In this episode, the noted philanthropy expert and author Doug White walks us through two extremely interesting cases of a nonprofit nightmare...
When GOOD gifts go BAD.
The first is a case from New Jersey that went to trial. It was a 50k gift to a no-kill animal shelter from a couple who were promised the gift would be used to build a specific area for larger breed and other types of hard to place pets. The charity merged with another, did not fulfill the donors wishes -- and so the donors sued -- and won their case.
The second case was the subject of Doug's book Abusing Donor Intent: The Robertson Family's Epic Lawsuit Against Princeton University, which delves into the massive legal wrangling lasting years and tallying up nearly 100 million dollars in legal fees.
Throughout our discussion, experienced fundraiser and Charitable Chit Chat co-host Cathy R. Sheffield shares so many helpful insights about how to keep good gifts from going bad: proper stewardship, good communication between the nonprofit and the donor and yes, to always have an "escape clause" in a gift agreement with a donor, which provides leeway.
Thank you to Doug White for brining his expertise to Charitable Chit Chat with Cathy & Claire.
To learn more about Doug White, visit DougWhite.net.
Connect with Cathy R. Sheffield and Claire Meyerhoff on LinkedIn and visit CharitableChitChat.com for all podcast episodes.