Question: Why We Give

Why do we, as a society, give? How do we decide what causes and efforts are worthy of our support and how does that influence the fundraising strategies of nonprofit organizations? In this assignment you will ask those, and other, questions of at least three different types of people in an effort to gain a better understanding of the reasons that we give.
Who Should You Interview?

To get the broadest perspective, you should interview a diverse set of people.

Minimum Requirement

• A leader of a religious organization.

• A staff person or member of a board of directors for a corporation or foundation that provides grants to nonprofit organizations.

• A private citizen who gives as an individual.

Encouraged

• Interviewing more than the requisite three as listed above will increase your understanding of the reasons people give to others and to organizations.

• Interviewing a diverse mix of people from various age, gender, cultural, ethnic, socio-economic, or other backgrounds will expand your understanding as well.

Please note: It may be difficult to arrange in-person interviews with all of your participants. Conducting interviews by phone is an acceptable option.

Getting Started

• Be sure you provide information to each participant about why you would like to interview him/her and how the information he/she provides will be used.

• Do your research. Once you have your list of confirmed participants, gather as much background information as is available on the organization he/she represents. If there is information available on the person you will interview, such as experience, education, etc., gather that as well. This will make your interviewing time more productive.

The Interview

• Be punctual.

• Be professional.

• Ask permission to quote your participant in your assignment.

The template that has been provided in the Resources section should serve as a guide only during the interviews. It is to help you obtain the information you will need for the assignment, but you should feel free to develop your own questions as well. The template will not be submitted with the assignment.

The Assignment

Your submitted assignment should be an analysis of the giving habits, the common threads, the differences, the expectations, and the reasons for giving by these people. Be sure that your assignment includes the following elements:

• Title page.

• Abstract.

• Introduction that identifies each of the people you interviewed, along with a brief description/background of the organization and/or person.

• Your analysis. This should be the bulk of the assignment.

• Your conclusions. What significance could this have for you, as a nonprofit leader, in the future?

• Reference page. You must use at least three scholarly resources to support your analysis and position.

• Appendix. You must provide the names of your participants, the name of the organization each represents, contact information for each (phone and/or e-mail), and the date each interview took place.

Your submitted assignment should be 6-10 pages in length (excluding the title page, reference page, and appendix); depending on the number of interviews you conduct. Your writing should demonstrate effective communication, using proper spelling and grammar, and be appropriate for a doctoral level learner. Be sure to follow APA guidelines.