I always wondered if there was a way to make fundraising more effective. I don’t know how other people think, but as for myself, I may donate to organizations, but if I want to donate to a cause operated by an organization I am not close with, I might want to hold back because I would wonder what happens to the funds if they are not raised exactly the amount needed to achieve the goal, such as purchasing ownership of the property. If they are not able to do it, or if they are able to do it but have funds left over, the funds will not get used for the intended purpose. In this case the National Trust for Scotland sounds like a reputable organization. BUT, What if they refunded the extra raised money that goes over the target amount to each contributor, proportionate to the amount each person contributed, in order to attract a larger number of contributors who care about the cause but may not be committed to anything and everything that organization does, for peace of mind that they would be able to purchase the property?
I doubt they'd soon get over the required amount the purchase the whole lot. It is a large area so it'd take quite a lot.
Then there's always maintenance I suppose. Keeping the area clean of clutter, the visitor centre and toilets need to be maintained, cleaned and so on.
It comes to trusting that they'd use it well.
The same with Green Peace. I donated to them for a year for a specific project. I have no insight whether it is truly used for that and that alone. It's where trusting an organisation comes in.
