We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Marketing

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Donor Fatigue?

Mary McMahon
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 56,837
Share

Donor fatigue is a phenomenon in which people no longer give to charities, although they have donated in the past. There are a number of causes for donor fatigue, including pressure to donate, overstretched budgets, and frustration with mis-managed charities and donation campaigns. Many charities work hard to avoid donor fatigue, since it negatively impacts their collected funds for the year. There are an assortment of ways in which donor fatigue can be avoided by both donors and charities.

The most benign cause of donor fatigue is simply budget exhaustion. Many people who engage in charitable giving set aside a specific budget every year for this purpose. When the budget runs out, they are no longer able to donate. Events like natural disasters can wipe out the donation budget of a charitable household, as was the case in 2005 when people donated to victims of Hurricane Katrina, and Hurricane Rita followed hard on Katrina's heels. Donors wanted to help, but they did not have the financial wherewithal to do so.

Smaller regionally based charities often suffer from donor fatigue after major disasters. In the United States, for example, many people donated to victim's funds after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Although their funds certainly helped someone somewhere, their donations took money out of their communities, and many small charities reported a downturn in donations for the fourth quarter of 2001 as a result.

In other instances, people grow frustrated with constant appeals for donation. Charities which constantly send out mailers, hold phone drives, and use other tactics to ask for donations can tap out the patience of their potential donors, who start to feel irritated, rather than philanthropic. Many charities try to stick to one major campaign a year for this reason, although donations are of course welcome year round.

Finally, some donors grow frustrated when they donate to charities and nothing seems to happen, or when the charity seems to be really mismanaged. Constant changes in staff, campaign approaches, and management are all signs that a charity may be in trouble, and donors may prefer to send their funds to causes which actually seem to be working. This can be frustrating for nascent charities, which are unable to do any good work because they don't have enough funds.

Charities can take steps to avoid donor fatigue such as launching limited, concise campaigns and demonstrating the work that they do for interested donors. Donors can avoid feeling overstretched by setting a precise budget for charitable donations, and being unafraid to say that they have already given when they are asked for donations which exceed their budgets. It is also a good idea to look up charitable organizations to ensure that they are legitimate if you care about how your donations are used.

Donors may also want to consider that fact that donations do not have to be in cash alone. Donors can offer things like blood to the Red Cross, which always needs blood donations, and goods such as canned foods, blankets, books, and old clothing to a variety of causes, from churches to food banks.

Share
SmartCapitalMind is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a SmartCapitalMind researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
By anon349914 — On Sep 30, 2013

Not only are there requests from the same organization more than once or twice a year, but more annoying is when the request on the envelope has a demanding tone to reply right away. Also, the lists now are obviously shared and there are requests from new charities. Donor fatigue has fatigued me out totally.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

Learn more
Share
https://www.smartcapitalmind.com/what-is-donor-fatigue.htm
Copy this link
SmartCapitalMind, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

SmartCapitalMind, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.