Marco Crescenzi, on Il Fatto Quotidiano Blog:
“The fundraising professions are the most sort for in the non profit sector today. A coherent solution for those who come from the “for profit” sector. The main problem is that for the sector, there is more demand than supply(offer): practically, we do not have enough professionals – we try as a school to meet- the needs of the NGOs’ requests. As Italy is fondly reffered to as either ridiculous or dramatic, just that, the whole world is searching for fundraisers, in the USA, Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong and as well as Bangkok. Why? Because with reduced public funds, fundraisers are those who ensure the financial survival of the NGOs.
What is it about? Fundraising is not about just ‘raising funds’: it is about ‘creating social investment’, partnerships and projects with a strong impact. A citizenship tool that offers participation rather than asking for it, co-investment in sensible causes. For that reason, it is a profession that attracts those who are from the communication, marketing, and business sector (like former managers and consultants) but also people with an humanistic background, an educative approach and those who are able to enter into very social non-profit realities, where we do not discuss “target/ client portfolio/remarketing” and other technicalities.
In reality, fundraising is not a single profession, but part of wide professional family, ‘reunited’ with real professional associations, created by structured educational paths that mainly includes:
Corporate Fundraising: synergic partnerships with for profit enterprises, specialisation of who come from the for profit sector and know the rules, styles and languages, and who know that it is better to show up without an untidy beard, earings on the ears or nose…
Trust Fundraising: of Anglo-Saxons origins, in Italy called the ‘fundraising with foundations’ of supply, banks or not, today source of a growing financing (think about the role of Cariplo in Italy or-with the appropriate proportions- the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
Legacy Fundraising: fundraising on bequest, which was until a few years ago in Italy, almost exclusively under the Church’s dominion, in sharp growth with 104 billion euros for year ‘free’ by heirs and then potentially available for the non profit – expected in 2020 (Source: Cariplo Foundation). “It requires a great capacity of listening and of creating a relationship of trust, work on the territory and in the community”- reminds us of Stefano Malfatti, one of the best in the sector and he ironically invites everyone to ‘think at the future’! Surely a sector of useful commitment for many lawyers or with juridical education, or psychologists.
Events and Campaigns: organising campaigns is an alternative action strategy and complementary to the projects, and today the diffusion of social media and ad hoc platforms such as change.org make the potential impact much wider and/or targeted. For someone like the important campaigner Davide Cavazza of Altromercato- with whom we wrote the first Italian Manual of Campaigning in 2006 – ‘Campaigns come before fundraising’.
Individual Donors: as Giancarla Pancione, Marketing and Fundraiser Director of Save the Children Italy, always reminds Italy, that people are the main fundraising scope. It is mainly for that- above the general and good management and the international network, that Save The Children had a growth rate of 428% since 2007 till date in Italy (source: Censis), but also in Emergency, MSF and others. The ‘Individual’s’ includes the ‘big donors’ amongst which the American philanthropic-capitalism- with lights and shades- of protagonism.
Community Fundraising: it is the fundraising, done through partnerships with the reference more targeted at the community in its relation, rather than to a single and distinct typology of donors. The work with the actors of the territory, on targeted territorial causes, local development actions. Stimulates the ‘social’ soul that the business one, also if at the end we still have to bring funds home. Today different apps such as DonApp, recently launched with our support, allows a work still artisanal in the quality of the relation, but scientific because of the use of big data.
Dear reader, if you are part of those few who want to ‘work to change the world’ not just with mere talking, and you have preiously volunteered, scouted or have proof of social commitment, then take this opportunity, I await you at the counselling interview. You can book it by directly by filling the form by the 16th of December. We will also evaluate the possibility of coherent formative paths.
In the meantime, you can read other posts on working in the NGOs on my Blog4Change!
I am waiting for you!”
