My current theory on fundraising

October 30, 2009 ANS
Tags: charity, fundraise, money, profit, purchase, sell

Well yesterday we held a Pink Ribbon Breakfast at work, it turned into lunch and almost an early dinner with us not finishing up until 5pm. What a day, picking up bread at 6am then cook, cook, cook. I’m soooo tired. All these feeling of lethargy are however offset by the fact that we raised $2030 plus funds still trickling in from our merchandise boxes out and about.

While frantically flipping eggs and sizzling bacon for the sale of endless numbers of rolls, it dawned on me, fundraising is easy, if people feel like they’re getting something for their money. People are prepared to give money away daily if it comes with the feeling of buying. Every time people buy take-a-way meals, have a coffee out or even buy a post-mix drink from a shop, they are donating effortlessly, and happy to do so. The profits at times are ridiculously huge, just not for charity, yet private enterprise. If you ask people to donate even $2, they stop to think, whereas for some reason to buy that $2 coke or $3 coffee or $3 bottle of water when you could have brought your own from home, it just doesn’t feel like you’re giving your money away as much as when you give for simple “feel good reasons”.

A second encounter that made me realise this sad, yet seemingly true nature of purchasing v’s giving was when some lovely home business owner offered to sponsor my son’s basketball team. He will buy the uniforms in exchange for a display of his logo on each shirt. Now wipe that image of pro-basketballers from your mind, my son is six and far, far from professional. So anyway, when I mentioning sponsoring the shave, I receive nervous giggles of avoidance. “No, I’m serious” I say, they then engage in another conversation they were so desperate to find as a distraction. So there we have it again, he will have at least $100 drift from his hands to sponsor a little group of pocket rocket basketballers, who at times run the wrong direction and have the ball catapult of their toe, and may I add offered this sponsorship without even being asked, yet won’t even entertain the idea of sponsoring a head shave. Holding those basketball shirts in is hands makes it feel like a purchase, not a donation or sponsorship.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a do-gooder donater at all, yet will donate to McDonalds, fresh water companies and supermarkets through purchasing non-essentials without thinking all the time, it’s just now I think the psychology behind it all has dawned on me. We raised $2030 in 7 hours. How many doors would I have had to knock on, or emails sent, or phone calls made to make that? Too many.

So… if my analysis is correct I can make $35400 to keep me shaving for a year if I think of enough fundraisers that provide the satisfaction of purchasing as opposed to giving (what a sad society). I guess with Christmas on the approach instead of letting people have Christmas as an excuse not to give I’ll have to think of a way I can allow them to purchase for Christmas, giving at the same time, whether they realise or not.

Mmmmm, I’ll keep you updated
Soon to be shaved, Shannon xoxo

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