Dementia and professional fundraising: What to know and what to plan

Abstract

Fundraising professionals who frequently engage with an ageing population need to be familiar with dementia, a condition affecting about 10 per cent of individuals aged 65 years and older in the US. Nearly a third of major gifts are given by individuals over the age of 65, and many individuals remain active in philanthropy well into their 80s. A recent national survey demonstrated professional fundraisers' commitment to ethical fundraising and highlighted questions about how, and whether, professional fundraisers can ethically steward longstanding relationships with an ageing client population at higher risk of dementia. Perspectives of five philanthropists diagnosed with early stage dementia included: (a) a desire to remain engaged in financial and philanthropic activities as long as possible; (b) suggestions for proactively including trusted advisers; (c) concerns about unsolicited calls and texts from unfamiliar organisations or institutions; and (d) reasons that fundraising professionals should use specific strategies to support effective and respectful communication. A novel form of documentation, the Philanthropic Directive, is proposed. Benefits of philanthropic organisations self-initiating a process to become dementia-friendly are summarised, including learning to recognise dementia signs. Finally, a simple baseline assessment tool is suggested for use as a starting point for organisations to identify potential areas of need regarding their interactions with an ageing population at higher risk of dementia. Freely available resources are suggested as training materials if areas of need are discovered.