Charisma & Fundraising

After helping my sister raise money for one of her projects (here's her blog) I've been thinking about why people donate to various causes (why X and not Y, and why X in the first place). It's an interesting problem as we all receive requests for donations and (if you're like me) donate only to particular set of them.

It seems like there are largely two drivers:

1. They believe very strongly in the cause
1. This means that credibility flows from the cause to the person.
2. In this scenario raising money is all about emphasizing how your work is the best solution to the problem.
2. They believe very strongly in the person
1. This means that credibility flows from the person - they essentially would support more or less any cause that this person is leading.
2. In this scenario personal relationships (or perceived personal relationships) matter the most.
   

I think what is most interesting is that people often emphasize and organize their campaigns on the former and forget about the latter. However, I think (with only personal empirical evidence) that #2 is the reason most people start giving in a cause.

It's because they know (or feel as if they know) the charismatic leader that they open their wallet. If a friend approaches me - as long as I don't disagree with the cause - what dictates the amount of money I'm willing to give is not how strongly I believe in it, but how close a friend they are. I simply don't have time to understand the complexities of that particular issue and compare various solutions. Instead, the best I can do is rely on the person presenting the case. The more I trust them (and their own research) the more confident I am in their solution.

Granted that this doesn't mean that in fund-raising you shouldn't explain any actual evidence and just beg your friends for $$, but focusing on relationships does change the entire way you frame, brand and market your cause. It's for this reason that social media (has) and I think, will continue to have a major impact on charity fund-raising.