# Defeating the fundraising purpose

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/04/24/defeating-fundraising-purpose/
- Published: 2009-04-24T01:44:47+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Some causes are highly sensitive, so how should charities inspire people to give
to them? Not like this.

[Tommys](http://www.tommys.org) (according to the fundraiser on my doorstep) has
just launched a big campaign to raise money to fund its work. The fundraiser asked
me if I had heard of Tommys and even though I said yes, I was given the standard
script about what they do anyway. And then asked if I knew someone who had been 
affected by any of this?

Cue open mouthed and speechless for once Kate.

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As it happens I do. And fortunately it’s not me. But is this kind of pitch appropriate
to give to a woman of childbearing age with a 5 year old keeking round their knees?
For all the fundraiser knew I might well have had personal experience of any one
of these issues pretty recently. And I doubt I would have wanted a stranger on my
doorstep to know anything about it. I can imagine some women, and indeed men, who
have had experience of miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth in their family,
being quite upset by such a direct question. And keen to end the discussion right
there without even hearing how their regular donation could help. Which defeats 
the purpose.

Tommys works in an important, neglected area of public health and absolutely deserves
to have a broad base of generous donors who help fund their work. I might have been
tempted to sign up but the insensitive pitch caused me to stop the fundraiser in
their tracks. And for that I blame the agency which appears to have rolled out an
identikit doorstep campaign with the stock standard pitch without stopping to think
if it was appropriate or not.

My experience, though, prompts the question – how do charities working in highly
sensitive areas reach a wider giving audience using tried and tested, successful
fundraising methods? Or was I just being over sensitive….