Future Fundraising Now

Do you believe in your cause?

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by

Jeff Brooks
in

Here’s a great suggestion from The Far Edge of Promise blog: The Believe First Rule.

It’s like the “Give First” rule that some organizations have, where fundraisers are expected to give to the cause themselves — you shouldn’t expect others to do something you haven’t done yourself:

In order to increase the number of donors who “get it,” we have to first “get it” ourselves. We must believe that giving is a joy. We have to first evidence a generous, positive spirit…. If you want to increase the number of donors who “get it,” start with the one you know best. Yourself.

I agree. If raising funds is your job and nothing else, you are a shadow of what you should be. Giving to a charitable cause is not an intellectual exercise or a mere financial transaction. It’s an act of the heart and the spirit.

Don’t expect donors to open their hearts before you can.

    Comments

    2 responses to “Do you believe in your cause?”

    1. Eric Foley Avatar
      Eric Foley

      I love that imagery, Jeff – that when we don’t actually believe what we want others to believe, we are a shadow of what we should be. Taken to its logical conclusion, this kind of thinking will do away with the idea that some are doers of the cause and others are supporters of the doers. To the extent that our passion for the cause is genuine, all of us need to be not only giving but getting our hands dirty in impacting the cause directly. Giving without growing personal involvement is truly “shadow philanthropy”.

    2. Eric Foley Avatar
      Eric Foley

      I love that imagery, Jeff – that when we don’t actually believe what we want others to believe, we are a shadow of what we should be. Taken to its logical conclusion, this kind of thinking will do away with the idea that some are doers of the cause and others are supporters of the doers. To the extent that our passion for the cause is genuine, all of us need to be not only giving but getting our hands dirty in impacting the cause directly. Giving without growing personal involvement is truly “shadow philanthropy”.

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    The future of fundraising is not about social media, online video, or SEM. It’s not about any technology, medium, or technique. It’s about donors. If you need to raise funds from donors, you need to study them, respect them, and build everything you do around them. And the future? It’s already here. More.

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    Jeff BrooksJeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 35 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you’ll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com. More.

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    The future of fundraising is not about social media, online video, or SEM. It’s not about any technology, medium, or technique. It’s about donors. If you need to raise funds from donors, you need to study them, respect them, and build everything you do around them. And the future? It’s already here. More.

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    About the blogger

    Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 30 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you’ll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com.