By, Heather O'Malley
Faith & Philanthropy
Faith-based fundraising is a sector that can be foreign to those who don't participate in it, but there is a lot to learn from working with this passionate constituency. For more insight, we sat down with Matt Freedman to give us perspective on how faith-based fundraisers can be successful, and how best practices from this sector translate for the field at large.
It’s About Identity
Matt spent two decades fundraising within the Jewish Federation movement, first for the Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, and then for the Jewish Federations of North America. For him, faith-based fundraising was about one key factor: identity.
“The Jewish Federation is in some ways like the United Way,” says Freedman, “it’s a loose association of local agencies raising funds that are in turn granted to nonprofits serving the local community.” But what brings this community together goes beyond geography to a common faith and shared values. Freedman says, “I think the inclination to give is stronger if you identity as part of a community that greatly values philanthropy, as the Jewish community does. Being Jewish myself, I could approach solicitations as a peer, essentially inviting a donor to step into the Jewish family in the strongest way possible through their giving.” In Freedman’s experience, discussion about impact and ROI were usually secondary to fostering a sense of belonging and living one’s values.
Impact Matters
Now that Freedman has spent a few years raising funds outside of the Jewish Federation, he has learned just how important it is to highlight impact. He observes, “In a secular organization, you are reaching out to a diverse donor base that may not reflect one another’s identities in any way other than their desire for an outcome or set of outcomes that you can best accomplish.” He goes on “It’s not that there aren’t some shared values or norms, they just aren’t as closely tied to a donors’ sense of self as they are for members of the Jewish faith."
Freedman is excited to return one day to raising funds for the Jewish community so he can apply what he has learned, “being able to collect, analyze and communicate results is a critical skill for faith-based organizations to hone. Donors now expect use to make an evidence-based case for support in addition to an emotional connection.” Freedman thinks the secular sector can learn something as well, “Learn about your donors’ values and then make a clear connection between your mission and those values.” suggests Freedman, “And build a community your donors want to belong to.”
Matt Freedman is the Senior Vice President of Development for Securing America’s Future Energy