Farnhill.org.uk
Fundraising
Fundraising can be a bewildering and expensive subject. It can also be brutally hard and depressing. On the upside, it can change the world and enable people to live out their beliefs and values. I’ve been involved in fundraising for fifteen years and still haven’t managed to shake it off.
It’s a bit like marketing, but you must have emotional intelligence too. You need it to be able to communicate with people who are often very upset/angry/frightened;
to understand the emotional repercussions of a charity’s work on the lives of its clients and you need it to be able to look after yourself in these difficult settings.
Anyone can raise money if they can get along with people. You also need energy and commitment, and an ability to delegate will make you even more effective.
Fundraising isn’t a profession as much as a group activity – you need to be able to work with people and to have a blend of experiences and abilities to be successful. Nobody I’ve ever met has been able to do the whole range of fundraising tasks (research, planning, analysis, creativity, public speaking, PR, evaluation, risk management, project management and so on). It’s having the savvy to know what you can do and what you can’t, and getting others to fill the gaps you leave.
If you want to chat about a fundraising issue, then click here. I can’t promise I can help, and even if I do promise that I can help it doesn’t mean I will, but in the past most people have seemed grateful for my contribution.