Читать книгу Achieving Excellence in Fundraising - Группа авторов - Страница 86

Until recently, fundraising has primarily been learned through practice (Duronio and Tempel 1997). How can theory clarify and improve the practice of fundraising? And what is the role of theory more generally? Maxwell (2013) offered two metaphors for understanding how theory is more than abstraction. Theory can operate as a spotlight, isolating and highlighting facets of an idea (or a practice) or enhance understanding of that idea or practice. Theory can also provide a framework to organize thinking about complex ideas, processes, or systems. Collecting evidence without some idea of how it fits together results in a jumble. Theories can be the hooks on a wall that let us place each item in relationship to others and see patterns, which may similarly help people understand what is happening and apply those insights. Maxwell (2013, 49) called this second metaphor a coat closet.

Let's add a third metaphor. A collection of theories unattached to situations is like a closet full of clothes on hangers – each may be individually well crafted, but while they hang there, they are disconnected, not fulfilling their purpose. If piled on all at once, their purposes are muddled, the potential splendid function of each obscured by the indiscriminate invocation of all. The thoughtfully styled individual selects an item (or items) appropriate for the purpose. Similarly, a collection of theories is not enough, but the perceptive selection and application of a theory activates its functional value.

This chapter provides a “closet full of spotlights.” Rather than a single unified theory of fundraising, it draws on several theoretical approaches that offer diverse ways of thinking of fundraising, each of which may prompt examination of specific aspects and new insights about what we're doing.