By Peter Heller

How do you determine which gifts – meaning from which donors - are acceptable to your organization? How do you determine whose names would be acceptable emblazoned upon your organization’s building, or attached to your projects? Whose reputation are you willing to permanently link with your organization? What happens if that reputation is OK for your organization now – but not later?  

Last year on Christmas Day I was walking around the plaza at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. I’ve been there many times. In fact, I grew up nearby.

But on this day I was struck by an interesting visual juxtaposition. This is what I saw:

David H. Koch Theater and David Geffen Hall stand on either side of the plaza, facing each other like formidable billionaire foes. Only the fountain in honor of Charles H. Revson stands between them. Did these two Davids ever get this close in life? Koch, the industrialist who died in 2019, gave $100 million to name the theater in 2008. He and his family have been one of the biggest forces in conservative, Republican, and Libertarian politics in the US and funded initiatives to undercut climate science and counter efforts to address climate change.

Some seven years later, Geffen, the entertainment industry titan, gave $100 million to name the opposite hall. He is a liberal supporter of Obama, has supported the Lincoln Project (a Republican-led super PAC opposing the re-election of Donald Trump), and is known to have attended Climate Change Summits in Italy and elsewhere. 

As I said….an interesting juxtaposition. Both in politics and policy. But both generously supported the arts.

And so I wonder - what was the thought process that Lincoln Center went through as they accepted $100 million gifts from donors with such contrasting views? Did those contrasting views matter? Which leads me to even bigger questions...

Do large amounts of money make us tone deaf to a gift's origin? Is all money equal under the guise of philanthropy? Does philanthropy “clean” money? Can it offer a redemption? Do we allow folks to ‘change their minds’ and amend their ways (if we disagree with them)?

Is making billions from music and entertainment any different or better than making it from (allow me to be critical here) abusing the earth? If the donor inherited that wealth, but didn’t earn it, what then?

Personally, I confess that I find it harder and harder to give folks a pass when they are not, from my perspective, actively making the world a better place. What should I do when my view of making the world a better place is in conflict with yours? Where does one draw the line? 

Since 2004, the Heller Fundraising Group has advised clients to answer these tough questions thoughtfully, on their own terms, and in a way that makes sense for their specific community. Our clients have adopted morals clauses into their gift acceptance policies, and crafted gift agreements that handle the permanence of naming, all while honoring the reputation of their organization and the deep commitment and philanthropic intent of their donors. It is, as always, an interesting juxtaposition.

Is your organization prepared to address these questions? I hope you'll take the time to think this all over. Reach out to me if you’d like to discuss this more! And finally, I encourage you to listen to Joni Mitchell’s song, “Free Man in Paris” about Geffen early in his career. 

Peter Heller is the Founder of the Heller Fundraising Group, a New York City-based fundraising consulting firm that works with local, national and international nonprofits on capital campaigns, campaign feasibility studies, major gift programs, and hands-on training. peter@hellerfundraisinggroup.com