Anger Is Energy, Dollars Are Leverage: The Lesson of the Cornell Donor Revolt
Are you tracking the mobilization of outraged Cornell alumni and donors in response to the university’s reprehensible handling of the Cornell 7 catastrophe (like this searing missive in the campus newspaper)?
I am.
It is a totally predictable, logical, ethical response to a true dereliction of duty at the highest institutional levels.
This is precisely what happens when you betray the values and the ethics that you stand for and actively teach at the university.
University development teams across the country better start heeding the lessons here. Cornell is not an outlier. This is a stark, effective reminder that donors have significant power and, with the right set of circumstances and the absence of clear, moral leadership, they will absolutely exercise it.
Frankly, these donors are right to do it (though it’s worth noting too that donors, in university settings and otherwise, don’t always mobilize for good). Either way, if donor mobilization happens in one place, it can – or already is – happening at your institutions too.
Whether you work on campus or fundraise for one of myriad other causes, remember:
Donors give for many reasons and have leverage because of their generosity. Alumni donors give not only out of gratitude to the school, but because they feel they own the school community. They want to continue shaping it for the better.
Alumni donors give not only out of gratitude to the school, but because they feel they own the school community. They want to continue shaping it for the better.
When something awful happens – and this wasn’t the first time, nor will it sadly be the last – donors see an untenable disconnect between cherished values, experiences and outcomes that brought them pride and the terrible reality that’s now before them.
Their fury gives them energy. Their dollars give them leverage to force change. It’s a powerful combination.
Don’t sit on your hands because there are things you can do: useful and good in all senses of the word.
Advocating for leadership to do the right things right away when something terrible happens – stand up for what is right, period.
Give leadership your honest assessment of the risks and impact to your development goals. Don’t sugarcoat what you see and, conversely, don’t overinflate the potential downsides.
Stay in close contact with donors every step of the way. Don’t shy away from hard conversations or from taking their difficult feedback. You are the bridge between donors and leadership.
As the connection point between an institution’s most senior leaders and the donors they wish to cultivate, you have power: in your capacity for listening and building enduring connections, even in incredibly difficult moments; your ability to translate between multiple stakeholders; and your clarity about what matters to all involved.
With that in mind, you can steer more than you think and influence more than you might expect in a rough situation. Stay open, be patient, listen, and you’ll end up being more effective than you initially anticipated.