Friend Raising

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I have been doing a lot of research on fundraising, at the same time as I’ve been studying the changing expectations of individuals who are adjusting to living in the information age. In addition, I’ve become increasingly intolerant of people and organizations that use tactics for fundraising and promotion of their issues that treat me like an emotional being that is to be manipulated into supporting their cause.

You know what I’m talking about – it’s the high energy college students working for Greenpeace (or any number of Adopt-a-child charities) in their matching shirts, clipboards, and excessive geniality. It’s the form letters you receive in the mail from faceless alumni organizations touting the value of your dollar for the next generation. It’s the ads on your favorite websites with pictures of unhappy black children in front of a grass hut. And it’s the appeals from acquaintances asking for help in spreading the word on this ‘really important issue – it’ll only take five minutes to make a difference!’

I’ve been trying to place why this bothers me so much and I think it’s a combination of things. First of all, I don’t feel respected as an intelligent being able to make my own decisions (it’s a one way, ‘broadcast’ conversation). Second of all, as a digital immigrant in the information era, my expectations of having the ability to gather understanding and perspectives from multiple sources prior to making a decision have been raised significantly. And thirdly, they don’t have my permission to be talking to me in the first place!!

Now, I’m clearly not arguing with the effectiveness of these emotional techniques, nor am I blind to the obvious attraction that these groups have for social media. If a friend of mine (that I trust with regard to the relevant issue) asks me to read something or join a cause or contribute to a campaign, that’s a powerful ask – much more powerful than a letter from a stranger.

What I’m saying is that the information age requires us to manage the flow of information that comes our way – there’s no other option! There is simply too much information to contend with otherwise. We have to be selective, and we’ve gotten very good at determining quickly if something is worth our while or not. Put another way, there is no longer a scarcity of information but quite the opposite.

I believe that this alone makes the above tactics particularly abrasive. Not only is it unsolicited, but in addition, it is calculated to prey on the emotional connections (and potential guilt that saying no may bring) from our pre-existing friendships, or our on our innate need to save the world or help starving children.

Well, I call foul!

And I’ll take it a step further! I am hereby publicly committing to raise funds for the Open Forum Foundation based solely on the strength of our accomplishments and ideals.

As the industrial era ends and the information era begins, people are finding themselves. They are finding their voices, finding their convictions, and finding the issues that they are passionate about. I believe that my role as a change agent (and fundraising is part of creating change) is to help people understand the importance of what we’re doing at the Open Forum Foundation and to find those individuals who are share our passion and are willing to support us in whatever way they are able.

We need to do this not by interrupting potential supporters in the middle of their lives, but by informing them, entertaining them, or both. At first, this may be all we accomplish. But if at the same time, we raise their understanding and appreciation for our cause and our organization, then we are a success. We don’t need to sell everyone on what we’re doing, we need to locate the people that harbor a similar passion and be respectful of everyone else along the way so that they will help us meet our target audience.

Let’s call it the fundraising equivalent of winning hearts and minds.

Friend Raising

In researching fundraising, I read the simple advice that you can’t just raise funds, you have to raise friends. Friends will support you, funds are gone tomorrow. At the end of the day, the emotional tactics that I referred to above are only raising funds and doing nothing to secure the long-term friendships that are necessary to engender real, lasting change.

So that’s what I’m committing to – friend raising.

Spread the Word

So if you know anyone that’s passionate about ensuring that citizens and elected leaders are able to engage in meaningful dialogue, spread the word.

And if not, I wish you the best in fulfilling your own passions. Let me know if I can help.

What do you think? Am I crazy?

Note: This post was inspired by an email conversation with Emillie Aries. Thank you for the inspiration, Emillie.