Does Asking Still Matter?
By Andrea Kihlstedt
In the last month, I’ve given to an artist’s project through Kickstarter. I’ve given to a music school teacher through DonorsChoose. I’ve lent a woman in Congo money through Kiva and I’m thinking about contributing to a friend’s campaign to raise money for cancer through Crowd Rise.
It’s so easy and such fun to pick these projects. I can see photos and even sometimes a video. I’ve gotten thank you notes from every child in the classroom I supported and I get updates from this project or that. I look forward to them and it sparks my energy to give more.
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ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR
Andrea Kihlstedt is also the author of How to Raise $1 Million (or More!) in 10 Bite-Sized Steps: A Fail-Proof Guide for Board Members, Volunteers and Staff .
For more information, click here. |
Even though I haven’t met any of these people in person, I have a sense of a personal connection with these projects. Even more than that, I feel closer to them than I do when I send a check to the local causes I’ve been supporting from whom a get a printed newletter now and again that seems somehow dated and very impersonal by comparison.
I’ve been particularly impressed with Kickstarter. This site applies most of the principles I know about capital campaigns and packages them in a way that an artist or aspiring entrepreneur with a creative project can use. Each project has a set goal and timeline. The case is spelled out, often with accompanying visuals, and the donor rewards are listed by giving category on the side of the page. Gifts are pledged and then transacted only if the the project is fully funded, putting added pressure on the fundraiser to reach the goal. Each funder can respond both individually and through project updates to all of the donors easily and effectively. The site tracks progress continually and I found myself checking the site several times a day to see how it was doing. When it lagged, I made another gift to help process going. And as a donor, I could see the names of all of the other donors though not their gift amounts. As the team grew, so did my excitement. Not only did my money go to a good cause, but I enjoyed being part of the process.
What does this remarkable revolution in giving through the internet mean for the future of fundraising--particularly for the local organizations that for all their good intentions, just don’t do a good job of staying in touch?
The answer for me is growingly clear. If my local organizations don’t start doing a better job of helping me feel connected, my philanthropic dollars are going elsewhere in the country and elsewhere in the world. And I suspect I’m not alone.
But for all I feel connected to these remote organizations, local organizations have an edge if they’d just use it. Local is...well...local. And as local organizations they can ask for gifts in a way that is more personal, more intimate and more affecting than any organization can through the internet. They can build real, in-person relationships with people who actually witness the organization’s outcomes in their own community.
Local organizations can give tours, introduce people to their staff and programs in a way that even the best video just can’t match. Through personal, one-to-one interaction they can get to know their donors and come to understand what they want to do with their giving and help them do just that.
No video, no e-update, no photograph...no matter how personal feeling can do what a personal ask does because while they can convey the impact of the gift, they can’t get to know me. And that’s they real key to my giving.
Does asking still matter? No! Asking doesn’t still matter. ASKING MATTERS MORE, much more.
Andrea Kihlstedt is the author of How to Raise $1 Million (or More!) in 10 Bite Sized Steps. She is also cofounder of www.askingmatters.com, a website dedicated to providing the resources people need to find the courage and will to get out and ask.
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