Is Fundraising Dead?
[Source: Strategy for Social Change Initiatives, By Lina Srivastava - February 27, 2009]
Maybe, maybe not. At the very least, in this climate of limited
resources and jittery giving, traditional fundraising techniques are not serving well.
We in the social issue community are rethinking how we ask, how we give
and how we generate both funds and impact. The exercise of reevaluation
is revolutionizing the field-- and traditional fundraising techniques
are starting to look outdated.
Larry Keeley of Doblin spoke a few weeks ago at the Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab)
at the Ontario College of Art and Design, about the role designers play
in innovation. He called on us (designers and non-designers alike) to
engage in platform thinking to conceive and prototype new futures.
Within the context of design and innovation, Larry defines platforms as
integrated offerings that create a unique and holistic user experience
only loosely controlled by the platform owner. And even in the midst of
a recession, Larry argues, there's never been a better, more dynamic
time to engage in innovation and platform thinking, given both the
widespread availability of tools and the current societal will to
collaborate.
I've been thinking about platforms ever since that
conversation. In the context of sustainable social change generally,
the most effective platforms are integrated offerings that scale
globally and across sectors, creating movement toward a just and
equitable future shaped according to local values. Those platforms need
supportive platforms that allow for dynamic and sustained resource
generation and community engagement (through communication,
storytelling and demonstration of impact). The following platforms look
like they will emerge as the strongest ways to move the needle forward:
- Donor engagement: Creating donor-centered infrastructure, in which donors' expectations and goals are directly integrated into the core of an initiative's mission and programs. This applies most often to high-level donors, requires active stewardship and communication-- and is akin to a partnership model.
- Peer-to-peer fundraising: Funds are raised through grassroots networking, individual to individual. Twestival (Twitter-based fundraising for charity:water) is the most recent example of this. (Beth Kanter presents a thorough look at this effort on her blog.)
- Open source activism: This is a phrase used by musician, activist and filmmaker Justin Dillon (Call and Response) to describe his efforts to increase participatory action and idea generation for social change.
- Open source philanthropy: Increased availability and sharing of information in and among key stakeholders. GFEM has created a media database to connect media projects with funders on an open platform. Larry Keeley has also worked with the Rockefeller Foundation to innovate philanthropic giving and due diligence.
- Impact investing: Creating global investment portfolios that maximize both financial return and non-financial benefits of scalable solutions to social and environmental problems. (A more grassroots example of this is HopeEquity.org, which creates micro-endowments that generate interest on capital.)
NOTE: Thanks to Michael Dila and Robin Uchida of Torch Partnership,
a brilliant strategy and innovation firm and a sponsor of sLab, for
inviting me to attend the sLab series. The exposure to Torch's work on
cross-sector collaboration has enriched my own strategy practice.
Thanks also to Jill Finlayson of the Skoll Foundation and socialedge.org, who has inspired our cross-site dialogue about issue fatigue, fundraising, media engagement and donor engagement platforms.
