Where does the passion need to lie?

Or is passion obsolete?

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Today’s article…

…confronts an age old dilemma about fundraising, fundraisers and how much emotional stock we need to invest.

Caroline has written it from a personal standpoint, but we suspect that others of you will have different opinions - of course we’d love to hear them!

Whatever you’re up to this week - have a good one and thank you, as always for reading The Nest Egg.

Tony and Caroline

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Where does the passion need to lie?

by Caroline Danks

Photo by Laura Ockel on Unsplash

Picture description: a tangle of colourful love heart sweeties.

As a consultant, I get to work with a lot of very wonderful charities.

Never have I ever not been invested in the big changes they’re trying to make.

From client to chosen charity

Only once have I become a supporter post-contract.

Specifically, I asked my friends and family to make gifts to this charity in lieu of presents for my 40^th birthday.

Two weeks ago, the charity announced that they were closing and so amongst a lot of feelings, the question “Do fundraisers need to be passionate about the causes for which they are raising money?” was re-ignited.

It’s an age-old debate with two distinct schools of thought:

1.       Passion.  Yes, it’s imperative that you’re personally passionate about / invested in the cause for which you’re raising money.  How can you expect others to follow suit if you’re not on the same page?

2.       Pragmatism.  No, it’s not your job to be passionate about the cause.  Your job is to inspire and direct the donor’s passion for the cause and to mobilise their ambitions into financial support.

I’m a number two

I have mostly fallen into the pragmatism camp. 

From the very start of my career when the topic came up in a training session hosted by Bill Bruty, where he resolutely explained to us that:

‘Personal passion for a cause was not necessary for brilliant fundraising’.

Ever since hearing that, I’ve agreed, though I remember initially thinking how wild an opinion it was.

But then it seemed to make sense (maybe less so for those that become fundraisers because of the cause).

You only have to consider the challenging situations which can arise when passion and emotion take precedence over logic, reasoning and evidence based planning (see also, ‘founders syndrome’).  And yet, it seems to me that there is some kind of moral high ground set out by the first school of thought which looms large and inescapable over the second:

“Unless you’re passionate, you’re not doing it right.”

“How can you be authentic if you don’t really believe it?”

“You can’t properly connect with donors unless you share their resolve and determination.”

I always felt like my pragmatic stance was somehow wrong, rendering me somehow ‘removed’ from the cause.

My activism and desire to work for charities tackling root causes of problems grows with age, but ultimately, I reckon I could fundraiser for pretty much anyone.

• Does this make me a sell out?

• Ungenuine?

• Uncommitted?

I don’t think so. In fact, I wonder if a fundraiser is too invested in the cause they’re working for then it could cause problems?  Specifically:

• They don’t move roles / organisations enough to develop a balanced knowledge of how it is to fundraise in different scenarios.

• They can become persuasive in their tactics, potentially trying to convert the wrong people into supporters?

Thoughts on a postcard please, these are just assumptions and certainly won’t be true in all cases.

So where’s the passion?

Fundraisers are typically labelled as ‘passionate’.  We obviously don’t do what we do for the money and for many of us, our privilege allows us to work for a lesser salary. 

I’ll never forget that brilliant bit in Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ where she describes having to negotiate a higher salary after moving from a corporate law firm to a non-profit.  A larger salary was necessary for her in order for her to meet her maxxed out student loan and mortgage (because unlike many, her family were unable to financially support her through college).  

She negotiated, not out of pride or self-confidence, but because she needed a certain amount to live on (her husband was at that time a community organiser and author!).

For me, the passion doesn’t (necessarily) sit with the cause for which I’m raising money - I’m a professional and those engaging my services get 100% of my effort for the time we’ve agreed.

For me, the passion is for fundraising itself.

The act of fundraising itself is what fires me up and excites the hell out of me.

It wasn’t until about fifteen years (at least) into my fundraising career when I heard Ken Burnett interviewed on the ‘Do More Good’ podcast, that I heard someone else describe this exact same passion for their work.

It was incredibly validating.  

He describes feeling a similar excitement, saying that for him, fundraising was similar to being a kid in a ‘sweet shop’, because of the sheer variety of tasks involved, people to engage with and options available.

I totally got it!

Stuff I’ll never get bored of

I will never, ever tire of working out the perfect funding mix for a charity (and the challenge which comes in knowing that this mix looks very different for each charity).

I absolutely love:

• Understanding a charity’s strengths and weaknesses and carefully curating a fundraising plan which addresses their needs

• Uncovering potential new supporters and imagining the possibilities if they say ‘yes’

• The nerves which accompany me when I’m picking up the phone to a donor for the first time (and the satisfaction and relief once the call is over!)

• Knowing you’ve brought immense joy to donors and colleagues because through the connections you’ve enabled, life changing stuff can happen.

At a business development seminar Tony and I attended several years ago (run by an eccentric entrepreneur – an Australian living in Las Vegas with the oddest accent I have ever heard…), I learned very quickly about building a team, scaling my business and then creating systems and processes which would mean my business could run profitably without me being there.  

I was excited and swept up in the moment. 

So much so that I raised my hand, interested to invest in the (very expensive) coaching programme being offered by the host at a ‘one-time only, event special discount’.

I went to the front of the very crowded room, a bag of nerves, with a question for the host.

I wasn’t 100% sold on his coaching programme and needed to know it was for me.

Face to face, we had a chat:

Me (proper nervous): “I work in the non-profit sector, supporting charities with income generation and I love my work.  What if I want to continue to work inside my business and don’t want to bow out of the day to day?”

Fancy entrepreneur chap: “You will eventually.  Everyone gets bored in the end.”

Me (suddenly relaxed and knowing): “Not me.  I won’t.  I love my work.”

I walked away knowing that his training wasn’t for me.  And with a history of selling everything from cars to dog food to business coaching, it’s unlikely that he could ever have understood the sheer exhilaration that comes with knowing about the positive difference you make, each and every day.

I love fundraising. 

I LOVE IT! 

Of course there are good and bad days, but 20 years on my passion for the profession shows no signs of slowing. 

I hope it never does.

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