# Fundraisers invited to participate in Rogare research into ‘donor dominance’

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/02/05/fundraisers-invited-participate-rogare-research-donor-dominance/
- Published: 2019-02-05T09:30:23+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Fundraising think tank Rogare is carrying out research into ‘donor dominance’ 
and is inviting fundraisers to take part by answering a survey into the topic.**

[Rogare’s](https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools/plymouth-business-school/centre-for.../rogare)
research aims to uncover power imbalances in the relationships between donors and
fundraisers – this so-called ‘donor dominance’ – defined as any serious form of 
undue or inappropriate influence that a donor or group of donors can exert over 
a non-profit organisation. This can include inappropriate behaviour, influence over
a non-profit’s mission, or claiming entitlement to unwarranted benefits.

[The survey](https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Rogare-DD) explores donor-fundraiser
relationships in five areas:

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 * Influence over mission
 * Inappropriate behaviour
 * Influence over a fundraiser’s role or career
 * Entitlement to benefits
 * Withholding donations

The research is part of Rogare’s wider project into so-called ‘donor dominance’,
led by Rogare International Advisory Panel member Heather R. Hill, Vice-President
for Advancement at Concordia College New York.

Hill said:

> > “Received wisdom in fundraising says you should always put the donor at the 
> > heart of everything you do. This doctrine shapes our ethics too, which tends
> > to place all a fundraiser’s ethical responsibilities on how they engage with
> > their donors.
> > “But when donors behave in ways that are clearly inappropriate, how are fundraisers
> > supposed to deal with this if their training and ethics tell them it’s the donors’
> > wants and desires they ought to prioritise?
> > “I think we have seen a tendency
> > to ignore the problem or brush it under the carpet so as not to rock the boat
> > with donors, rather than confront it and tell them this type of behaviour is
> > not acceptable.”

Rogare Director Ian MacQuillin added:

> > “This survey aims to find out not just how widespread these issues are, but 
> > also how charities have responded when they encounter these challenges – whether
> > they support their fundraisers or whether they try to minimise the fallout to
> > protect their revenue source.
> > “As far as we are aware, this is the first time anyone has researched these 
> > issues, so this will be a big contribution to our understanding of this challenge.
> > So we’d encourage all fundraisers to take part in our survey – even if they 
> > don’t think they have experienced any donor dominance issues – to ensure we 
> > get as wide a range of data as possible.”

The initial results of the survey will be presented by Heather Hill and Ian MacQuillin
at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference in San 
Antonio in Texas from 31 March-2 April.
The ‘donor dominance’ project complements
Rogare’s project on gender issues in fundraising, which is being led by Caoileann
Appleby of Ask Direct. This will launch in March with a series of blogs on the Critical
Fundraising site.

 * **[Objections to fundraising during pandemic explored in Rogare project](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/06/25/objections-to-fundraising-during-pandemic-explored-in-rogare-project/)**(
   25 June 2020)
 * **[Paper calls for new ethical approach to framing service users in fundraising](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/04/20/paper-calls-for-new-approach-to-ethics-of-framing-service-users/)**(
   20 April 2022)
 * **[Fundraiser role in helping donors create more value from their support examined in Rogare paper](https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/03/31/fundraiser-role-in-helping-donors-create-more-value-from-their-support-examined-in-rogare-paper/)**(
   31 March 2023)