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Thank you, PF Awards applicants

Fundraising | Andrew Scadding | 28 Apr 2009

Last Wednesday, while the world hung on the Chancellor’s every word, I was closeted with four others considering something of real significance – the Professional Fundraising Awards.

In the past I have been a bit sceptical about the value of awards for doing one’s job – people in charities work because the job needs desperately to be done, not for prizes – so maybe I felt a bit of a fraud when I accepted the invitation.  But I was intrigued.  And OK, yes, flattered to be asked.

Then, successively; daunted by the sheer volume of the files of applications; humbled to read the achievements of fellow fundraisers; astonished to find that almost without exception we three judges had coincided on at least two out of our individual top three selections.

I learned a lot, both from the applications and from my fellow judges Pauline Broomhead and Michael Naidu.  It is fatuous in these circumstances to say ‘everyone deserves to win’ – our job as judges was to pick the best from the best, however hard that may be.  In no case was it easy, because all the applications deserved consideration:  in some classes there was, shall we say, long and vigorous (but never acrimonious) debate before a consensus emerged. 

But that was what made the exercise so worthwhile – debating exactly what is the best in fundraising, what we as fundraisers most admire in our fellows. We could sense the pride and excitement which had gone into creating the applications,  the fascination which individual fundraisers have for their specialities, the ingenuity and flair with which individuals and organisations trailblaze for our eccentric profession. Michael Naidu made the critical point that the application is itself a means of crystallising a charity’s feelings about itself and its fundraising, and that just to apply can therefore serve a very useful purpose internally.  Careful consideration and presentation of our fundraising successes helps us all to think about and debate what makes good fundraising.  It can help build a culture in which good practice is recognised and celebrated.

There are those who believe in the effectiveness of carrots, and those who believe in sticks.  I have always been a carrot man, myself – although don’t ask me to actually eat one!  For the past couple of years the fundraising community has been very preoccupied with regulatory sticks. We need to get carrots back into the picture, so I’m converted to awards! 

Thank you Lucy, for the opportunity to take part, but thanks most of all to those who took the trouble to craft their applications and to share their professional excitement.  I enjoyed being a judge, but finished the day happier than ever to be a fundraiser.  

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