# What charities can learn from the staggering philanthropic response to Notre Dame

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/04/25/what-charities-can-learn-from-the-philanthropic-response-to-notre-dame/
- Published: 2019-04-25T13:06:52+01:00
- Author: Rachel Stephenson Sheff

**Following the devastating fire at France’s beloved Notre Dame, the cathedral raised
a staggering [$1 billion in just 72 hours](https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/billion-raised-rebuild-paris-notre-dame-fire-62450622)
to fund its restoration. And as the embers still smoulder, the debate of the scale
of international giving rages on.**

Alongside these personal and corporate donations has been a wave of public criticism–
calling out the disproportionate philanthropic response to tragedies like Grenfell
Tower in comparison, and the clear business-related motivations that shine through
several commitments. People are asking: where were these billionaires when we needed
them before, and why are they funding the restoration of a building instead of causes
where people’s lives and rights are at stake?

There is an enormous amount of validity to these opinions and it’s great to see 
people holding philanthropy accountable. We need resources like this mobilised for
so many causes; and from a fundraising perspective Notre Dame offers fascinating
insight into the psychology of giving every charity can learn from:

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## 1. People give quickly when there’s an emotional connection

To understand the response to Notre Dame it’s important to consider the difference
between ‘philanthropy’ and ‘charity’. Philanthropy is about proactively moving the
needle on a social issue or system, so it tends to be planned and happen on a slower
timeline. Charity is a lot more reactive and emotionally driven – people feel a 
personal connection to something, giving is the obvious way to help, and they react
quickly as a result. Notre Dame represents much more than a landmark; it’s a monument
closely interwoven with French identity and pride that people watched burn live 
across the world. These emotions created the perfect alchemy for fundraising success.

 

![Notre Dame, Paris: by Ashley Elena from Pexels](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.
cloud/2019/04/notre-dame-pexels-e1556193913505.jpg)

_Notre Dame, Paris: [photo by Ashley Elena, Pexels.com](https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photography-of-notre-dame-705766/)_

 

## 2. Time-bound campaigns are an incredibly compelling proposition

Macron announcing his commitment to rebuild Notre Dame in five years articulates
a definition of success that is short-term and tangible – donors will be able to
quickly see the impact of their gifts and the risk of long-term over-reliance from
the charity is eliminated. Of course, capital projects lend themselves nicely to
a timeframe, but even charities working toward the most complex problems like climate
change should breakdown their theories of change into tangible milestones donors
can feel incentivised and inspired by.

 

## 3. Giving is rarely purely altruistic

Whether it’s to boost a company’s positioning against competitors, increase a bottom
line or repair an individual’s reputation after a media scandal – there are always‘
fringe’ benefits from charitable giving. In the case of Notre Dame, the [French billionaire Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/16/hundreds-millions-pledged-help-rebuild-notre-dame-after-fire)(
think: Louis Vuitton, Dior, Dom Perignon and TAG Heuer) promised on Tuesday to donate
€200m (£170m), just hours after his longstanding rival François Pinault, the fashion
and retail magnate, announced he was giving €100m. There is a clear competitive 
edge to these donations, but the truth is: if people see their giving having an 
impact – not just on a cause, but also on other elements of their personal and professional
lives – they tend to do a lot more of it (€200m more, to be exact). Don’t shy away
from this and ensure you factor these shared-value approaches into your fundraising
strategy.

For better or worse, Notre Dame and other comparable monuments have always been 
in a philanthropic league of their own, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
But the donor behaviour from Notre Dame can be analysed and used by charities across
the world to mobilise resources to other causes, too.

 

_Rachel Stephenson Sheff works at [Lightful](http://www.lightful.com) – a full-service
creative technology company for social good organisations._

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