It is important, if we are to become change agents in our organizations, that we begin to think and treat our donors as stakeholders instead of shareholders. Stakeholders have a special interest in the health of an organization and the nature of its products and services. Stakeholders have a long-range view that emphasizes the nonprofit organization and its ecology. The actions of stakeholders shape the interactions between an organization and its environment for social and economic change. This is in contrast to a shareholder, who wants a short-run return on his or her investment.
Stakeholders view the benefits they receive as the return on assets held in stewardship.
We must treat our constituency as stakeholders who embrace a deeper interest in the success of our organizations. If we are successful, our stakeholders will feel their contributions were significant and meaningful and will want to return more to see the organization become even more successful in the future.