I Am Awesome. You Are Awesome.

[Editor's note: This post comes courtesy of the 101fundraising blog. Read it in full here.]

A few years ago, while discussing a learning opportunity, a colleague of mine said: "The last thing I need is to sit and listen to a bunch of fundraisers talk about how great they are."

At the time I was pretty offended. Now I think maybe she was right. Fundraising professionals really do look to each other for validation. We build ourselves up, cheer each other on and even have award ceremonies for each other. We need to inspire and support each other because we are still a long way away from this profession garnering the public support and respect it deserves.

On one occasion at a major-donor cultivation event, I somehow ended up on the receiving end of a lecture about how fundraisers don't need to get paid. In fact they "shouldn't" get paid. I set my immediate defensive instincts aside and tried to patiently justify my paycheck by explaining that I have specific training. I pointed out that since hiring me, my organization had started raising significantly more money for program delivery — the programs that she loved. I was 
dismissed with a wave of the hand and, "Yes, well, you ALL say that."

To make matters worse, several times a year major news outlets seem to go on the attack. These news stories are usually out of context and full of untruths. They perpetuate the myth that we beg, steal and manipulate in order to raise money for our own personal gain. These articles imply that somehow charities operate in spite of — not because of — the work we do.

The most recent occurrence was something I read in a newspaper from Australia. It seems a reporter attending the Fundraising Institute of Australia's national conference accused the fundraisers of "meeting behind closed doors" — at a conference. Any laughter or sarcasm in the session on legacies was reported to be at the donor's expense. Moves management of donor relationships was put in quotation marks — the implication being that we are manipulative and unethical, paying outrageous sums of money (conference fees) so we can secretly strategize how to rob old and dying people of their assets.

I have attended that particular legacy master class. I know the speaker and have laughed at his jokes about death. Jokes about taboo subjects are funny. Laughter gets good marks at conferences. But, would our donors laugh at these jokes? And if they wouldn't, should we?

Obviously this reporter already had a very low opinion of this profession. His reporting was irresponsible to say the least. His method of sneaking into the conference undercover as a paying delegate was unscrupulous. I have deliberately refrained from linking to the article to limit the exposure. Once again professional fundraising has been publicly shamed. But his time I can't help but wonder if we are somehow responsible.

Yes, we need to keep developing networks of peers and supporting each other. We need to keep patting ourselves on the back and giving out awards for excellence and "badges of awesomeness." However, I think the time has come for us to do more. We must start 
to change the negative public perception of this 
profession.

With the recent passing of the iconic George Smith in the United Kingdom, I can't help but think of the legacy he left behind. Of course one can't help but think about what kind of legacy will be left behind when one dies. What kind of imprint will you have? Can we improve the public perceptions of this profession? I'd like to think we can. While I don't know exactly how to do it, here are some things I'd like to try for a start:

• Eliminate the phrase "moves management" from our lexicon. Donors are not pieces on a chess board. Instead we ought to think about ways we can increase engagement in our work and our mission.
• We need to constantly imagine that our favorite and most generous donor is on our shoulder. Watching us. All the time. Our behavior shouldn't change because a donor or a reporter walks in the room. We must strive to operate with the highest degree of integrity always.
• We must stop talking about the money we have raised as benchmarks of success. Instead let's talk about the programs we have helped to fund — the new nature reserve, the children that have been fed.

This list is just a beginning. I hope you will add to it with your comments. Let's start a movement of change. Let's help the world see what an honorable, 
important and valuable profession fundraising is to the fabric of society. FS

Kimberley MacKenzie is a self-proclaimed charity geek who has been blogging since 2008. Reach her at k@kimberleymackenzie.ca or via Twitter at @kimberleycanada