The hidden impact of fundraising on donors

There's a great post over at Gift Hub titled Donor Centered Fund-Raising. It's on the notion that fundraising isn't just about grabbing the dough you need to do good deeds. Fundraising itself is a good deed, because it transforms donors. As Phil put it ...

... transformational giving is the way to create gifts that can fulfill a family, uplift a nonprofit's work, and transform a society.... try treating a few high potential donors as human beings and see what happens. You may be astounded that you are sitting at the right hand of the donor as they convene their planning team to make a life-changing and world-changing gift.

Exactly. And while you're at it, try treating regular donors as human beings. It's not just well-heeled who can become better people through philanthropy.

This is the key to success and satisfaction in fundraising.

I was attracted to the fundraising profession because I wanted to make the world a better place, and I don't have any practical skills. I figured supporting people doing the real work was the next best thing.

But as I've continued doing the work, it's getting clearer to me all the time that fundraising is already making the world a better place -- before the funds even reach the "front lines."

Giving makes people better. It frees greedy people from the chains they've bound themselves with. It connects isolated, close-minded people with the larger world. It helps people attain their spiritual goals ...

And then their money goes out and does even more good!

So congratulations, fundraiser. You're an accomplished do-gooder.

Technorati Tag: philanthropy

Comments

[phil]

Thanks for the link. I was trying to differentiate transactional from transformational relationships, but I take your point that every encounter with a donor, even long distance via a mass campaign should be created with the idea that the donor, however small, is an active moral agent.

[Anne]

Thank you for the reminder that we are all agents of positive change in the world. I quickly passed this on to my hard-working team.

[Jeremy Gregg]

Thank you for citing Phil Cubeta's blog. He has been a great influence on me as a fundraiser, and we could all benefit from reading and rereading his thoughts on what most of us consider "donor cultivation" . . . but which is fundmentally being nothing more than good "relationship stewarding."