The New Fundraisers by Breeze Beth

Author:Breeze, Beth [Breeze, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Philanthropy & Charity
ISBN: 9781447325000
Google: dDI5DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Policy Press
Published: 2017-10-30T05:15:32+00:00

Discussion of ‘how to fundraise’ books

The analysis of the ‘science’ of fundraising, as encapsulated in the most popular ‘how to’ fundraising books that are read and recommended by UK fundraisers, reveals a complex and often contradictory picture of what the job entails. These different emphases – and sometimes outright inconsistencies – matter for a number of reasons: newly recruited fundraisers may struggle to comprehend expectations; colleagues – whose buy-in is known to be essential to create an internal culture of philanthropy – may lack clarity about the fundraising function; and confusion may arise between fundraisers and their managers as to the nature, purpose and execution of the role (Worth and Asp, 1994, p 27). Indeed, some of the problems associated with fundraising as discussed elsewhere in this book, notably its negative reputation, may be due to ‘continuing ambiguity reflected in the literature’ concerning the proper roles and responsibilities of the job (Worth and Asp, 1994, p 14).

However, the ‘how to’ literature is largely written by practitioners who are focused on the prosaic reality of the task at hand and rarely engage with conceptual issues that might attract attention in a more theoretically minded milieu. The resulting pragmatic tracts are aimed at fundraisers who are usually working in stressful situations with imminent deadlines, with little interest or time to pursue ‘knowledge for knowledge’s sake’. So despite being (on the whole) highly educated, avid readers, and keen on lifelong learning (as seen in Chapter 2), in the workplace they tend to be adherents – and consumers – of Noah’s principle: ‘No credit for predicting rain. Credit only for building arks’ (Levy, 2009, p 7).

However, this strong pragmatic streak and desire to know ‘how to do it’ more than an interest in discussing ‘what’s it all about’ runs up against the reality that fundraising (again, on the whole, and in particular in relation to major donor fundraising which is the focus of this study) resists standardisation. Donors are individuals, who respond best to approaches that are authentic and respectful of their individuality, so no two campaigns or ‘asks’ can be exactly alike (Prince and File, 1994, p xvii; Greenfield, 2002, p xiii; Sloggie, 2005, p 23; Johnson, 2011b, p 101; Filiz-Obay and Uler, 2016, p 1). This makes the search for consistently reliable techniques somewhat difficult. At best, the ‘how to’ authors can provide a ‘toolbox’ but cannot provide a fail-safe, step-by-step, how-to guide because ‘there is no one way to do it … [it is] messy and hard to predict or even manage’ (Ross and Segal, 2002, p 2).

The realisation that fundraising does not have a stable, straightforward ‘blueprint for success’ can be disconcerting and uncomfortable: ‘Early in my career I often heard the saying “There is no one right way to raise money.” I found that statement both frightening and a bit disheartening because I wanted a formula, a blueprint, or at least a game plan’ (Broce, 1986, p xi). The requirement for personalisation is largely in response to the poetically

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