Fundraising as a facilitator of philanthropy

The best fundraisers are intuitive, with a natural understanding that the building and maintenance of relationships with donors is critical to success and long-term support.

I recently received a copy of the Palgrave Handbook of Global Philanthropy edited by Professor Pamala Wiepking of Erasmus University, The Netherlands, and Professor Femida Handy of the University of Pennsylvania,US. This lengthy book focuses on philanthropy in 25 countries and one region (but omitting Africa other than Egypt).

Of interest to me in particular was one chapter on the “Practice and Organisation of Fundraising across Nations” which pointed out how much research is undertaken on philanthropists, and how little is focused on the askers, or the fundraisers, whose status in the continuum of funding from philanthropy to recipient organisations appears to be almost invisible.