Small Doesn’t Mean Ineffective

With the right case, communication, and timing, even the small can accomplish the mighty. Such is the case with an extremely tiny nonprofit raising money for those in Ukraine.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy highlighted a small nonprofit, all volunteer, mostly within Ukrainian borders, raising nearly $57 million to help individuals within that bludgeoned country. When you think about it, it boggles the mind that so many people, more than 130,000, gave more than $50 million. But it’s also human nature.

In a study done 30 years ago, the Seven Faces of Philanthropy by Prince and File, the authors highlighted the different profiles of donors. One such category is called “the altruist.” This group is defined as individuals making a donation because they’re “moved” by something. Usually they’re not repeat donors, but one-time givers to something that means a lot to them. When I teach, I refer to the Red Cross as capturing this particular type of donor better than any other nonprofit.

When you read the story in the Chronicle, you see so many similar things to what the Red Cross does. It was the right timing. It’s a terrible situation with so many people in need. It’s the right case. Who doesn’t want Ukraine to be whole again and for the people who did nothing wrong to be OK? And it’s the right group. These are individuals inside the country who can tell the story of what’s happening.

Put that all together, along with people’s emotions, and you have a perfect situation to do a lot of good. There won’t be a lot of positive short-term progress towards normalcy, which means the Russians leaving and going home, but maybe there are some people helped along the way by the truly amazing efforts of a small group of citizens who want to help.