Should Donations Be Discreet?

9/2/2017

by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

We’ve seen the havoc that Hurricane Harvey has wreaked around the Gulf. We’ve also witnessed an outpouring of physical and financial support for those in need. Such altruism makes me ask: Is it right to recognize those who give, or should such benevolence be anonymous?

Although I’ve considered this question before, the issue struck me more squarely than ever when I received an email a few days ago from the American Marketing Association (AMA). Like several other organizations, the AMA sent a message to its constituents, encouraging them to contribute to the relief effort, in other words, marketing giving.

The email contained a link to an American Red Cross/AMA fundraiser page, powered by Crowdrise. On the right side of the page was a box, listing the amount of money raised--$5,095 at last check. Also in the box was a scrolling list of names and dollar amounts, showing who’s given and how much, for instance:
     Andrew Smith         $50
     Erika Alexander      $10
     Anonymous             $50
     Yanliu Huang         $100
     Gunisha Samir       $50

I never saw anything quite like this revolving list of donors, which made me think: Should I be recognized for my giving?

Of course, Crowdrise didn’t invent the idea of donor recognition. There are plenty of other examples, ranging from acknowledgment pages in high school yearbooks to the names of buildings on college campuses. What’s different with Crowdrise, however, is the unique and unconventional appeal, bluntly stated below the company’s logo: “If You Don’t Give Back No One Will Like You.”

Now, I’m really questioning my motives: Do I give to others because I want to help them, or because I’d like other people to acknowledge and appreciate me. This reflection is personal, but companies wrestle with similar questions, which affects how they handle their giving.

For instance, Houston Texan defensive end J.J. Watt has effectively used his celebrity to raise over $15 million for victims of Hurricane Harvey. Given that more than 152,000 people have contributed to Watt’s fund on YouCaring.com, gifts must be coming in all sizes. Probably the largest contribution has come from retail giant Walmart, which cut a check for $1 million. However, Walmart didn’t make its donation discreetly through Watt’s website. Instead, the company handed a massive 3 ft. x 7 ft. presentation check to Ellen DeGeneres while she spoke with Watt during a taping of her talk show.

Was Walmart wrong to promote its philanthropy on national TV? Probably not. For one thing, the visibility of this very significant gift will likely raise awareness of the need for hurricane relief and encourage others, especially large corporations, to contribute. In addition, given that Walmart is a publicly-traded company, its management is accountable to shareholders, which means announcing material transactions and building goodwill for the firm, which publicizing charitable giving tends to do.

So, should you and I hand an oversized presentation check for our next $100 donation? No, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to be recognized. At least one of the reasons mentioned above for Walmart can apply to individuals: When others see that we give, they may be inspired to do the same.

There are, however, a few important things to consider, whether it’s an individual or a corporation building its brand. As suggested above, any publicity should be in keeping with the size of the gift. Also, motivation matters. No person or company should give simply because they want recognition. That doesn’t mean forgoing any acknowledgment, but it does mean that recognition should not be the driving force, or the primary motive.

It’s fine to have multiple reasons for doing things. Life is complicated, and our motivations must reflect that complexity. However, as a society we’ve gone askew if we allow promotion to overtake compassion. We need organizations and individuals who genuinely care about others and who are willing to help even if no one else knows they did.

So, while Crowdrise’s tagline, “If You Don’t Give Back No One Will Like You,” is unseemly, there’s not necessarily anything wrong with receiving recognition for giving. In fact, appropriate recognition can be helpful for all involved. Giving for the right reasons, anonymously or with one’s name attached, is always “Mindful Marketing.”

P.S. Helping those impacted by Hurricane Harvey is much more important than a blog about marketing ethics. If you’re thinking of giving, here’s a great list of organizations that can put your donation to good use.

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16 Comments

Maluki Mbesa

9/7/2017 11:31:11 am

Although giving publicly and having your name plastered all over newspapers is becoming more and more common I think giving anonymously and discreetly is a much better option for security, humility, and respect for the organization you are giving to. When donations are made public and the donor is made the central focus, then each of these categories is affected in unique ways.
The first reason why, is that the giving should be more about the cause than the person giving. It is good to give, but shifting the attention to yourself takes away from the idea of the donation and the reason for giving. Taking the attention away from the struggling people and shining that light on one’s self can become a problem and idolizes the giver and their money. In the picture that was shown this man gave away a million dollars and was on the Ellen Show. It is a good thing he gave but in reality, what he did was care for his fellow man. Something we are all called to do. He was gracious enough to give a lot more than most but his motivation behind doing so was his own, and I don’t think He knew he would end up on the Ellen Show.
Another point is you may want to avoid examination. If the organization or cause you support is controversial, you may not want to be tied to that kind of drama or to be seen in the public eye. Also, if you feel like you have made a mistake then the anonymity hides you and you can remain in silence.
Lastly, this is one of the biggest reasons why I wouldn’t personally make my donating public. It hides your wealth status. As a donor I wouldn’t want people to see how much I give and to start coming to me for money. Once that is public it would put not just you, but also people close to you at risk. I have seen it happen and would rather avoid the whole ordeal.

Allyssa Souter

9/7/2017 07:49:28 pm

I feel like the argument could go either way. One, I feel that donations/contributions to causes such as victims of hurricane harvey should be discreet. By including your name next to your donation amount it seems to be more of a “Hey guys, look at how good of a human I am” compared to someone giving because they really want to give. When we have celebrities and businesses doing the same thing it is as if they just want to get more recognition than we are already giving them on a daily basis. Why should we congratulate you for being a decent human being? Does your donation of $1 million dollars or $10 dollars somehow put you on a pedestal above us? The controversy with this is that you can never tell if someone is being truly genuine. There is also the argument that by providing your name to your donation and being identified for giving some large amount is actually beneficial. Just from looking at all of the celebrities who have donated to Hurricane Harvey victims we are able to see that they could also stand as a resource to get others to donate as well and be able to help the cause. Again in this case even if we are assuming the best, you still are not able to tell who is really genuine in their donation. Overall, I feel that donations should in fact be discreet. I believe this because when you focus the attention on the “brave” souls who donated their money to this cause, it takes away from those we should be paying attention to. Next time instead of patting ourselves on the back for giving a donation, maybe we should be concerned over why we believe in this cause and take action.

Grace Munford

9/7/2017 08:21:21 pm

Being from Houston, I may have some sort of a bias here because I believe the funds raised for Houston are absolutely 100% a blessing to my city. However, take away the fact that I am from Houston, and let's talk about public donations. I have worked in many fundraising campaigns in my high school career and it's a big deal when someone can give over $1000 dollars to a cause. Now with that being said, what if we donated 1000 hours of our time. What is more valuable? In my opinion, in cases like Hurricane Harvey, monetary donations might be able to help causes move quickly. With people sacrificing time, they may not be able to afford to give donations. However, when we mobilize and come together for the common good, things happen. What if people like JJ Watt and Ellen Degeneres donated their time? Would we recognize them the same as if they gave huge amounts of money?

Chucj

9/8/2017 10:51:03 am

I agree. Along with what you said, I think the public attention given to people who donate is good because it sets an example. Just like how you mentioned the power these celebs have to set an example of donating time over money, I also think that seeing people donate encourages others to donate as well. In a twisted sort of way it's the same sentiment that Crowdrise is trying to capitalize on by using social pressure to encourage people to donate. People want to be like other people, especially those they admire. If they see people they idolize giving their time or money it should encourage them to do it too.
While I'm not personally a fan of seeing it, I think public donations are an important part of raising awareness for issues

David Alejos

9/7/2017 09:32:16 pm

I believe that in this issue like in almost any other in life, motive is everything. While it is true that helping others in need by donating either your time or money is a noble act and always welcomed with arms wide open, one must be careful with the dangers associated with doing good and helping others. Peter Greer, a Messiah College alum and CEO of Hope International writes about it in his book "The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good." In this book, Peter Greer addresses the tendency towards self centeredness that has risen in the world of Christian giving as society has started to recognize more and more people who give. This becomes especially dangerous because, from a Christian perspective, our motives get corrupted by selfishness and self centeredness. As Christians, we are only the messengers of Christ on Earth to glorify His kingdom. The motives behind helping others in desperate times of crisis should be simply to help our neighbors and love them as we are called to by serving them rather than for ourselves and the recognition that can come from it. While I understand that by being publicly acknowledged we might be able to inspire others into action and get them to donate their time and money for the cause, we must be very careful and pay close attention to our own motives when we make donations. I believe that people can donate resources to others in need with the purest motives and be beneficial to society by inspiring others to action for the cause. However, I was raised under the principle that when making donations and contributions, it is always to do it anonymously. My mom used to always say: "do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing", which is directly from Matthew 6:3 that talks about giving to the needy and how we should not be hypocrite about it and make it public so we can be praised for our contribution.

Alexa Argento

9/7/2017 10:18:41 pm

I personally do not see much harm in getting recognition for giving donations. However, I do agree that when we give it should be for the right reasons and not strictly for the recognition you will be receiving in return. When people donate it should be out of the goodness of their heart, because they feel as though it is something they are being called to support. Donations should be given to raise funds for areas that match beliefs. As christians, we are to be wise stewards of our money and honor God in the way we use what we are blessed with. Getting back to the topic of recognition, I think it is fine and even encourages some to give that otherwise wouldn't. Some people will only give for the sole purpose of looking good to society. If that happens to be their motives than so be it, but what they are doing is still a good deed, because their selfish act is still helping someone else out.
However, when it comes to myself, I personally would rather donate without the recognition. For one, when there is recognition given, I feel as though I am urged to give in order to look good, because my peers have. Additionally, when the amount donated is listed I feel as though I am forced to give more than I ordinarily would if people didn't see. I don't like feeling like I need to give more money, to avoid being judged for giving significantly more or less. Some people can't afford to give as much as other people and I feel as though the recognition part can deter people from giving. People should be able to give whatever they are comfortable with and can afford, because every little bit counts.

Grant Rutter

9/7/2017 11:15:57 pm

I have always been taught that in anything you do in life make sure you you do it with God in your mind. My parents have always said that growing up and continue to tell me that a few times a year, usually when making tough decisions. I don't necessarily see a huge problem in recognizing people for giving donations to help those in need. I believe it becomes a problem when people use that potential recognition as their reason for donating to a cause. The problem really starts to grow when the recognition of a donation lights a fire in others who want the same recognition. Yes, maybe strategically it is bringing in more donations that way but it is going away from the reason why one should donate in the first place. The whole idea is to donate money to help those in need no matter the dollar amount anything will help. It is the idea that you are going out of your way or as many say 'taking the shirt off your back' to help a stranger in need.

When it comes to huge companies donating large sums of money, I think that is great. I hope that they are doing it strictly because they want to help and not because they want publicity. I also feel like we as consumers shouldn't let companies that donate heavily affect where we shop. I am not saying it can't have an effect on our shopping habits but I personally do not think we should almost idolize a company for donating. I say this mainly because donations from companies can be used as a tax write off. Now, hopefully that isn't the reason they are donating either but it also wouldn't surprise me. In the end, is recognizing people or companies for donating money to a good cause a bad thing? No, I don't think so, I just hope that the people who donate as well as the companies are doing it for the right reasons.

Micah Hostetter

9/8/2017 01:46:17 am

I have often pondered this sort of conundrum that seems to ask the question of why people give and if one reason is more "moral" than another. Does it really matter why we are giving, as long as we are helping? Because regardless of the purpose of why people give, there is still money being donated to a cause and that helps from a monetary standpoint regardless. So one thing is absolutely certain, that money is being put to a cause to aid. Now, as far as the release of donors names are concerned, I think it matters not whether there are names attached with donations or not. I would say that it is the right of the donor to say whether or not they want their name displayed with their donation or if they would rather stay anonymous. This then makes the decision completely up to the donor and they can decide whether or not it is important to them to have their name published along with their donation. Putting aside my own personal opinions about how giving should be something between us and God (because we never really own anything, it all belongs to God), I am in no place to tell a person that they cannot attach their name to their donation. After all, they are giving their money towards a cause and if all they want is some recognition for that, I don't think that's too much to ask.

Kyle Schoen

9/8/2017 09:31:46 am

I have always been taught that if you are able to help then it is your responsibility to do so. I have never put much thought into the recognition aspect of giving before this reading. When it comes down to it in my eyes, if people are helping, regardless of the reason then that is all that matters. I agree that a celebrity of large company would benefit from making a big deal out of their donation but I think more than anything it would make more people want to donate because they are following the example.

I heard on the radio this morning a story of a 10 year old girl who was taught by her parents to take some of her birthday money and give it to some foundation she likes. She has been doing this since she was 5 and on this birthday she saw all the same videos on social media that we see and that was how she wanted to help. Her mom took a video and posted it to Facebook of the girl just talking about it, not asking people to help but just her statement of her helping and she got a lot of help from her moms followers. She took her $10 and turned it into enough to send 150 cases of water to the victims in Texas. She didn't want recognition but it was out there and the effect was that more people gave because of seeing this child give almost all she had to help others.

If people want to remain anonymous when they donate I think that is perfectly fine. If people want to have their name out there that they gave then i think that is fine too.

Matthew High

9/8/2017 10:43:40 am

Regardless of what form or fashion giving is done it is hard to say it is bad. However, this debate has been one I've thought about throughout my entire life. In my opinion, as Christians we are taught to be humble and low-key with our giving. There is scripture in the Bible that leads us to believe that the less we boast our kindness and giving the more it will be appreciated my God. I find myself with how I was raised living more like this and in a sense being secretive with kindness I have shown. With all of that being said, when natural disaster or major events happen sometimes it is good to raise the awareness about your giving and in a sense challenging others to do it. In society, we need to start looking for the rose in people and not the thorn. When you assume everyone is being cocky or bragging about their giving it will make people want to give less. A lot of wealthy people who are giving and put it out in the public are trying to raise the awareness and keep the hype up in order to allow for more giving to happen.

Hanna Hailu

9/8/2017 11:52:43 am

I personally think it helps the cause more when donators are recognized. The reason I said the that is because people compete a lot, intentionally or unintentionally. Also, a lot of people nowadays look up to celebrities, putting the donators name out in the open might motivate them to donate, rather than ignore the cause. In this case, hurricane Harvey is not something an individual can ignore, but when it comes to causes that people don’t recognize as much, one celebrity helping the cause might change people’s opinion quickly.
If something must be discreet, the amount it. Maybe people get curious if they don’t know what others are donating. People are a complex being, this maybe one of the ways to get them donate. Or, instead of putting “if you don’t donate, no one will like you” at the end, if they put, “you will see what others donated after you donate” that might make them even more anxious and push them to give more. As long as our goal is to make people donate as much as they can, putting into consideration that competition pushes people to give more, then putting the amount in the down low could make them want to give more. I am not saying this is ethical in any way, but I think if the cause is time sensitive and they need the money as fast as they can, looking at the different ways that can help the cause is not a bad thing.

Adrianna Barragan

10/22/2017 08:33:45 pm

This was certainly an interesting post to read. My initial response to the question, "should I be recognized for my giving?" would be "no." This comes from my own convictions in that giving should not be made public just to build ourselves up, but should be done in quiet. But as I kept reading I realized that no, it is not wrong to be recognized for giving, but it is the motivation that can be wrong. Giving in order to build my reputation would be wrong, but to give out of an authentic care is not. It is actually interesting how displaying the names of people who give actually can push people to donate, as well. Though I probably would not use the same strategy, it can be beneficial. Overall, very interesting post.

David Choe

10/23/2017 11:35:06 pm

After reading this post, I learned new perspective on giving. All this time before reading, I thought the correct answer was always be discreet as that is how I interpreted what Scripture was telling me. What this was saying in context was checking the heart before giving. I did not realize that it is ok to give publicly as it may be a means to promote donations by inspiring them. This blog has definitely brought about new knowledge and a new aspect on my philosophy of giving.

Over60Dating link

7/9/2018 02:22:46 am

Tinder is a money digger

Sarah Prystupa

11/5/2018 05:52:57 pm

The first thing that comes to my mind when someone asks the question Should donations be discreet? is Yes, it should be. I think this because you should give not asking for anything in return and when donating and letting everyone know, that brings praise to someone. After reading the article, I found it interesting that it talks about how donating publicly can also promote a company or even promote giving to a cause. When people see that, for example, Walmart donated to the Hurricane Harvey Relief foundation, it fostered more donations to this fund. The article also points out my original thought about this, a company or a person should not give just because they want to be recognized. It can be one of the many reasons why a person or company donates. Giving without recognition is a very selfless thing. No one would ever know about that act except for the person and God. I think that the Bible even praises people for doing this and rewards will come to those who do. I like to tie the bible into this discussion because even if one doesn't believe in God or the Bible, there are still some very good morals that are talked about and used by people every day.

Elizabeth Perry

12/2/2022 09:35:48 am

For the most part, donations should not be widely publicized from companies, donors, and other media organizations. The integrity of donations remains jeopardized when individuals want to gain something out of it for themselves. Media outlets making a headline out of a well-known public figure making an enormous monetary donation often becomes more relevant than the cause itself. Taking away the specifics of who donated and how much they donated can allow for more focus on the actual need. Individuals can say they donated, on their own accord, to raise awareness and encourage others to do the same. If individuals want to disclose their amounts, on their own platform, others can discern their true intentions about how they speak of the donation. However they do not should not feel the need to disclose their own contribution. Individuals sometimes feel entitled to know who donated to causes that they believe need more awareness and funds. This entitlement should not fall on the person donating and we should not encourage people to have access to that information. Finally, making donations private can diminish the flashiness of money and allow individuals to focus on the cause itself not the social esteem.

Should Donations Be Discreet?

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