We talk a lot about philanthropy being an “art and a science.”
In fact, we also talk about it in that order: Our work is “an art and a science.” We never say our work is “a science and an art.”
And, yet, my sense is that most folks spend the bulk of their energy focused on the second part of that statement – the science part. For example, we regularly ask ourselves questions like:
- What are the latest developments with A.I. in fundraising and how can we best use A.I. to streamline our solicitations?
- What are the latest wealth screening tools and how can they help us better understand our donors’ capacity and motivations?
- How can we deploy analytics to better predict future major donors within our database of current annual donors?
But, when it comes to the artistry of our work, my sense is that we don’t devote the same amount of energy or focus.
For example, we rarely spend significant time and energy asking ourselves:
- Will one of my colleagues help me practice inviting the major gift I’m planning to invite next week?
- What are donor engagement strategies for our organization that seem to be the most compelling for gift cultivation purposes?
- How can we better educate and inspire our volunteer leaders to make a meaningful impact as advocates and ambassadors for our mission?
If we want to be better artists, we need to embrace practicing the craft more often, spending more time in meaningful brainstorms, and becoming far more deft at inviting others to join us in the ownership of achieving our mission and vision.
Great art doesn’t just happen as much as it emerges after years of practice. And great artists aren’t born as much as they are shaped by their consistent efforts.
