No, Advancement Is NOT a Synonym or a Euphemism for Fundraising

An office of advancement is made up of a number of functions that help an organization advance its mission by articulating and aligning its interests with those inclined to give their time, talent, and treasure to a worthy cause. These functions should include marketing and strategic communications, constituent relations, development, research and records, gift accounting, and stewardship.

Successful fundraising is one of the outcomes an advancement office strives for, but that can’t be achieved if people don’t understand, believe in, and identify with the organization’s purposes and goals.

Advancement doesn’t just ask people to give their time, talent, and treasure. It listens to and engages its potential supporters in discussions about the future. It seeks to involve them throughout their lives in their struggles and dreams and by responding to theirs. It strives to create a greater and more vibrant community of active, well-informed stakeholders or, put another way, a stronger community of shared purpose. And it is from this mutuality of interests and sustained interaction that support flows.

Yes, we raise funds, but we build community first. And, after people give, we seek to sustain their trust and participation in our community by helping them see how their time, talent, and treasure are advancing the organization’s highest and best purposes, how we, together, are making a difference where a difference most needs to be made.

Jim Langley is the president of Langley Innovations. Langley Innovations provides a range of services to its clients to help them understand the cultural underpinnings of philanthropy and the psychology of donors, and with that knowledge, to develop the most effective strategies and tactics to build broader and more lasting communities of support. Jim has authored numerous books, including his most recent book, The Future of Fundraising: Adapting to New Philanthropic Realities, published by Academic Impressions in 2020. 

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