Fund-Raising Truisms Don’t Work Abroad

To the Editor:

Paul Summerfield’s Letter from London (“Crossing the Atlantic for British Quid: a Major Challenge for Fund-Raising Pros,” Opinion, April 22) was right on and should be required reading for any development officer inclined to venture a try at fund raising in Britain.

Several years ago I returned from a very rewarding and enlightening job as chief development officer for a charity in London. During my stint, I observed a steady increase in the number of American fund raisers coming to Europe.

The simple platitudes of Fund Raising 101 won’t work in the international arena. We shouldn’t force the sacrosanct methods of American fund raising on others. The days of cultural imperialism are over. And that holds for American fund raising. While we may pride ourselves on the sophistication of our enterprise, the success of our efforts as measured in sheer volume of money raised, and the enviable role that the non-profit sector plays in American life, we should not lose sight of the fact that our culture of philanthropy emerged over a long period as the result of work by Americans for Americans in America.

We should not forget that other countries have their own cultures of philanthropy and giving, and while we may not easily recognize them or may find them weak, inferior, and strange, they exist nonetheless. It behooves us to get to know them and to work, to the extent we can, within them.

As we go out in greater numbers to do fund raising overseas, let us not forget that we are ambassadors for America and the American non-profit sector. Let us not seek to impose our understanding of development on others. Rather, let us display a keen sensitivity to the cultures and peoples we will be among. After all, a large part of successful fund raising is meeting people where they are at.

We should leave Fund Raising 101 behind, forget technique, and make friends. The world is a rich place.

Donald Kirkwood
Vice-President of Advancement
Albright College
Reading, Pa.