Fast Food Fundraising

Fast food fundraising is fundraising that gives the donor an immediate feeling of doing good.  We’ve always had it, but in my opinion, it has become more prevalent in the last decade.  This really relates to the joy of giving and the physiological response we feel according to Francesco Ambrogetti in his book, Hooked On a Feeling.  Fascinating read BTW. 

Many things in life have become instant, so it is no surprise that fundraising should follow suit.  But, much like most fast food that is not good for our bodies, I’m not sure fast food fundraising is really good for the social sector either. 

Let me explain.  First, what would I consider fast food fundraising to be?  Giving people money on the street.  Giving to people through crowd funding campaigns.  Giving directly to the person in need in the moment.  And don’t get me wrong, this kind of giving is still giving.

The issue is that only the immediate problem is being addressed in the moment and nothing is being given to solving the problem that put that person there in the first place.  Whereas, many charitable organizations would also have advocacy mandates to address systemic issues with policy and governance. 

Basically, fast food fundraising is giving people a fish instead of teaching them to fish.  In my mind, this is a short-sighted solution.  But it’s really more driven by the feeling the donor gets and does indeed give the donor the greatest feeling of doing good in the moment.

So, if we accept this as mainstream fundraising, and frankly we have no choice on that as it has already happened, how does that afford us the ability to solve the bigger societal issues?  Well, that’s the problem.  Those bigger issues then become problems only the wealthy can solve. 

I think there are a myriad of reasons why we ended up here, and the social sector has to take some of the blame.  Misuse of funds and charity scandals played a part in contributing to the mistrust of big charity.  The most recent and perhaps most prolific example happened with the WE Charity and the Kielburgers.  But there are many others.

Additionally, I think younger generations have influenced some of the newer giving trends and moved away from their parents’ way of doing charity.  And that’s ok.  Every generation needs to make its mark. 

But I think if we are going to continue to solve some of the bigger societal and world issues like affordable housing, food security, and climate change we are going to have to continue to give to big charity because they are the ones addressing these issues on a larger scale through policy and governance. 

There are of course other solutions and God Bless the millennial generation and their innovation in business and technology to address some of these issues.  There are many companies inventing eco-friendly products every day.  Far too many for me to list here now.  There are developers working with charity to build affordable housing, and farm hubs trying to address food security issues.  There are people who want to solve these issues.  And not just the wealthy.

But we can’t lose sight of the bigger picture when looking to do good. 

So, we need to always be reminding and teaching people that giving a handout on the street is good in the moment, but it’s really not solving the bigger issues that put the person there in the first place.  Because when you go back tomorrow, they will still be there hungry and homeless again.   

How can we encourage regular giving to charity?

Authentic engagement with our donors that shows impact and what their donor dollars are doing to help move the needle on the issues they care about.  That’s another whole topic and you can read about that here in this article, Giving Feels Good.

The fact is we are already heading into a giving crisis.  Everyone knows it, at least most fundraisers and churches know it.  The most generous generation is dying and that’s a problem for many charities, particularly, large institutional charities like hospitals, universities, and churches. 

The younger generations are giving, but they are giving in other ways and other places.  They are innovating how they give because they want all the feels and are losing trust in “institutions.”  

So, we can adapt, engage, and survive, or we can stay stuck in our old ways and hope for the best. 

Engaging with your donors and prospective donors (what is your donor acquisition strategy? Do you have one?) and showing them the good they are doing through your organization is the best way to attract and keep your donors.  If we do this better, I think people will be less inclined to hit the fast-food fundraising. 

We also need to educate people about why giving to advocacy is important to make changes at the systems level.  And why it makes more sense to collaborate and approach these issues at a higher level. 

So, fast food fundraising.  It’s great once in a while, but don’t make it your steady diet or you will see the negative results of this poor giving diet over time.  And much like the effects of an unhealthy diet, I anticipate some patterns of giving won’t be easily reversed or re-learned.