Fund raiser Ayokunle Ankinyele takes a stab at blogging on the art of fund raising.

Fund raiser Ayokunle Ankinyele takes a stab at blogging on the art of fund raising.

Fundraising is the act/art of raising financial or material resources for a defined purpose. It is differentiated from a simple purchase of a good/service because of the mostly intangible nature of what the giver would receive in exchange for their support.

Fundraising takes many forms; from benefit concerts, walks/runs/rides to raise awareness for a disease or social issue, radio/television-thons, travelers/ unfortunates with placards all the way down to telephone fundraising.

There is a whole lot of good or bad work out there to be done considering the world we live in and how better or worse it could be and fundraising gets very necessary in this equation as a lot of it depends on individual goodwill on the part of the donor to remember why they should give a care about the work that is at hand and why the world might be made a better place by the simple act of digging in their pockets for change or whipping out a credit or writing a check as the case may be.


Fundraisers would be served very well to sit back and acknowledge:


- As stressful, exhilarating, painful, rewarding as things get over a period, their work is very necessary, for good or bad.


- In the course of actually doing said job, to clear the mind and focus on making the connection between their “employers” mission, why it remains necessary, and provide the specific details that 'assist' their prospective donors into concluding "Hey, there remains work to be done and it is time now to ask…. ‘How can I help?’”

That as a frame of mind necessary to facilitate exchange of cash or material support.

The fundraiser who is interested in doing well for themselves, their employers and possibly the state of the world SHOULD remember that humans are social animals and so while ‘big picture’ is being presented to potential donor, it is necessary to coherent, informed and engaged in the exchange.

Facts, tone, cadence, urgency and the wild card factor of exactly what is happening on the 'receiving' end of the engagement all combine to produce a range of reactions and experience that make fundraising such a fulfilling way of contributing to society/making rent and living in the many moments that their mission requires.


Lastly, grit, wit and dedication are a big part of the equation necessary to succeed in fundraising and it there always will be good runs and bad ones as a fundraiser moves towards their ‘target’. The very best and worst of human nature will be on intermittent display, one right after the other or even an extremely long stretch of one till one are just about to give it up for the shift or get discouraged for long term (Thinking maybe along the lines of “Why am I doing this??.”), and there is almost always that donor who heard the same thing that everyone did, but it was the exact right thing for them to hear at that point and the day/night is saved.

If you dont ask, you dont get.

Human beings in all walks of life struggle to get what we want. For fundraisers this struggle is particularly troublesome in that the job of fundraisers is to ask for money and to make those who give money feel good about it and secure that there resources are going to a good use.

It is exremely imprtant whether you are knocking on doors, making phone calls or writing compelling fundraising letters, to do away with this shyness. Two key points; donors wont give more than they are able to give. Donors wont give anything if they are never asked.

Very rarely is a person offended by being asked in a polite way to support a cause. In those instances when a potential donor does take personal offense apologize, in a sincere way. Great fundraisers are not only capable of humbly apologizing for any perceived slight; they secure donations as well. Being able to do this requires a skill-set consisting of knowledge of human nature self-confidence and persistence. These tools aren't developed overnight, but they can be mastered with practice.

A good example of the importance of respecting all Donors can be found in the biblical tale of the widows mite. In it, a poor woman is mocked for her small donation. Jesus acting as a fundraiser here remarks that her donation is more valuable than that of wealthier people who gave much less of a percentage of their fortune than the widow gave. No donor is more or less important than another. Treating all donors with courtesy and respect builds character in a fundraiser.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesson_of_the_widow's_mite

Ask whether you feel you know the answer or not. Be polite and respectful of all people whether they give a a large donation or nothing at all. In the long run this strategy is always a successful one

The Fundraiser.

Fund raising is one of the largest and most influential sectors in the United States and the world.
Without non profits shaping the attitudes of the public and guiding governmental policies, our world could be a vastly different place.

Imagine a world where Martin Luther King or Ghandi's voices were never heard. Or a world where Mother Theresa was never able to do the works that she did. It would be a vastly changed world for sure.

This blog will supply information and news about fund raising in the 21st century how things have changed over the years and what changes we can expect to see come about with the advent of internet marketing and technology.