I recently read on a U.S. magazine a nice article on love for fund raising. Fund raising is in fact a profession to be loved, but the article says, often many team fundraising are made by professional fundraisers who do not like fund raising.

Here are the reasons:

• Fund raising is primarily emotion, not intellect alone. It does not allow to show how smart and how much education you have received, but if you can show the "bump of the human" or you're just a hack ...
• It may be simplistic and repetitive, if you do not love him (even cynical)
• It 'a profession where you have to admit that it does not stand alone, serve donors. For some (those who do not succeed) is embarrassing, to the point that we simply do the pre-fundraising (we'll talk about ...)
• Sometimes donors make calls to complain, ask for help. To those who do not like public relations, fund raising does not seem to be the appropriate professional.

These negative side, here are the positives.

• Donors like to donate, (the research say that giving stimulates the same brain areas related to spending, sex, drug use).
• Donate to help connect with other people (Nokia? Connecting People? Is the same!)
• Donate stimulates awareness of different realities and values ​​important
• Giving makes you happy. Researchers say that those who give you 43% of the times happier than those who do not give!
• Donate improves health. Donors say they are a healthy 25% of the time more than non-donors!
• Donate improves society. One dollar (example is in the U.S., it would be interesting even in Italy) donated to nonprofit organizations $ 19 dollars of movement stimulates the economy.

The article then concludes with three recommendations for fans of the profession:

1. donors to know: when you write your letter for direct mail to those you think? you think of a donor! (I do I always read my letters to my wife and my mother ... if they say they will not work, most likely does not work ... sadly!)
2. Donors read what they read: So your not only magazines but also newspapers and magazines that donors read (I read quite regularly Vanity Fair, People, Modern Woman, Easy Home, Time, The Rudder, Catholic Studies, Tracks , Focus, and of course the monthly "bible of bicycles", or MBA-Mountain Bike Action ... directly in English, but this has nothing to do with donors ... a lot!)
3. gives: Contribute to your organization to other organization, give by mail, online, also gives those who do not know, give the person giving the pastor a check in hand, without giving that there is an express request, studied their reactions and the emotions that you create. In this way you will have the same experience that makes the giver!

And you who read this blog because you love fundraising?

(Photo by Norm Iritz licensed for use on Creative Commons )