Fund Development Ethics: Lessons from Network Television
Last night, I watched the TV show New Amsterdam with special interest as one of the subplots revolved around the ethics of planned giving and building relationships with individuals for the purposes of fund development work. In short, a would-be heir burst into the office of the show’s hero, Medical Director Dr. Max Goodwin, aghast that his recently deceased mother had left his childhood home to the hospital (because apparently solving that problem falls under the job description of a medical director at the country’s largest public hospital, but I digress).
In typical Max-fashion, he sets out to get to the bottom of the problem and fix it. His investigation leads him to “The Bequest Office,” because apparently either the writers had no idea that most organizations could call it “Office of Planned Giving,” or they thought that the audience would have no idea what “Planned Giving” meant. (Again, I digress.) Once inside, all the bad stereotypes of fundraising play out: cubicles of people frantically talking on the phone, promising to take people to dinner at a chic restaurant and then to the latest show and drawers full of birthday cards, anniversary cards, and other ways to connect with prospective donors.
Ironically, I watched this show right after finishing an episode of Chicago Med (Yes, I love medical dramas; crime dramas too if you want a full confession!) in which Sharon Goodwin (no relation to Max), – the head of the hospital – asks Dr. Crockett Marcel to join her and, I assume, a fundraiser or board member at a dinner with a potential donor. Because he had just treated the potential donor, Dr. Marcel feels guilty leveraging that relationship in what he saw as a quid pro quo.
As these plots played out – I won’t spoil them for you if you’ve not seen them, we can glean some important ethical lessons for all fund development professionals, especially those who solicit planned or deferred gifts or have a professional relationship with a prospective donor.
1. Relationships rule. The person in the Bequest Office spends hours and hours with the recently deceased donor, as we learn in the beginning of the show. Miss Goodwin asks Dr. Marcell to build on his relationship with their would-be donor as his trusted doctor to ask him to make a major donation to the hospital. Both storylines recognize the critical importance of building meaningful relationships and show how those relationships take time to develop and mature.
2. Transparency in all transactions. We do not see the ask that occurs on New Amsterdam but can infer how the relationship and the ask developed. Dinner on Chicago Med begins with the prospective donor asking to “get the business over with so we can enjoy dinner.” He clearly knows the purpose of their dinner and agreed to attend knowing that he would get asked to contribute to the hospital. Never lure someone to a meeting under false pretense.
3. Always keep the interests of the donor at the forefront. We see this play out more in the New Amsterdam story line as it becomes clear that the donor wanted to make the gift in the way that she made it. Since you also have the interest of your organization to consider, getting other advisors involved who will only have the interests of the donor at heart – financial planner, lawyer, accountant – can help assure that you do not inadvertently use undue influence or have the appearance of impropriety.
4. Involve the family. Good television dramas rely on poor communication and relationships, but your work in development should not. Her son clearly had no idea that this woman had this relationship with the hospital or planned to leave her house to them. In your work, make sure that the family knows of the donor’s intent and decisions and supports them.
If you watched these shows (and I recommend them!), what did you pick up from your nonprofit or fund development lens that I missed?