> Many donors may simply never have considered the distinction between restricted and unrestricted donations. They may believe that donating money for some specific purpose is just how donation works.
And to be fair, nonprofits don't try very hard to discourage such illusions. They can't afford to. People running nonprofits are almost always anxious about money. They can't afford to talk back to big donors.
In other words they smartly are thinking they don't want to kill 'the sale'. When businesses sell products do they typically list all the potential downsides or defects in their product or service when doing so might discourage the purchase?
Maybe as I said in my other comment they realize that less money would come in because they would rain on a parade going on in someone's mind.
Example let's say someone wants for vanity purposes (an entirely valid reason) to have a building named after them. The non profit (could be a school or some research institution) then says to them 'well you know we can do that but why don't we put the money toward this cause instead after all why does it have to be about you and your family name being perpetuated!!!?'.
That's an exaggeration sure (in terms of how the words would go. However principle is that the person donating would then have a negative ie 'the wrong reasons' attached to what they were convincing themselves was a selfless act.
In other words they smartly are thinking they don't want to kill 'the sale'. When businesses sell products do they typically list all the potential downsides or defects in their product or service when doing so might discourage the purchase?
Maybe as I said in my other comment they realize that less money would come in because they would rain on a parade going on in someone's mind.
Example let's say someone wants for vanity purposes (an entirely valid reason) to have a building named after them. The non profit (could be a school or some research institution) then says to them 'well you know we can do that but why don't we put the money toward this cause instead after all why does it have to be about you and your family name being perpetuated!!!?'.
That's an exaggeration sure (in terms of how the words would go. However principle is that the person donating would then have a negative ie 'the wrong reasons' attached to what they were convincing themselves was a selfless act.