Margaret Battistelli Gardner explains why it’s important for charities to really connect with supporters. 

Does your organisation hold out its hand, asking for donations? Or does it reach out, seeking connections?

The difference is vital. The former speaks of imbalance; of a giver and of a taker who is almost apologetically looking for one-way transactions and saying, “Trust me, I know better than you how to make a difference in the world.”

But the latter speaks of connection. And partnership. Of meaningful, two-way interactions. It says, “Join me, and we’ll make a difference in the world… together.”

I found myself recently outside a fast-food restaurant with my granddaughter, Juniper, feeding French fries to a gang of great-tailed grackles. They squawked with urgency before wandering off, and delighted us with the shenanigans that result just from being, well, birds with French fries dangling from their beaks.

A man, late 30s perhaps, came into the car park from the highway. He was deeply tan, with a bandana around his neck and a walking stick. And traveling with a dog wearing a matching neckerchief.

A car passed, then stopped. A passenger rolled down the window and held out some dollar bills. The man said a few words to the dog, who jumped in circles and then ran over and gingerly took the money with his mouth. He returned to his owner and put the bills in his hand. The owner waved, smiled and said thanks.

I was dumbfounded and delighted. Someone who was leaving the restaurant took a dollar out of his pocket and gestured to the man, who sent the pup over to retrieve the cash. Then I gave Juniper a few dollars, and the dog repeated his performance for her. Every interaction was met with quiet, genuine gratitude from the dog’s owner and smiles all around.

Finally, the man left the dog sitting by the door while he went into the restaurant. He came out with a bag, sat next to his companion, opened the wrapped food and broke each item in half. He ate half. The dog ate half. The man drank from a cup, then put it on the sidewalk and held it upright while the dog drank. When they were done, he gathered up their trash and put it into the curbside bin. Then man and dog sauntered away in the hot Texas sun.

This man might have gathered the same amount of money sitting on the sidewalk with a cup at his feet. Maybe more. But his approach allowed him to give something in return, and to look givers in their eyes, to say thank you. And to show the immediate benefit of the giving interaction: You gave. We ate. Everyone smiled.

What a joy it was to witness that powerful scene! To be a part of the kindness that flowed from all directions — human to human, human to canine, human to nature. As personal and immediate as it was, it nonetheless spoke a greater truth about social impact and how organisations connect with their supporters — the difference between merely asking and intimately connecting, and preserving the humanity of both giver and receiver.
It’s a disruptive thought, perhaps — and to make the transition, organisations have to eschew the same-old thinking, to create transformational change from within in order to affect positive change in the world.

The 2016 International Fundraising Congress (IFC), taking place in the Netherlands 18 to 21 October, is all about “Asking the Right Questions.” Its focus is on helping social impact organisations look beyond traditional fundraising to the understanding that whether people are giving $1 to a hungry man and his dog, $1,000 to a charity, or a French fry to a grackle, supporters prefer interaction over transaction, connection over collection, and active, intimate engagement with the organisations they value.

Margaret Battistelli Gardner is chief scribe at the Resource Alliance and former editor of the U.S.-based Fundraising Success magazine. She can be reached at [email protected]. For more information on the IFC 2016, go to http://www.resource-alliance.org/ifc.