Fundraisers must built a better connections if they are to ensure a virtuous fundraising cycle between donor, fundraiser and beneficiary
The charity sector must strive to reset the balance between donors and beneficiaries in fundraising.
That’s the key message as a major conference on fundraising in Scotland gets underway.
Delivering the keynote plenary session, Adrian Salmon, a consultant in philanthropic management, said fundraisers face a range of external challenges in a shifting regulatory landscape.
There are worries about whether fundraisers may be tempted to indulge in "poverty porn" to push a message, for example.
But one area which must be looked at, he said, is how the role of fundraising fits in within charities.
Too often there can be a mistrust of fundraisers from different arms of charities – specifically on how they will use the stories of beneficiaries.
There are worries about whether fundraisers may be tempted to indulge in "poverty porn" to push a message, for example.
Salmon said, however, all charity staff must refocus – and that includes fundraisers themselves.
The “virtuous cycle” between beneficiaries, fundraisers and donors can be easy to knock this out of shape, but fundraisers can help ensure a balance between the needs of donors and beneficiaries by connecting more with the latter.
Salmon said his own research shows there is a sense of disconnect between fundraisers and beneficiaries.
While factors such as geographical distance and subject sensitivity are understandable barriers in some circumstances, there is also an institutional problem.
For example, there is only one reference to beneficiaries in the fundraising code of conduct, and this merely states that they must not exaggerate about their beneficiaries.
Salmon also recognised a contribution from the floor which stated that a targets culture puts up barriers between fundraisers and beneficiaries.
Some of this, he said, could be put down to a failure of leadership. Where chief executives are unwilling to facilitate fundraising through, for example, promoting philanthropy among their contacts.
Salmon said: “This is what happens when people at top say we don’t want to get involved.
“Targets are being set for mass fundraising but no-one’s setting targets for substantial philanthropy which would reduce pressure on the mass fundraising programmes and in the end that’s causing fundraising regulations to come in which fails beneficiaries - and that’s a failure of leadership.”
The Scottish Fundraising Conference is a two day event in Glasgow running today and tomorrow (4 and 5 October) and focusing on the professional development of fundraising.
The Institute of Fundraising run two-day gathering features motivational plenary presentations and forty different sessions highlighting inspirational speakers and showcasing the very best fundraising practice.
