Stop suggested donations

Every semester, undergraduates give Duke Student Government approximately $120 in “Student Activity Fees” as part of their tuition. In the aggregate, this $120 from each student funds DSG’s budget, which is then reallocated to groups and programming events through the Student Organization Finance Committee and the DSG Senate. If the hypothetical Duke Basketweaving Society (let’s call them “BS”) wanted to raise awareness via a “Stop Pottery” concert in Page Auditorium, they could approach SOFC with a funding request to cover the rental costs of the venue. SOFC would only fund the event if BS promised to keep the event free and open to all undergraduates. The idea is that undergraduates have already paid for the event via their tuition—if they were required to purchase tickets they would essentially pay for the event twice.

This rule complicates the aim of many student groups that seek to raise funds for donation. If BS wants to host the “Stop Pottery” concert to raise money for basketweavers across the world, it will discover that its options are limited. Since SOFC funded events must be free and open to all undergraduates, BS cannot charge for tickets. It could charge for concessions, but only if those concessions were not funded by SOFC. It could invite corporate sponsors, but administrative policy and high-minded aims stringently restrict private involvement. So the group has few options available.

Unfortunately, many student groups have found a loophole that raises funds while keeping the event superficially free: suggested donations. Groups hand out tickets to their events while concurrently asking students to give a suggested donation. Students could still hypothetically attend the event for free. More often than not, the suggested donation is explicit: “We suggest a $5 dollar donation to attend.” One might think that $5 is the cost of attendance, if the ‘suggested’ bit is excluded from the pitch.

This fundraising structure does not just exist for events—suggested donations are also rampant on the Bryan Center Plaza. Last week, while walking from the Main Quad to the Bryan Center, I donated to four different groups in the span of two minutes. I do not remember a single one of the causes I donated to, nor did I attend any of the events for which I bought tickets. I just remember being implored to donate. The best ask was when someone offered me a free cupcake, but then suggested I donate $3. Cupcake in hand, how could I say no? The fundraising requests came so quickly, and they were all so small, that only later did I realize how much money I had spent.

It is hard to say no when someone asks you for a suggested donation. Especially when the request comes from a friend. I always feel guilty and uncomfortable, and that guilt drives my donation. I make a weak attempt to learn about the cause to which I am donating, but mostly I just want to get out of there. Of course, that guilt is only there if the ask comes with the ‘suggested’ caveat. Many groups do not tell students that their event has been funded by SOFC and just say that $5 is the price of the ticket. Any time I buy a ticket for an event that has been funded by SOFC, I have essentially paid for the event twice.

The worst part is that the funds raised by these suggested donations, if they are explicitly phrased as a donation, are not necessarily followed through to the cause. The donated funds go directly to the group’s university account. Those funds could linger there forever, or they could hypothetically be used to fund other group-related events. If the funds are spent on a cause, the funding pathway is rarely explained to me in the pitch. A donation to support basketweavers could end up only funding the overhead costs of some inefficient organization. Or it could be used to purchase mosquito nets for a group that really needs jobs or infrastructure development. I guess it is my responsibility, as a donor, to ask where my money is going. But sometimes I just want to assume that the Duke student who is asking me for money is doing it for the right reasons.

SOFC has cracked down on suggested donations in the past few years, often requiring groups to delineate non-intimidating procedures for fundraising. But quite often, groups just lie. I have seen several groups charge tickets for an event funded by SOFC. It is true that DSG should have a more expansive, efficient and robust auditing program. But again, sometimes we just want to assume that our peers will do what they say.

I am a huge proponent of philanthropy, especially when it is efficacious. I am also a big fan of student involvement in any sort of advocacy because I think there are lessons to be learned from focused involvement on a specific issue. I am not sure, however, what ‘suggested donation’ fundraising does to further any of those goals. Donors learn little about the causes and the money is often redirected inappropriately. Most of all, I am not sure that the event organizers themselves are learning anything either. Fundraising in the real world is hardly so easy. The most successful non-profits raise money because they have compelling causes and the potential to make a significant impact. The money they acquire through government grants or recouped through tax exemptions allows them to expand their services and truly raise awareness. At least, that is how it is supposed to work. I wish student groups strove for that brand of philanthropy.