If Only Philanthropy Were Enough...

Why ours is the best job in the world!

My responder today is my friend Mike Nevergall, Vice President of Advancement for North Park University in Chicago (full bio below). Mike thinks deeply about our work; embodies tireless positivity for his institution and donors; and inspires fundraising colleagues to be their best. He is writing in response to last week’s post, “The Rich Get Richer.”

If only philanthropy were enough…

Fundraisers have the best job in the world. We are privileged to build relationships with cool people who have done all sorts of unique things in their careers and their communities. They invite us into their homes, their offices, their churches. They tell us about things that really matter to them, what injustice they hope to solve, and how they want to leave the world in a better place than they found it. Not only that, but they are willing to talk with us about money, one of those topics we are taught to see as taboo and not to be discussed in polite company.

Many of these people have been incredibly blessed and have accumulated significant wealth. And while wealth is not always an indicator of generosity, some of these people are also incredibly generous. In fact, because my work in philanthropy has happened exclusively with Christian faith-based organizations, it is not rare to hear people say some version of, “This isn’t really our money after all; it’s God’s,” or “Well, you can’t take it with you.”

Many of the most generous people I’ve worked with are also reluctant to receive any sort of public recognition. They don’t want their names on a building or some grand announcement. “That’s not why we give,” they say. They just want to make a difference, and they’re happy to do what they can.

I just wish it were enough.

Since the beginning of the American experiment, we have taken a different approach to the so-called social safety net and caring for neighbors. Maybe it’s our rugged individualism, our pioneer ethos, our “pull yourselves up by your bootstraps” mentality. In his 1830s book Democracy in America, the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville spoke of his observations of civic organizations and volunteerism as uniquely American inventions. It’s why my chosen profession is a totally foreign concept to my friends in Scandinavia, who wonder aloud why anyone would need to give in support of things like schools, social services or the church.

As Paul pointed out, we have a bit of a wealth distribution challenge in this country. And for better or for worse, our profession relies on the existence of some measure of wealth inequality, requiring a redistribution from the haves to the have-nots. Some of the ultra-wealthy, the top 1 percent, are also generous. Many of them have taken pledges to give away a significant portion of their wealth. They’ve built schools, hospitals and parks, in the model of Andrew Carnegie and his libraries. But their wealth grows even faster than they can spend it.

Meanwhile, Congress recently passed a budget bill which slashed support of programs like SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid (health insurance for low-income households). And in the richest country in the history of the world, at a time when the world’s richest man has asked his company’s board of directors to authorize a $1 trillion compensation package for him, hunger and homelessness and unnecessary diseases persist.

Take heart, fundraisers. One of the best aspects of this work is making the connection between a donor’s passion and an institution’s need, and then stepping out of the way to let the magic happen at that intersection. We may never solve hunger or homelessness or make affordable high-quality higher education accessible to all. But we can continue to ask good questions, listen well to the answers, and invite generous people to share their abundance — for God’s glory and for neighbor’s good.

Mike Nevergall serves as the Vice President for Advancement at North Park University in Chicago. He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Valparaiso University and a Master of Nonprofit Administration degree from North Park. Mike has spent his entire 20+ year career working for faith-based not-for-profit organizations, including 14 years in development and fundraising roles. He has also served on several nonprofit boards. In his free time, Mike loves watching, playing, coaching, and talking about soccer, sampling from craft breweries, running and cross country skiing, and reading.

The year-end push for funds is ending, leaving you drained, and questioning your fundraising work. Don’t give up yet. Let’s work together to find a new, more balanced way to be a fundraiser. Message me! -Paul

The editor of “To Be A Fundraiser” is Kelly Wendell, Coordinator of Communications for South Dakota State University.