An angry donor is a nonprofit’s nightmare. Even nonprofits with the best of intentions can make a mistake that will lead to a long, and often loud, phone call with a donor.

In their book “Being Buddha At Work,” Franz Metcalf and B.J. Gallagher outlined 10 steps to take to both calm the individual down and to solve the problem. The steps are:
• First, be compassionate. The donor is frustrated, angry, disappointed, and upset. Do not meet anger with anger. Meet anger with compassion.
• Thank the donor for bringing the problem to you. Your mission is service and you cannot be of service if there are no problems to fix.
• Listen carefully to what the donor is telling you. As you listen, sift through the words and sort out facts from feelings.
• Take notes, if it is appropriate, explaining that you want to make sure you have the information correct.
• Emphasize what you can do, not what you cannot do.
• Get help from others if you need it.
• Explain and educate the donor as you continue to interact with the person.
• Commit to what you can do. Be clear about what the individual can expect and when.
• Thank the donor again for the opportunity to help turn around a negative situation.
• Follow up. Keep your commitments, and keep the donor informed if anything changes.