Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

94 THE PASSIONATE STEWARD
charitable giving, by de-emphasizing or even ignoring the
generosity of the vast majority of willing givers, simply because
they have less disposable income to share.
The attraction of “targeting” corporations and the wealthy is
understandable. Secular fundraisers go after major gifts because this
allows an organization to reach its goal with the least expenditure of
effort possible. Major gifts are, in business terms, cost-effective.
The same culture of crass commercialism that promotes the pursuit
of big gifts consequently has little use for encouraging support from
the broadest spectrum of people. It is just too much work, and too
expensive, for the return expected on the fundraising dollar.
Unfortunately, this increased reliance on major gifts is selfperpetuating.
In his landmark critique of welfare and the Great
Society, United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan pointed out
that the more you subsidize something, the more of it you will
experience. It is not surprising then that secular fundraisers’ pursuit
of major gifts produces not only more major gifts, but an ever
increasing emphasis on major gift campaigns. The trouble is that
this occurs at the cost of middle income philanthropy—which ought
to be valued not only for the gifts to be received, but for the widely
shared act of philanthropy itself.
Moreover, the confidence fundraisers place in major gift
donors is based upon flawed assumptions. The idea that wealthy
people will give to philanthropic causes simply because they can
afford to, or that wealthy people are chiefly responsible for the
philanthropic heart of North America, is wholly without merit.
Statistically, those of the lowest income brackets are far more
generous with their resources than the wealthy. The philanthropic
sector in Canada is proof positive of this assertion. Atlantic Canada,
including Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick are amongst the poorest of Canada’s ten
provinces. However, these provinces have traditionally held the
distinction of having the highest donor participation rates in