“Trust in nonprofits is at about 39%.”
Does that number alarm you? Because I see it as a call to action. At this pivotal moment in history when there is such a large opportunity to bring people together through technology and social media to create real change in our world, most people don’t trust the institutions that should be leading the charge.
How can a nonprofit organization overcome this public relations problem and demonstrate its credibility?
Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator, and I discuss how his organization is bringing transparency to how nonprofits are evaluated and how they are making it easier for donors to make better decisions based on the actual outcomes and health of an organization.
He encourages nonprofits to tell their stories of adaptability and to highlight investments in leadership as a way to build credibility. And he addresses the “overhead myth”, a classic and outdated metric for evaluating the health of a nonprofit organization.
But, perhaps the most compelling reason to listen to this episode is this:
Thatcher’s insights into the decline in giving, the overhead myth, and the importance of impact-centered storytelling provide valuable takeaways for nonprofit leaders to position their organizations to appeal to a diverse donor audience. It all begins with high visibility of the organization’s high credibility.
The end game is to make it easier for donors to open their hearts to your cause. Because once their hearts open, donations often follow. That is how we all win.
TUNE IN TO LEARN:
- How Charity Navigator is democratizing philanthropy and ensuring smaller nonprofits can compete with larger, well-funded organizations.
- What is being done to simplify the donation process and appeal to younger donors who prefer giving to causes rather than specific organizations?
- The importance of telling your impact story and how it can influence donor engagement both now and over the long term.
KEY QUOTES:
- “Trust in nonprofits is at about 39%… that’s not a good number.” – Michael Thatcher
- “We don’t charge donors, and we don’t charge the charities to be evaluated.” – Michael Thatcher
- “It’s not where the money was spent, it’s what the money accomplished.” – Michael Thatcher
ABOUT MICHAEL THATCHER:
Michael leads Charity Navigator in its efforts to make impactful philanthropy easier for all by increasing the breadth and depth of evaluation methodologies to facilitate ratings coverage of substantially larger numbers of charities and expand how the information engages new and existing audiences.
Prior to joining Charity Navigator Michael spent more than fifteen years with Microsoft, the last ten of which, as their Public-Sector Chief Technology Officer responsible for technology policy initiatives and engagements with governments and academic leaders in Asia, the Middle-East, and Africa. Michael’s eclectic background includes years at sea conducting oceanographic research with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, composing music and dancing internationally as the co-founder and co-director of Dance Music Light.
RESOURCES:
- Michael Thatcher LinkedIn Profile
- Charity Navigator LinkedIn Profile
- Charity Navigator Twitter
- Charity Navigator Instagram
- Charity Navigator Facebook
- Nonprofit Leadership Lab
- Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership – 2nd Edition by Joan Garry
- FREE WORKSHOP: Let’s Build the Nonprofit Board of Your Dreams!
- FREE WORKSHOP: The 5 Practices of Outstanding Nonprofit Leaders
- Music by Jukebox the Ghost
- Voiceover Work by Cindy Cap Solutions
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”