure up.