Why I Still Believe in Mushy Fundraising

Is donor-centricity a crock?

There was an interesting discussion at The Agitator last month. (I think it began with "Who Gets Fired?" but I can’t promise I’m right. The conversation continued over days because it’s important.) It raised a question: Who’s to blame for lousy fundraising? Development staff, executive directors, consultants—we ran through the gamut.

It evolved through a dismissal of donor-centricity as a platitude. Something that fundraisers all claim to believe in, but don’t do (or understand).

At one point, it seemed like focusing on donors was dismissed as so much talk. That the real key should be data and good systems. Forget the fuzzy stuff.

But that couldn’t be right.