Is there an ethical responsibility for accepting credit card donations?
May 15, 2008 by Sandy
Filed under General Fundraising
There’s a great post at Don’t Tell the Donor today.
It’s about the rising flood of consumer credit card debt and how that relates to our accepting donations via credit card. Basically, is it okay for a nonprofit to accept a gift that was charged on a credit card because the donor couldn’t afford to write a check?
“Do we have any ethical concerns about donors putting a $100 donation that they can’t afford on a credit card where it will eventually cost them $130 in interest? Do fundraisers benefit by getting donors to give more when they use a credit card than they would if they had to use cash?”
Having just gone through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, I have some strong beliefs about credit cards. I would not want anyone to make a donation on a card if they couldn’t afford it, and I think most fundraisers would agree. I’m not sure what the answer is, but if lots of people start to default on their credit cards, we could have some serious issues.
What do you think?
Do people really charge donations they can’t afford to their credit cards though? Granted, my only experience with credit card donations are through the web, since it is a lot easier than finding an envelope, finding a stamp, and remembering to take it the post office. However, as altruistic as many people are, it makes little sense to give to others if it means that you are going to end up needing help yourself. I’m not going to feed anyone else’s family if I can’t even feed my own. Just my opinion
I think there are people who are not good enough at handling their own money to stop and think before they charge a gift they can’t pay for. –Sandy
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