Why Does Fundraising Feel So Bad?

...and why it doesn't have to

In my more-than-a-decade-and-a-half of professional fundraising, I’ve lost count of the number of people who have told me that fundraising feels “yucky” to them.

I’ve heard many different reasons why.

I’m including some examples of these various perspectives below.

See if any of them resonate for you….

Photo by Matthew Lancaster on Unsplash

You Think of It as a “Necessary Evil”

There is so much worthy and important work to be done via nonprofits. Unfortunately, the only way we can fund the work is through fundraising.

We don’t really wanna waste our time on it, or muddy our hands with it, especially when we could be helping people instead… but we gotta.

You know what, let’s hire somebody to do it for us. Then we don’t really need to think about it or dirty our hands.

We’ll be sure to set really aggressive goals for them, because we’ve got so much important work to do… and of course we’ll hold them accountable to meeting those goals. But thank goodness we won’t have to worry about doing that really loathsome kind of work ourselves anymore.

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You Feel Like You’re Taking Something from Somebody

I don’t like asking people for money.

I don’t like begging.

This is peoples’ hard-earned cash… and they deserve to do whatever they want with it. Who am I to ask them for it? Who am I to take it from them?

I mean, sure we’re doing good things with it…

… but I don’t want to have to be the one to take it from them.

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You Don’t Like Talking About Money

Money makes me really uncomfortable.

My parents were always fighting about it… or I grew up low-income and there was never enough of it and sometimes we really suffered because of it… or we were really well-off and the other kids called me a “princess” and I hated that… or I’ve never wanted to earn much of it personally because it seems so evil… or…

….or…

…or….

There are SO many reasons.

I’m really uncomfortable around money.

And I don’t like talking about it at all.

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You Feel Like Nonprofit Program Work is Far More Noble

Feeding people is what I’m really here for.

Working with young people is the most important thing.

We are ultimately focused on housing those who are homeless.

Really, we’re all about helping people. So we really want to support and fund that work. We don’t want to support anything like buying your desk chairs… or software… or even healthcare for your employees or snacks for meetings.

And we especially think you should have the lowest-of-low expenses for something like fundraising.

Spending more on fundraising… rather than helping people?!

Shame.

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You Think It’s About Money

I’ve raised more than $30 Million in my career.

How big is your org? Our budget is $500,000.

I ran the wealth screening report, and their net worth is $5M. That means we most definitely need to put them into your major donor portfolio.

You’ve had two meetings with them already. That means it’s time for an ask. You really can’t meet with them again without asking them for money.

“High-net-worth.”

“Low-value.”

“Major.”

“Small-dollar.”

“Donor Life-Time Value.”

We definitely need to hold a VIP reception before the event for all our major donors and sponsors who gave the most.

Mr. Local Millionaire wants to come by for a tour? Clear the Executive Director’s schedule. Let’s see if we can get the Board Chair here too.

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There Are Legit Problems With the Inherent Dynamics

The thing about fundraising, and fundraisers, is that you’re situated smack-dab in the nexus of some of the most gnarly dynamics in our human societies:

• Race and Racism

• Gender and Sexism

• Wealth Inequity

• Power Imbalances

• The Oppressiveness of a Dominant White Culture

• The Ills of Capitalism

• Coloniality

• And more….

There are legit problems within these dynamics, and it can be very uncomfortable, and/or discombobulating, and/or dangerous to be right in the middle of them.

Through experience in the field, fundraisers learn this.

And it makes the work even harder than it needs to be.

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How it Could Be Instead

I believe with my whole being that it doesn’t have to be this way.

Here’s how it could be:

• Fundraising is simply a community-building process.

• Fundraising is gathering the true believers around a mission.

• Fundraising is a process of fundraisers connecting deeply with their own humanity… and their own values… and then connecting deeply with others’ humanity, and values… and connecting those people to each other.

• Fundraising is direct and honest conversations.

• Fundraising is sharing passion.

• Fundraising is bringing love alive.

• Fundraising openly brings to light all of the gnarly dynamics of our society.

• Fundraising talks openly about power.

• Fundraising consciously shifts power.

• Fundraising creates solidarity between those who are suffering… and those who can help them in this moment.

• Fundraising acknowledges that the helpers today may need help tomorrow… and it stays ready to shift the direction of help when needed.

• Fundraising is meaningful community work, just as much as program work is.

• Fundraising is mission work — rather than just supporting mission work.

• Fundraising de-prioritizes money, realizing that if relationships are truly prioritized over money… and those relationships are honest, and strong, and healthy, and transparent, and communicative, your community will always be with you and your mission… and they will always show up for you when you need them, in monetary ways or otherwise.

• Fundraising welcomes open conversations about our relationship to money — inviting donors into conversations about class, the definition of success, how to practice solidarity with others, how money intersects with meaning, how money can be truly life-giving, how money can be a powerful tool for good, how our personal money stories shape our relationship with money, and more….

• Fundraising is done by every kind of person — no matter their education, work experience, culture, or position.

• We stop treating fundraising like some sort of secret language, only available to you if you have the special password.

• Fundraising is values work.

• Fundraising is deeply human work.

• Fundraising is joyful.

• Fundraising is meaningful.

• Fundraising is fun.

• Fundraising changes the lives of everyone involved with it for the better.

What else?

What else can you see in the vision of what could be?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Let’s start creating a new vision of fundraising together.

💗