fundraising techniques
Jan. 17th, 2003 09:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellioThe Jewish approach to fundraising -- or, at least, fundraising for the synagogue -- is really starting to get on my nerves.
Any organization with activities and a building has operating expenses. Churches rely on donations (I believe that's pretty much universal); synagogues collect annual dues, with fixed fees. I have no problem with this part of it; in fact, I think it's remarkably frank and up-front to do it this way. It forces the organization to be explicit about expected expenses, and it confronts the member with some approximation of his fair share of that. (Yes, of course those with limited means get adjustments. Part of my fair share is supporting folks like that, because I can.) I think this approach is good. The vast majority of operating expenses come from dues, augmented by things like interest, rental fees, fees for certain optional activities, and so on.
However, I hadn't realized how much additional fundraising tends to be involved. Further, the approach to that additional fundraising is much more in-your-face than I care for.
In the last year I have paid dues (of course) and been solicited (successfully) for an endowment campaign. There were some issues with the latter, but it came out ok. I have also been solicited for attendance at a fancy fund-raiser dinner, donations of goods for an auction at said dinner (obviously they wanted pricier items here; people in tuxes don't bid on small-ticket items), a direct cash donation to a different fund-raising activity (a food festival), labor for said food festival (described as "every congregant's duty"... um, no), and a bevy of smaller items. Most of these solicitations have been targetted and delivered in person. Many of them have made me feel like I am dealing with a very slick used-car salesman. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. (I did not contribute to any of these for that reason.)
Some of this is because I'm a board member, but most of this is carrying through to the rest of the congregation. I get the impression, in chatting with other board members, that this is considered normal in synagogue life. We are not doing more of this than anyone else, it seems, and are doing considerably less than some other congregations.
At tonight's board meeting the president gave a little speech about how we're going to need fund-raising activities (like that fancy dinner) every year just to meet operating expenses, and we need people to organize them. Now I thought that the endowment campaign we're doing now was to raise operating funds (so we can keep dues increases down), and asked about that. He basically said that yes, that campaign will eventually produce operating income, but we're always going to need fund-raising, even after that happens, and blah blah blah. (If that's true then we have a problem with our dues computation, yes?)
Now as a board member I've seen the budget, and I don't really see what he's seeing in it. But it became clear that we were having a cultural difference, not a fiduciary one, so I stopped pressing. I think the real issue is that it seems perfectly natural to him -- and to most of my fellow board members, apparently -- to take this approach to fundraising. It's natural and it can do no harm, so of course we do it. Or something like that; this is my interpretation, not something that anyone said explicitly.
Churches, on the other hand, pass the basket when they have additional needs. It's relatively unobtrusive, and it doesn't put any individual congregant in the position of having to deal with a used-car salesman in his face. If you can give you give; if you can't you don't, and no one really gets hassled over it. It's all pretty anonymous, actually, except if you need tax receipts. And near as I can tell, it's pretty successful. I think we could learn from them.
Used car salemen
Date: 2003-01-17 10:27 am (UTC)FYI, the personal approach to asking for donations is used frequently since it is usually more successful. I can remember my folks getting lists of their own friends to phone for various functions/fundraisers. The personal push towards community obligation - that is one of the key components of Jewish guilt!
My synagogue actually does a collection plate sort of thing with pledges on the High Holy days. A little card and teeny pencil are set in every place, and before the sermon the ushers come around and collect your pledge, which can be allocated generally or to specific endowments. It's not as quiet as the Christian practice you mention, though I like hearing how much each endowment did during the past year.
My take on the volume of fundraising activity is that we are trying to spread efforts out among all possible venues - use all options in order to 'catch' the people who will respond to one venue rather than another. The underlying purpose is usually not to raise X amount of dollars, but to ensure continued giving into all of the funds (special funds for a specific one-time purpose excepted).
Do talk to the rabbi about your opinion of the intrusiveness of the fundraising. Maybe someone needs to be reined in. Certainly bring up your other suggestions - the Tzedakah box sounds like a great idea. Unfortunately, I think you will continue to be subjected to the volume and variety of requests for your time and money.
Re: Used car salemen
Date: 2003-01-17 11:32 am (UTC)FYI, the personal approach to asking for donations is used frequently since it is usually more successful.
Sure it is. So is telemarketing. Some techniques should be reconsidered despite being effective, though.
There have been efforts to get board members to make the solicitations for this new endowment campaign, and as you described, they're trying to match people up with their friends (I presume because friends are easier to sweet-talk than strangers). I find that practice a little slimy and have refused to participate. If a congregant says "I can give $X" then it's wrong, IMO, to try to get his friends to talk him into upping it to $Y (Y >> X) instead. Even if it's done well, it's still a pressure tactic. We're better people than that.
I guess cranks like me are in the minority: I have been known to decrease my contribution to a charitable organization in the face of pressure tactics, telemarketing, or other inappropriate hounding. I may be more explicit about it than most, but I suspect there are enough people out there who get tired of solicitation, and just ignore it all after a while, that we should take note.
I think part of what bugs me is that dues is represented as your fair share of the expenses for the year, so you pay that and then get told that that wasn't really your fair share and you are also expected to pay for this endowment and that activity and... I can accept a high total number; I just want to be told what that number is, and I don't want the death of a thousand cuts that comes from solicitation after solicitation after solicitation. Set my expectations right in the first place; don't keep changing the story. (Obviously I am speaking to the amorphous "them" here, not specifically to you, Gail. :-) )
Re: Used car salemen
Date: 2003-01-17 08:25 pm (UTC)