Philanthropy is not asking for a favor, it is giving a favor.

IN HIS BOOK, Servanthood: Leadership for the Third Millennium, the Reverend Bennett Sims states boldly, "To challenge people to give is to do them a favor-the favor of acting out of their highest selves..." (Sims 1997, 33). As development professionals, do we really embrace and live that statement when we are working with our donors? When we ask someone to give, do we believe we are doing them a favor? I believe Kelby Krabbenhoft, president and CEO of Sanford Health, deeply understood that when he invited Denny Sanford to make a transformational gift, he was truly doing Mr. Sanford a favor. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS In challenging people to give, our greatest effort should be the establishment of meaningful donor relationships. Too often, we approach our work as a science-fundraising with financial goals and objectives, dedicated mailings and special events, prospect lists and institutional objectives-all designed to generate immediate revenue. At times does our concentration on the science deter us from the art of philanthropy? If inviting someone to give is doing them a favor, then our job as philanthropic officers is to connect the philanthropists to a worthy cause within our organization that has the most meaning for that individual. Establishing affinity that leads to an enduring philanthropic relationship is not to be confused with fundraising. Traditional fundraising is quite different. Traditional fundraising uses an interventional approach. Philanthropy is based on a series of connected interactions with the philanthropists that ultimately leads them to an investment of time, talent, and/or treasure. Fundraising has a short-term orientation: get the money and get out. Philanthropy focuses on the person and his or her personal commitment to the institution. The money will follow once the commitment is secure. Finally, and perhaps most important, philanthropy ultimately is achieved when the donor is deeply involved with the mission and vision of the institution on a personal, not a social, basis. Relationships that lead to major gifts, perhaps over and over, are relationships that are established through an intersection of the giver's needs and the organization's mission and vision. Real philanthropy is designed to build loyal relationships. In Dr. McGinly's scholarly article, he refers to the pyramid of philanthropy. This model is well known to professionals in our field. In theory, the underlying premise of the pyramid is that a relationship is underway and movement should be seamless. In reality, the pyramid is indeed valuable and important as a tool for guidance-but sometimes we push too quickly to move up the pyramid and thus risk a truly meaningful relationship between the donor and our institutions. In other cases, we organize around the type of giving in the pyramid and the relationship becomes bifurcated. Even more often, we spend too much time with the donor at the base of the pyramid, discussing interventional activities and shortterm results, and not enough time building a genuine relationship. Perhaps we should turn the pyramid upside down and look at it as a philanthropic vortex that captures the philanthropist with the mission and vision of the institution in a whirl of positive energy. Kelby Krabbenhoft's story of his relationship with Mr. Sanford demonstrates this idea beautifully and should be read by every hospital and health system CEO in the United States and Canada. Every relationship with the prospective donor is an absolute necessity for any healthcare organization. The relationship between Mr. Krabbenhoft and Mr. Sanford resulted in multiple significant gifts of time, talent, and treasure and a partnership that is lasting and transformational. As fund development professionals, we create the philanthropic vortex by thoughtfully sharing our organizational story and inspiring the potential philanthropist to participate in that story in a meaningful way. …