254 | Do the guardians of donor-centered fundraising have a bit of a PR problem?

254 | Do the guardians of donor-centered fundraising have a bit of a PR problem?

The Fundraising Talent Podcast, a production of Responsive Fundraising

It sounds as if donor-centered fundraising might have a bit of a PR problem, and Scott’s got the data to explain why. A couple of months ago, Scott launched a poll which asked, is "donor-centric" fundraising on its way out? While the poll results may not be all that surprising, a close look at the participants behind the responses tell an interesting story. Among those participating in Scott’s poll, the guardians of donor-centered fundraising tend to be older, white men working for large institutions.

As I listened to Scott’s reflections on his findings, it is apparent that the comments that followed challenged him to think more critically about what these various ideologies mean and how they inform his work. While desiring to remain true to his values, he’s evidently teachable and pays attention to what those on the other side are saying. Scott strikes me as similar to a lot of the fundraisers that I talk to: not at all about the buzzwords that experts notoriously conjure up for scoring keynotes and contracts, they are after an opportunity to be recognized and admired for meaningful work by their boards, bosses and colleagues down the hall.

As always, we are grateful to our friends at CueBack for sponsoring the Fundraising Talent Podcast. If you’d like to learn more about hosting the Responsive Fundraising Roadshow in your community, email me at jason@responsivefundraising.com  

Reminder, you can download Responsive’s latest edition of Carefully & Critically here. 

As always, we are grateful to CueBack for sponsoring The Fundraising Talent Podcast.