If

If you did not know me and I approached you on behalf of a good cause, would you write me a large check, say the equivalent of one month’s rent or mortgage right then and there? If you did, you would be most unusual. Chances are you would not give more unless or until you got to know me and, through me, the cause I represented.

If I asked you to give me a list of your loved ones and closest associates so I could solicit them, would you immediately comply? Chances are you would not no matter how much you admired the cause. You wouldn’t like it if your friends did that to you so you apply the Golden Rule.

If I asked you if I could use your good name to solicit others, would you agree? Chances are you would not despite your belief in the cause. Since you did not know me, you would have no idea how I might use your good name.

If, on the other hand, I approached you on behalf of good cause and asked if you might lend your talents to it, might you not be inclined to ask exactly what I had in mind?

If I were able to show how you could make a difference to that cause and, in so doing, a concrete difference in the lives of others, might you not be willing to learn more?

If I involved you in that cause and you were able to see the difference you could make, might you not naturally share your joy with your loved ones and closest associates? Would you not readily lend your name to that cause without qualm especially if the person who brought you to it proved to be so emblematic of it?

If, through your involvement, you could see where your money would make a difference, might you not be more than willing to write a check that was the equivalent of one month’s rent or mortgage? And the person who brought you into the cause and showed you the difference you could make before asking for your support, would you describe him/her to others as a “fundraiser” or as an agent of a most worthwhile and rewarding cause?

And, finally, if you were asked to help raise money for the cause that had become so important to you, would you just go ask others to write a big check?

Just asking.