# The most effective fundraising appeal ever?

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/06/23/most-effective-fundraising-appeal-ever/
- Published: 2010-06-23T09:43:05+01:00
- Author: John Baguley

After a meeting with several US billionaires hosted by David Rockefeller, and including
Michael Bloomberg and Opray Winfrey, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have just asked
US billionaires to give half their wealth to non-profits during their lifetime or
on death.

They announced the creation of The Giving Pledge see www.givingpledge.org which 
could see some $600bn donated if the 400 richest people in the US join. As total
US giving is in the order of $300bn this is a potentially game changer for US non-
profits, and the wider fundraising community.

In the UK I believe that we have been comparatively slow at organising our fundraising
around very affluent volunteers and peer group pressure, preferring one-off donations
and failing to excite and motivate our key donors to ask others to give or lead 
by example. We may believe this goes against our culture but I think our job is 
to change that culture, and perhaps this staggering example may help to give us 
the confidence we need to ask not for just for donations, but for asking itself 
to take place at the highest levels for the most significant sums.

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John Baguley

www.internationalfundraisingconsultancy.com

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