Honour Role; am I proud to be a fundraiser? I am not so sure...

So the latest slogan of the fundraising movement is ‘proud to be a fundraiser’. At first sight, this is an admirable sentiment. Fundraisers bring in vitals funds that make the amazing work of charities happen. Of course people should be proud to be a fundraiser.

I, like many others, happily acquiesced to the idea. Or that was until I was watching the news about pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. I realised they were almost certainly proud to be Russian. Is it too fanciful to compare Russian nationalists with people who are proud to be fundraisers? Probably.

So perhaps a better question is whether telling people that you are proud to be a fundraiser is a helpful notion. Which problem does it solve? Which emotion does it reflect?

Well, when people say they are proud to be something, they are usually also saying (implicitly) that they are proud not to be something else. If you are proud to be Russian, you’re also saying you are proud not to be a Ukrainian. So does declaring pride in being a fundraiser emphasise the unity with other disciplines and teams in a charity? Or does it emphasise the gap? Think for a moment what fundraisers would make of a ‘proud to be a charity accountant’ campaign. I fear it emphasises the gap.

‘Proud to be a fundraiser’ is a reaction. It’s a reaction to the fact that fundraisers feel under attack and under-loved. Attacked by journalists. Attacked by politicians. Attacked by research findings from people like me. And unloved by the rest of their charity who, far from being grateful for how much money they raise, all too often feel the exact opposite.

‘Proud to be a fundraiser’ is designed to unify the fundraising profession. In times of adversity, it’s a slogan that can make people come together. The problem for me is that it doesn’t solve the problem. It neither makes fundraisers loved, except by themselves, nor does it make people realise that fundraisers are part of something bigger and better than just raising money. Money is the mundane means to a very special end.

Because fundraisers are part of an amazing chain of humanity. This chain of humanity takes people’s generosity and passes it through the hands of fundraisers, then accountants and programme staff, under the guidance of CEOs and trustees, and changes and saves lives.

So am I proud to be (or have been) a fundraiser? I don’t think so. Am I proud to be part of a team of people that changes the world – you bet. You absolutely bet I am and every fundraiser should be too.

Joe Saxton

Are you 'proud to be a fundraiser'? Or do you think others should be? Let us know your thought and experiences below.