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Here are two items that should be of great interest to fundraisers. First, in a recent New York Times profile, filmmaker Ismail Merchant talks about convincing well-heeled individuals to invest in his films. It is a matter of "injecting your enthusiasm about something you are doing, which you feel is so exceptional that it would be a pleasure for someone to be involved in it."

Second, a quote from H. Dale Hemmerdinger, who has made significant gifts to New York University: "So many fundraisers go right to the meat so fast, there is no romance. You have to have a little foreplay."

So much fundraising wisdom here. How much enthusiasm do you feel for your organization's "product?" Are you in danger of being swallowed up by the day-to-day minutiae of fundraising and thereby losing sight of why you got into this business in the first place?

As fundraising consultants, one of Zimmerman Lehman's worst enemies is our clients' cynicism. We have encountered more than our share of development directors who move from museums to social service agencies to hospitals. Their attitude is: "I can sell anything. Tell me what this organization does, point me in the right direction and I'll raise big bucks." While we applaud their confidence, we fear the absence of "particular enthusiasm." If the work of your organization doesn't have deep and continuing resonance for you, perhaps you should ask yourself if you're in the right place.

If the enthusiasm is there, the next step is to learn the art of foreplay. You may think your hospital's new pediatric cancer wing is a landmark in western medicine, but you don't burst into a prospect's office, pin the poor dear to the floor and expound on the glories of your hospital's state-of-the-art medical technology. Schmoozing, wining and dining… no rush. You're thrilled about the hospital's work, you're confident in your ability to make the case, and you're absolutely sure that this prospect will make a gift when the time is right. What's the hurry?

Is our aim here to turn everyone into the philanthropic equivalent of Don Juan? Not exactly, but we are intrigued by the parallels between fundraising and winning the lover of your dreams. Enthusiasm, romance, foreplay…and a soul-satisfying "pay-off." Happy soliciting!

Copyright 2007 Zimmerman Lehman.

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