Conference Roundup: Managing Angry Donors

August 2008 By Melissa Busch

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“She was surprised by the call, she had thought I hung up,” Daley said. “She was never going to see [it] our way, but we parted ways on a more positive note.”

More often than not, donor anger is triggered by wrong information or a lack of information. “Be as educated as humanly possible about your organization,” Daley said. “Donor anger is often sparked by a misunderstanding. Giving them more information helps.”

Daley’s last piece of advice: If an organization messes up, just own up to it. “Know when to let it go,” Daley said. “Admit when your organization makes a mistake. Admit something happened that shouldn’t have and then move on. … And then allow yourself to vent after the call.”