Advantage, meaning, and pleasure: Reframing the interaction between major-gift fundraisers and philanthropists

Mc Loughlin, John

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to bridge the widening gap between the rapidly growing academic literature on fundraising and the need that practising, reflective fundraisers have for a useable explanatory framework for understanding what are the main forces and motivations shaping the interaction between major‐gift fundraisers and philanthropists (major donors and potential donors), particularly in the so‐called cultivation and solicitation (or Ask) meetings. The author's perspective is that of a fundraising practitioner. The paper sets out the essential characteristics needed in such a framework, contends that we do not yet have such a framework, and concludes by setting out a preliminary, simplifying framework for making sense of the interaction between fundraisers and donors. The purpose is to stimulate practitioners and researchers to rethink and reframe this interaction. It is proposed that the interaction is grounded on the reality that funders (and to some extent, fund‐seekers), like individuals in almost every social interaction, are seeking to maximise advantage, meaning, and pleasure (AMP). This paper argues that the more these three overlap, the stronger their effect.

Citation

Mc Loughlin, J. (2017). Advantage, meaning, and pleasure: Reframing the interaction between major-gift fundraisers and philanthropists. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 22(4), e1600. https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.1600

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 12, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Nov 16, 2017
• Publication Date: Nov 27, 2017
• Deposit Date: Nov 26, 2018
• Journal: International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing
• Print ISSN: 1465-4520
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 4
• Pages: e1600
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.1600
• Keywords: Marketing; Strategy and Management; Economics and Econometrics
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/1161991
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/nvsm.1600