One session of the course I teach on nonprofit management focuses on fundraising. I start by asking for a show of hands.
“Who loves fundraising?”
“Who hates fundraising?”
The “loves” are an apologetic minority. Many look embarrassed to raise their hands – like they have a dirty little secret.
The “hates” look downtrodden by the very concept of asking.
And most students fall somewhere in between. They couldn’t muster the commitment to raise their hand at all.
The people I know in the sector seem to fall into the same proportions of loving it, hating it, and just numbed by it all.
That spread of reactions tells me that we’re not all talking about the same thing when we say “fundraising.”
For me, it is about money… and it isn’t.
Check out my musings on the topic here: Everyone Is a Fundraiser (Really)
P.S. If you were in my class, when would you raise your hand?