A History of Fundraising – my seminar session notes

I really enjoyed attending the History of Fundraising seminar organised by SOFII recently. My notes are available below. @Rhodri_H_Davies history can inform our thinking though need to be clear that not everything still applies. What can be used in a modern context? Can also learn from hindsight on what not to do, so as not to make the same mistakes.  @Rhodri_H_Davies Very few things are genuinely new! Helps get us away from "shiny new syndrome". Helps us to look at fundraising from broader perspective - what are recurring themes? What elements of current debate are meaningful and longer term issues?  @GiovannaBonora History is not only about lessons learned, but about debunking myths. Be careful using the word "innovation"! Fundraising didn't start recently! We need to decolonise the history of fundraising. @GiovannaBonora Italians weren't the first but we were doing fundraising before the 19th century! In 13th and 14th century Florentine and Tuscan bankers transferred a % of their income to "Mr God" - to support poor people. San Bernardino said charity was good for donor's health.  Asma Hussain: Importance of understanding what it means to hold power to account. Words like "quality" and "risk" are not neutral when thinking about funding and how to decolonise it. Now @Markyphillips on the history of YMCA's fundraising. Example of regular giving fundraising in Newcastle in the 1880s! US fundraisers (Charles Sumner) then took idea forward &