Take a Look Around
May 2008
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(This month, as we turn our focus to the international face of fundraising, I’m turning over my column and a large part of the editorial planning for the issue to the charismatic, highly regarded Tony Elischer, who very kindly agreed to act as Guest Editor. Tony has pulled together a fantastic team of writers whose stories will give you insight into the fundraising efforts, challenges and successes of your peers around the world.
Why is that important? Many reasons. Most practically, your organization might well be looking to expand its programs and fundraising outside of the U.S., and there are very real differences you need to consider. But in a greater sense, fundraisers — no matter where they’re from — most certainly can benefit from recognizing that the passion to right wrongs and change the world is universal, that we all have things to teach — and to learn — and that the tapestry of our humanity grows richer with each colorful and unique new thread we add to it.
So, please, enjoy the issue. Tony and I hope you’ll find it entertaining, educational and enlightening, and will use it as a jumping off point for learning more about what’s going on globally within the sector. — Margaret Battistelli)
And now a word from our Guest Editor
“Going international” might seem like a massive leap for some, a natural extension for others and part of everyday life for a few nonprofit organisations. But whichever way you look at it, it is one of the hottest areas of fundraising today and one of the most exciting for marketers.
If you look at a market map of the world that identifies markets by their cycles in fundraising terms, the most sophisticated markets often are the most saturated in terms of the number of organisations fundraising, the number of donors who have portfolios of charities to support and the cost to recruit new donors — typically the U.S., the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. Over the last decade in particular, this has driven many farsighted organisations to look beyond their borders for opportunities to establish new operations in programme, advocacy, campaigning and fundraising terms.
The trend to reach out to new markets clearly is driven by standard marketing practice in the commercial sector. But in the nonprofit sector it all began with international nonprofits growing their portfolios of country offices to serve programmes and build funding markets. It’s interesting to look at many of the existing “blue chip” international organisations to see whether the centre created the regions or the regions created the centre — a key factor to understanding the culture, drivers and structure of many of these charity organisations.
Why is that important? Many reasons. Most practically, your organization might well be looking to expand its programs and fundraising outside of the U.S., and there are very real differences you need to consider. But in a greater sense, fundraisers — no matter where they’re from — most certainly can benefit from recognizing that the passion to right wrongs and change the world is universal, that we all have things to teach — and to learn — and that the tapestry of our humanity grows richer with each colorful and unique new thread we add to it.
So, please, enjoy the issue. Tony and I hope you’ll find it entertaining, educational and enlightening, and will use it as a jumping off point for learning more about what’s going on globally within the sector. — Margaret Battistelli)
And now a word from our Guest Editor
“Going international” might seem like a massive leap for some, a natural extension for others and part of everyday life for a few nonprofit organisations. But whichever way you look at it, it is one of the hottest areas of fundraising today and one of the most exciting for marketers.
If you look at a market map of the world that identifies markets by their cycles in fundraising terms, the most sophisticated markets often are the most saturated in terms of the number of organisations fundraising, the number of donors who have portfolios of charities to support and the cost to recruit new donors — typically the U.S., the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. Over the last decade in particular, this has driven many farsighted organisations to look beyond their borders for opportunities to establish new operations in programme, advocacy, campaigning and fundraising terms.
The trend to reach out to new markets clearly is driven by standard marketing practice in the commercial sector. But in the nonprofit sector it all began with international nonprofits growing their portfolios of country offices to serve programmes and build funding markets. It’s interesting to look at many of the existing “blue chip” international organisations to see whether the centre created the regions or the regions created the centre — a key factor to understanding the culture, drivers and structure of many of these charity organisations.
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