A collective noun for fundraisers?
Howard Lake | 9 July 2009 | Blogs
What is the collective noun for fundraisers? There isn’t one of course, but that leaves the field open for us to come up with one.
The issue has just sparked into life on Twitter with a group of charity sector staff suggesting possible terms.
So far we’ve come up with:
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∙ a gift
∙ a nuisance
∙ a rabble
∙ an ask
∙ a storytelling
∙ a commitment
∙ a relationship
∙ a passion
∙ a finery
∙ a convention [topical given we’ve just had the National Convention here in the UK]
I also suggested a Sumption, Stringer or Kirkley of Fundraisers, nods to our profession’s past. That said, the majority of fundraisers in the UK are women.
With thanks to @AmandaSanter, @causeperfect, and @derekhumphries.
The conversation did then move onto a collective name for consultants, but I think I’ll draw a veil over that…
Can you come up with anything better as a collective noun for fundraisers?
- Collective noun animal posters to raise funds for WWF UK (24 October 2013)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.