Godin nails it on engagement and giving

Seth Godin just made a great post about his thoughts on modern philanthropy that I just had to include here as it's relevant to this blog's most recent thread on engagement. He makes great points about the declining role of direct marketing and the proper place of the Internet (beyond transactional) which you can go to the post to read. One section in particular, though, blends so nicely with the current conversation that I wanted to post it here:

"The big win is in turning donors into patrons and activists and participants. The biggest donors are the ones who not only give, but do the work. The ones who make the soup or feed the hungry or hang the art. My mom was a volunteer for years at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, and there's no doubt at all that we gave more money to the museum than we would have if they'd sent us a flyer once a month."

This all goes to the point that people tend to invest in the things that they help build. The first link in the chain is engagement. That means real engagement -- not just a handshake. He makes the good point that you have to let people get their hands dirty in the work, trusting that you'll end up in a better place than you began even if it means letting go a little. It's the whole we are better than me thing, right?

Comments

[Assissotom]

This is one of the best sites I have ever found. Thanks!!! Very nice and informal. I enjoy being here.