Kathleen Peters
Director of Charitable Giving
Often, when people think of fundraising, they think of people “cold calling” on phones or commercials on TV saying, “Your five dollars could save a child (a pet, a park, or any number of things) in need!” Most people, including me before I entered this profession, look at fundraisers as salesmen, where the end goal is to “make the sale”, no matter what.
Although fundraising does mirror sales, there is a deeper aspect to fundraising in the nonprofit world. While raising money is the goal of fundraising, through my work as the Director of Charitable Giving for A Safe Place, I’ve learned that fundraising is much more. Through our actions as fundraisers, we develop community awareness, redirect resources, and enable investment in people and causes of need. Fundraising is advocacy.
Fundraisers guide resources in their community to causes and initiatives that improve and enhance that community. A fundraiser not only must be passionate and knowledgeable about their cause, but also be able to clearly communicate the need. Communication and developing awareness through fundraising brings awareness to a cause. If no one knows the problem exists, how can they back it? At A Safe Place, we empower victims of sex trafficking and commercial exploitation.
Our community in Wilmington, North Carolina, is primed for this crime. Poverty, the opioid crisis, and homelessness rates create vulnerable populations, and the geographical traits of high tourism, interstate systems, and the agricultural industry work in combination to create a high rate of trafficking. It is my job to let the community know trafficking and exploitation are an issue that exists in their community and that they can help! This first step of bringing awareness to an issue within your community is a key component of advocacy.
Advocacy does not stop at the first introduction to the problem. It requires further education on the problem. I aim to bridge the knowledge gap between trafficking response professionals and the larger community. Without professional experience in trauma-informed programming, substance use treatment, or emergency housing, general populations can be overwhelmed by the experiences shared, terminology used, and programming we provide. The fundraiser should create a sense of understanding of the issue and urgency around the cause for which they advocate. Advocacy also requires an understanding of the experiences of those for whom you advocate.
In my personal experience, I find working with survivors of trauma incredibly humbling. The resiliency, persistence, and strength of a survivor is unmatched. Not many people can comprehend the lived experiences of the women in our programs. A Safe Place does not share the personal stories of survivors. Rather, I work to educate the community and change the stigma surrounding survivors of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Creating awareness followed by deeper education on the issues results in increased understanding and most often creates individuals who will want to learn more and become further involved in your work.
The final step in fundraising, and more importantly, advocacy, is action. You have established the problem in the community, shown the need, and created a sense of urgency to solve this issue. Now, you must ask for action. This has always been the hardest part for me, the asking. When I face this difficulty of asking for help, because that is what I am truly doing, I remember the bravery of the survivors who have asked A Safe Place for help. For A Safe Place, calls to action result in an investment in the community and assist in breaking the cycle of exploitation, addiction, and victimization our members face.
It is my honor to advocate on behalf of the survivor, to let the community know they are worth investing in, they matter, and they are more than their circumstances. I do not take this job lightly. I get to connect individuals who care about their community with our cause and channel their generosity towards good. My fundraising efforts demonstrate belief from our community that a survivor is worth investing in. Fundraising creates hope.