Over the past six months, a greater proportion of the fundraising I’ve been doing has been institutional rather than individual. By “institutional” I mean fundraising from people who have been charged with donating somebody else’s money – whether or not it’s a formal, recognized institution (e.g. a large private foundation, a corporation, etc.).
In both individual and institutional fundraising, there’s a strategic element and a people element. The strategic conversations are around goals and outcomes and what success looks like. The people element is around what motivates a person to take action – the story and the emotional elements that move people to act, as well as the interpersonal dynamics that are always at play.
The one thing that is missing from these institutional conversations, which easy to miss if you’ve not experienced it directly, is a deep, personal element. In my experience, real, substantive conversations about real, substantive philanthropy nearly always get personal: they touch on motivations, hopes and fears, aspirations, and legacy.
These conversations require something different from the person doing the fundraising: a comfort getting into that murky space where they, too, are more open, honest, and vulnerable than would ever be expected in a purely professional context.
My hunch is that the reason most people don’t wade deep into individual, big-ticket fundraising is either because they don’t understand how deeply personal these conversations have to be, or they are unwilling or unsuccessful at going there. This means that if you have the courage to take that leap, along with openness to do the real work that this leap requires – to learn about yourself, to understand your own motivations for doing this work, to help people talk about their own purpose – you’ll soon be part of a very small group of people willing to take it to another level. This path is a heavy lift, a long walk that requires emotional labor and has the potential for a serious personal and professional payoff.
Of course your other option is to sit safely at a desk replying to yet another formal request for proposal, hoping that your program will be the one out of 1,000 that’s picked out of the pile.
This is one of the greatest blend-in or stand-out opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
Totally agree, Sasha. I view this dichotomy as the “head” vs. the “heart” in fundraising. Many fundraisers can state the case for supporting their cause and appeal to the logical brain. But few truly have the gift of reaching the heart and understanding the motivations for giving (behind the logic of giving). Those rare fundraisers are more able to secure transformational gifts, because they form real connections with their donors.
Hello Sasha. Amazing post. I have been into Fundraising in India from long. Have always been into handling major donors in organizations like Oxfam etc. Definitely, without deep meaningful heart to heart conversations, we cannot expect anything significant in this domain. I was lucky to raise a legacy from a major donor and many such achievements came up. Almost always, there used to be an exemplary relationship building with the donor. Now looking forward to rise in this domain only…