Oof! Reading this in the final stretch before my org’s gala. And it’s striking me that formal fundraising events might be the worst of all of this. They emphasize class without discussing it, rarely foreground the mission except for a few minutes of video, and there is almost no opportunity for relationships building at the event, only afterwards. Maybe those are some of the reasons why I hate them?
This, Emily. THIS! This is EXACTLY why I discourage orgs from galas. Good luck finding ways to mitigate these problems as much as possible (although I know that is VERY hard within the existing model)... and I look forward to hearing how it goes!
One of the most unsettling phrases I’ve heard in fundraising is “disqualified donor” — usually based on someone’s perceived capacity or inclination.
It’s always struck me as backwards. Are we really in the business of disqualifying people from giving? That’s never sat right with me, and little things like this have let to my disillusionment with the nonprofit sector.
Not to mention the gross industrial complex that comes from the dark triad of professional associations, large consulting firms, and big vendors that seems to be more about profitability and ego, rather than helping advance missions and causes.
SO with you on this, Adam. That is not our decision to make — at all. We should be welcoming any- and everybody into our community, whenever and however they choose to join our mission work.
And to your next point, I feel like so much of that is due to the fact that we've overlayed capitalism and for-profit business perspectives... onto how we fundraise for nonprofits.
For years, as I've studied "best practices," I've learned ALL the known psychology and strategies and tactics of marketing... calculating ROI... deciding things based solely on a monetary bottom line, etc. — all of which come straight from the commercial world (which, side note, is always held up as more legit than and superior to the nonprofit world, which is probably a whole entire post on its own).
AND having just returned from the GIANT and EXPENSIVE international conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals — an event rife with pricey sponsorships from both vendors and said large consulting firms, plus FULL of marketing pitches from the same — I am totally with you on that "gross industrial complex."
Oof! Reading this in the final stretch before my org’s gala. And it’s striking me that formal fundraising events might be the worst of all of this. They emphasize class without discussing it, rarely foreground the mission except for a few minutes of video, and there is almost no opportunity for relationships building at the event, only afterwards. Maybe those are some of the reasons why I hate them?
This, Emily. THIS! This is EXACTLY why I discourage orgs from galas. Good luck finding ways to mitigate these problems as much as possible (although I know that is VERY hard within the existing model)... and I look forward to hearing how it goes!
One of the most unsettling phrases I’ve heard in fundraising is “disqualified donor” — usually based on someone’s perceived capacity or inclination.
It’s always struck me as backwards. Are we really in the business of disqualifying people from giving? That’s never sat right with me, and little things like this have let to my disillusionment with the nonprofit sector.
Not to mention the gross industrial complex that comes from the dark triad of professional associations, large consulting firms, and big vendors that seems to be more about profitability and ego, rather than helping advance missions and causes.
SO with you on this, Adam. That is not our decision to make — at all. We should be welcoming any- and everybody into our community, whenever and however they choose to join our mission work.
And to your next point, I feel like so much of that is due to the fact that we've overlayed capitalism and for-profit business perspectives... onto how we fundraise for nonprofits.
For years, as I've studied "best practices," I've learned ALL the known psychology and strategies and tactics of marketing... calculating ROI... deciding things based solely on a monetary bottom line, etc. — all of which come straight from the commercial world (which, side note, is always held up as more legit than and superior to the nonprofit world, which is probably a whole entire post on its own).
AND having just returned from the GIANT and EXPENSIVE international conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals — an event rife with pricey sponsorships from both vendors and said large consulting firms, plus FULL of marketing pitches from the same — I am totally with you on that "gross industrial complex."