Anonymous Giving

One morning this past week, I received an email from a fellow donor-friend asking me why I had requested that my sponsorship for an upcoming event to be listed “anonymous.” She had gotten an early copy of the event program, expecting to see my name listed under the $5,000 sponsorship, and instead saw “anonymous”.

The email caught me off guard, because I never list myself as “anonymous” on gifts. I want people, especially the organizations themselves, to know who is supporting their work so they can assess values-alignment, and, if they choose, be able to contact me in the future. I also share my name to model the type of courageous giving behavior that I want to see from other donors, and, hopefully, inspire them to give too. I also associate “anonymous” giving with a false sense of humility. When we include our names with our donations, we aren’t trying to promote our own “benevolence”, but rather, we’re supporting accountability, transparency, and relationship between donors and their beneficiaries. 

So back to this email from my donor-friend….My suspicion is that she sent me this email because she was feeling a little disappointed. She had felt inspired by my courageous giving for this event, and had decided to match my sponsorship. It looks like she decided to put her name on the program, thinking it would be next to mine. Instead, her name stood alone, and I’m guessing she wasn’t thrilled about that.

Here’s what I think happened:

The request for how my name should be listed in the program came while I was bedridden on day three of five of a brutal norovirus. I saw the email come in, and knew that I needed to respond in a timely matter, but “timely” felt a little illusive. I typed a very quick response on my phone, which I almost never do, knowing I didn’t have the energy to open my computer.

I also sent the gift from my Donor-Advised Fund (DAF), which I know has some guidance around what name you’re supposed to use for sponsorships (and strict restrictions around receiving anything of benefit in return for your sponsorship). The guidance, I believe, is you’re supposed to put your fund name and add “at the XXX Community Foundation”. In my hazy state, unable to think fully about the details of my DAF requirements, I requested in my phone-typed email response be listed by my DAF name, which is “Imaginal Cells Fund.”

I felt okay with this option because I had included my name in the memo when I sent the funds through my DAF - as I do with every donation – so that the donation is received with full information about who sent them a gift.

Ultimately, it seems that Imaginal Cells Fund” is not what is listed, and “Anonymous” is. Oops!

This experience got me thinking about my perspective “anonymous donations”.

Here are 4 recommendations for “anonymous" donations and sponsorships for your consideration:

1. Try to opt out of checking the “anonymous” box, whether that’s on your DAF portal, a donations platform, or GoFundMe. Both organizations and other supporters benefit from knowing who donors are, regardless of the gift size.

2. At a minimum, let organizations know when you send them a donation. On whatever platform you’re using to send a gift, please make sure the organization receives your name, and ideally your contact information too. For Donor-Advised fundholders like me, this requires an active extra step – you must write in the memo “From [your name], [email address]. If not, the organization will not necessarily be able to track who the gift is from.

   
   

3. Consider sharing your name publicly because it is helpful information for other donors, and the public, generally. It not only supports transparency about where the organization’s funds are coming from, it also models courageous giving that can inspire others to be courageous too.

   
   

4. If you don’t want to have your name shown publicly, then consider using consistent alternative name, such as the name of your Donor-Advised Fund or a general “family fund” name.

*NOTE: I know some faith traditions, such as in Judaism, have ethical guidance around “anonymous” giving, believing that an “anonymous” gift is motivated by a desire to good, rather than to receive honor. While that sentiment feels aligned for me, in practical purposes for beneficiaries, I think it’s of greater value to share your name in order to build accountability, transparency, and partnership around your gift.