Donor Relationship Management in Russian NGOs

One of the main problems faced by non-profit organizations in Russia is the lack of material resources. Poor financial condition of Russian NGOs actualizes the issues of attracting material resources and establishing relations with donors – the issues of fundraising. In this paper fundraising is viewed as "...the management of relationships between a charitable organization and its donors." This definition belongs to Kathleen Kelly, who in her book "Effective fund-rasing management" highlights the importance of stewardship in fundraising. The process of stewardship is based on four basic principles – reciprocity, reporting, responsibility, relationship nurturing. The purpose of the study is to determine the level of integration of these four principles of stewardship in fundraising activities in Russia. In-depth interviews with experts responsible for fundraising were conducted, transcribed and analyzed in order to test the hypothesis. Moreover, the results were analyzed using content analysis according to the Krippendorff method to validate the scales. The research concludes recommendations for effective donor relationship management in Russian NGO’s. The results of this study may be relevant for managers and staff responsible for fundraising in the Russian NGOs, as well as for researchers in the field of fundraising.