5 Lessons for Non-profits from the Flames of Notre Dame

(Views are my own)

Notre Dame's near-death, and forthcoming resurrection, taught us several immeasurable lessons in charitable giving.

Like you, I gasped for breath when I first saw the images of Notre Dame in flames. The world watched as a few hundred of Paris’s finest made every effort, even forming human chains, to save the timeless. Amidst the fearful critical hours of the catastrophe, millions prayed for grace, many on ?le de la Cité itself, and sang in hope that this faith-inspiring building, which had already survived wars and disasters and plagues and revolutions for nearly nine centuries, could live another day.

And, thanks be to God, it did.

President Macron’s near immediate announcement to fundraise and rebuild may not have surprised anyone, but the mixed reactions of cause-driven people everywhere astounded many - including me.

Some wept again, this time for joy, at the generosity of billionaires and poor from around the world, while countless others questioned donor’s motives. “Why not refugees?” “Why not my school district?” “Why not feeding the hungry?” “What I could do with $1 Billion raised in 48 hours!”

To all who asked such questions: I hear you. I know how hard it is to raise money for a cause which, to you, is the most important in the world. I can only imagine what a focused $1 Billion could do for any given cause I’ve supported over the years.

But, if our cause suffers, it may not be entirely for lack of funds: Americans donated over $410 Billion in 2018. You read that right: $410+ Billion. But only 24% of Americans recognized charitable giving in their tax returns.  I firmly believe many of the remaining majority have a desire to give, but may simply be waiting for the right cause at the right time.

Here are five lessons from the flames over P-A-R-I-S for all purpose-driven people:

1. Personal: Make it personal. More people visit Notre Dame than the Eiffel Tower. Not only did donations flow in the wake of the disaster, the Internet saw a flood of sharing of personal experiences with Notre Dame. Notre Dame is the world’s cathedral. But it is also mine. And yours. And hers. And his.
2. Act. And Act Now. The sight of a roofless cathedral is inherently time sensitive. What is your cause’s cost of inaction? People repel pressure: no need to overwhelm and please don’t coerce. But if you don’t have a justified sense of respectful urgency, how will your would-be supporters?
3. Real. Make it Real: The restoration of a cathedral is discrete: it will have an end date we could reasonably expect to witness in our lifetime. The cathedral will surely require maintenance, but the value of having a single, visible, tangible outcome cannot be overestimated. With so many unfinished items on our personal to-do lists, please give people an outcome that can be measured, something that can be finished. If your cause has no finish line, at least define real, recognizable milestones.
4. Irreplaceable: No one needs to be told there is only one Notre Dame. How does giving to your cause empower unique contributions? How are your donor’s gifts - financial and otherwise - uniquely aligned and irreplaceably impactful to your cause? By the way: your mission does not have to be an internationally-venerated house of worship to be one-of-a-kind: donations most often begin in smaller amounts, with causes closest to home.
5. Silence: Let the silence bring out the truth. In all of our pitching, coupled with some complaining in this case, are we quiet enough to listen? Do we hear the motivation of givers? Did we, ourselves, not first give to a cause when it resonated, usually in some close proximity, with something or someone we loved? How would we have felt if someone criticized us for donating to research a cancer which took our aunt’s life, or for a bench at our favorite park of rest? We give because we love, and no cause will go far without listening for the love in those around us. The most fulfilling thing we can ever do as people or organizations is encourage and empower that love to make the lasting difference it came to this earth to make.