Fund raisers who work closely with individual donors, board members, and other benefactors can take steps to avoid unwanted sexual advances and other types of harassment, say veteran development officers and legal experts. Among their suggestions:
Use caution. Fund raisers should trust their intuition and take reasonable precautions, experts say. For example, if a donor has made suggestive comments or been flirtatious, it makes sense to avoid visiting that donor in his or her home—or take a colleague along.
Speak up. Fund raisers who experience offensive sexual comments or unwelcome advances from donors, trustees, or grant makers often ignore or keep quiet about them for fear of offending the person or jeopardizing their organization’s relationship with a generous benefactor.
“Fund raisers, who are ever grateful to their donors, always accommodating, and in many ways there to serve their donors, are susceptible to being sexually harassed by donors who feel it’s OK to cross a line,” says a development officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
But fund raisers need to let such offenders know that they do not condone sexually inappropriate behavior; otherwise, it’s likely to continue and even escalate, experts say.
“There are times when people doing the harassment do not realize they are being offensive,” says Caren Goldberg, an American University assistant professor of management who has conducted multiple studies on sexual harassment. Sometimes, she says, a remark as simple and nonconfrontational as “that was awkward” can make the offender realize that his or her remarks or behavior are unacceptable, and the person will back off.
If that doesn’t work, the next step should be to report the situation to someone in the organization who can take action, says Noreen Farrell, managing attorney at Equal Rights Advocates, a San Francisco group that helps women deal with sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination.
If the person’s employer does not know about the situation, she says, the organization cannot fulfill its legal responsibility under federal law to protect staff members from sexual and other forms of harassment.
Check policies and procedures. In addition to their responsibility under the law, many nonprofit organizations have policies that ban sexual harassment of employees. In reporting harassment, it is important to check such policies and follow any guidelines for reporting grievances, experts say.
While the policies may not explicitly cover donors, board members, and others who behave inappropriately, or incidents that occur away from a charity’s offices, they can provide useful contacts and information about procedures the fund raiser should follow in reporting offensive behavior.
Act quickly. “Remove yourself from the situation immediately, if possible,” says Kristina Carlson, president of of Ketchum, a Dallas fund-raising consulting firm. She says that, working with older male donors, “I’ve had my fair share of difficult moments.”
In one instance, she says, she interviewed a donor who hinted that he would be much more generous if she went out to dinner with him. “I told my boss someone else had to interview this guy. Communication is the most important thing in these situations. Deal with them quickly.”
Document offensive behavior. If a fund raiser experiences sexually inappropriate comments or behavior, Ms. Farrell says, the incidents should be written down to serve as a record in case a formal complaint is made or legal action is taken.
“It is important to document what is going on, keep a log of what is happening,” including dates, places, times, and any witnesses, she says. “Just state the facts, what is happening and when,” and avoid subjective comments or observations.
Don’t blame yourself. Female fund raisers in particular seem to worry that they have done something to cause or invite unwelcome sexual overtures by a donor or other supporter. Typical is the reaction of a San Francisco Bay Area fund raiser who asked that neither her name nor the name of her organization be used. She recently agonized over a male corporate-giving officer’s advances. “I immediately began questioning my role,” she says. “What did I do to make this happen? This has to be my fault somehow, right?” she says.
No, it is not, says Ms. Farrell, of Equal Rights Advocates. “Don’t blame yourself for the unwanted conduct of others,” she says. “Instead, take the steps that you can to remedy the situation. By being very clear about what is OK and what is not, you have set up boundaries, and you are entitled to protection under the law when you have done that.”
