A new book by a University expert on philanthropy takes a detailed look at the people whose job is to generate the money needed by charities to do their work.
Dr Beth Breeze, Director of the Centre for Philanthropy within the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, was motivated to write the book by the growing public and political hostility to fundraisers, which feeds the illogical view that charitable giving is ‘good’ yet asking for donations is ‘bad’.
Dr Breeze spent three years studying the characteristics of the army of fundraisers who ask individuals and organisations to give to good causes.
She surveyed and interviewed over 1,200 fundraisers working in the UK to provide an in-depth account of who they are, why they chose this work and what makes them tick. She also highlights distinctive traits of fundraisers able to raise gifts worth £1m or more.
In the book, entitled The New Fundraisers: who organises charitable giving in contemporary society (Policy Press, October 2017), Dr Breeze argues it is not possible to understand charitable giving without accounting for the role of fundraising, and suggests that the most successful fundraisers share many similarities with the ‘new philanthropists’ who now dominate major giving.
Dr Breeze points to the fact that, while the identity and motivation of those who donate has been the subject of many books and articles, little is known about those who encourage and facilitate charitable gifts. Her book aims to rectify this to provide an empirically-grounded and theorised account of the identity and characteristics of UK fundraisers.
Dr Breeze is the author of the annual Coutts Million Pound Donor Report. She previously worked as a fundraiser and charity manager.