My contribution to this discussion must begin by proclaiming that the line between salesmanship and fundraising has never been clearer.

Why do I say this?

As much as salesmanship and fundraising seek to convince other people to part with their resources, one thing stands out in both cases: how it’s done.

I will lay out these arguments in the three items listed below.

Transparency and ethics

How much information about the product and the company behind the product does a seller give when addressing a potential buyer? Not that much.

Unlike selling, fundraising is a deeper engagement with the potential donor about the organization, the problem and those affected, and the proposed solution. This launch is an invitation extended to the donor to be part of the entire ecosystem instead of just being a financier of the operation.

The level of disclosure, accountability, and information sharing in the case of a seller-convinced-buyer interaction cannot be compared to the deep disclosure in the case of a fundraiser courting a donor.

The ethical philosophy behind the difference defines the point of separation between the two professions.

product vs allocation

In this explanation, I will give an example of how a fundraising pitch is quite different from a sales pitch when both are talking about sanitary napkins.

A typical sales pitch will start by describing the problem and then define the quality and price of the sanitary napkins, even proposing a discount. The conversation is transactional; Give me the money, I’ll give you the product.

Fundraisers do not approach donors who use the product. We do this using the mission of the organization. For example, if your organization is seeking $10,000 to purchase sanitary pads for unfortunate girls attending school in a remote village in Kenya, your fundraising pitch will focus on girls’ education rather than sanitary pads. The value for money is not in the product but in the ability to send these girls to school because without these sanitary pads they miss days of school during their menstruation period.

Utility

A seller will pitch with the sole intention of convincing you of the value of the product for their own interests. In essence, the seller approaches a beneficiary of the product for the sole purpose of satisfying that beneficiary’s needs. If you’re not the one with the problem, the seller won’t bother to approach you.

On the other hand, fundraisers go in the opposite direction as the seller. Instead of approaching recipients to ask for their money, we find it elsewhere and bring it to them.

The stack difference in how these two professions should be perceived comes across clearly in the above discussions without elevating or patronizing either profession against the other.