Rapper 6ix9ine has had a £163,000 donation rejected by the ‘Share Our Strength’, a charity based in the US.
Their ‘No Kid Hungry’ campaign seeks to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the US; they said that they were grateful for the offer to donate, but that they also have a policy of rejecting funding from donors who do not fit with its values. The BBC website reported more on the story, but what can we learn?
No one wants to turn down offers of funding, but trustees must protect the core values of the organisation and sometimes that will mean making difficult choices.
Do you have a policy on the acceptance of donations and other gifts? I would encourage you to create one, review it if it’s been a while since you last did so, and make sure that your fundraisers are clear on how to deal with those situations. It’s always ultimately a Board decision, so make sure they can get your support if they need it.
This will be a topic for a 30-minute webinar, coming soon, so watch out for more details.