Super Donors with Secret Identities
By: Holly Greatrex, CFRE
Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent, is a mild-mannered reporter who prefers to stay out of the public eye. When Clark was growing up, his adoptive parents encouraged him to use his superpowers to do good and help humanity. At Carleton University, we are fortunate to have many “super donors” who use their “superpowers” to do good by supporting post-secondary education and outstanding students now and in the future.
These super donors may not wear capes or fight crime in tights, but their superpower—philanthropy—is key to making the world a better place. Yet, just like Clark Kent, they prefer to have a secret identity.
Donors have many reasons for privacy, and it is our job as gift planners to honour and uphold these confidentiality requests. Choosing to have a secret identity does not change the power or impact of a gift. But why do some donors prefer to remain anonymous?
- Openly sharing or being recognized for a charitable estate gift may feel uncomfortable. Perhaps they have grown up in a household or come from a generation that believes talking about finances and wills is just not done. Charities need to respect those feelings and only acknowledge legacy donors with their consent.
- Some donors discuss their philanthropic goals with a professional advisor before sharing details of their will with their children or family. For this reason, they may want to keep their identity secret, often through a lawyer, until they can have a family meeting or conversation with their loved ones.
- Fear of being inundated with funding appeals causes some donors to choose not to inform a charity about their estate plans. Telling a charity about their estate plans should not result in unwanted fundraising appeals. Donors can ask to be removed from a charity’s fundraising initiatives or communication list.
- Concerns about commitment may cause some individuals to remain anonymous. Donors may mistakenly worry that sharing their estate plans means that they are “locked-in” and unable to change their minds if their life circumstances change or philanthropic priorities shift over time. This is not the case as estate plans, wills, and pledges can be changed or canceled anytime.
At Carleton University, we love to thank, celebrate and recognize our legacy donors as an integral part of our community that supports our successes now and in the future. However, if a donor wants to remain anonymous for any reason, we pledge to keep and uphold these requests.
Whether a donor wishes to have a secret identity or chooses to be part of our community of legacy donors, their superpowers are, well…super!