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If you were put in charge of fundraising for a needy
cause, what would you do ? would you recruit volunteers or employ paid
professional fundraisers ?
Who would I turn to should I have to raise funds for a needy cause ? I would
have to take into consideration several relevant factors: the objectives of
the fund raising, the target amount to b raised, the initiators or the
organizers, the nature of the fundraising project and the beneficiary or
beneficiaries among others.
Before deciding on whose shoulders the task should fall on, it is
fundamentally sensible to consider both aspects.
In the first instance, if the organizers undertake the fundraising on its
own with volunteers, then all the monies collected minus permitted expenses
go directly into the coffers of the organization.
However, if professional fundraisers are the "workers", then they need to be
paid. Some organizations have rules concerning the minimum and maximum
allotment going to professionals and in essence there should be no hanky
panky in such projects. Unfortunately, some professional fundraisers are
rather unprofessional in their dealings with genuine charitable fundraising.
In the second instance, volunteers are truly enthusiastic and go all out to
raise funds. There is a natural passion for the worthy cause. The handicap
is that most of them may be greenhorns at this game or unschooled in the art
of fundraising. Such a situation can be demoralizing.
However, the professionals are just doing a job and that is as far as it
goes. They have an added advantage in that they are trained personnel at
fundraising and have more than a dozen tricks up their sleeve, quite unlike
the motley crew of volunteers.
In the third instance, members of the organization could use their
connections to solicit funds in a legal way and could request for periodical
contributions or donations (monthly or annually) from giant corporations.
Such corporations are known for their company policy of returning in kind or
cash to Mother Earth and the community. At the same time, genuine
fundraisers have to be aware of bogus fundraisers who get on the bandwagon
and fleece generous donors.
On the other hand, some mega companies already have their pet projects and
are no longer interested or have no other allocations in sponsoring any new
charities. It is like talking to a stone wall. In addition, there is the
danger of volunteers and professionals overlapping in collecting funds, all
for the same purpose and for the same company.
Having looked at both sides of the coin, I am more in favor of volunteer
fundraisers. My primary reason is all the funds collected would become the
"property" of the organization. The objective of the project is to raise as
much money as possible and if a percentage goes as fees to the professional,
then the quantum coming to the fund is reduced. My second reason is when
volunteer fundraisers continue to raise funds, they would gain experience
and even be better than the professionals one day.
So welcome to the world of fundraising, volunteer fundraisers. |
