The what and the why

In a TED talk classic (see link) Simon Sinek tells us that “People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. ” and for charities there has been a welcome focus on ‘the why’ in making strong cases for support. For example, you don’t donate to the British Heart Foundation because of their research projects but because you share their vision of a world in which people do not die prematurely. 

 

But recently, I have started to question if ‘the why’ has gone too far. When reading though applications and websites, I often read impassioned claims for the difference a charity has made, and will make, and their impact on society. But I can still get to the end of the application form and not have the faintest idea ‘what’ exactly it is that they are going to do with the money. I also recently advised a philanthropist who had named a charity in their will because of what they thought they did, which was a wrongly held assumption based on their ‘why we exist’ and not based at all on what they actually delivered.

 

Of course, the why matters. I would hate to go back to reading through a list of activities and finding myself thinking “so what?” But when deciding who gets the money, the tangibles have to come into play.  If everyone is claiming to make the world a better place then you need details to weigh up their likely practical contributions. I need to make a judgment on whether ‘what’ you actually deliver will bring about the outcomes you state. Is a weekly football club more likely to build confidence in young people than a peer support group or counselling or music therapy? (They will all be valid, but funders have to make a choice).

 

There needs to be a clear logical flow in any funding application e.g. £A pays for B to deliver C which leads to D. Both the what and the why are in there: the what predominantly appeals to the rational head and the why to the emotional heart. Both have their place in a good application.

 

https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en

 

Emma Beeston Consultancy advises funders and philanthropists on giving strategies and processes; selecting causes and charities; assessments and impact monitoring. Services for charities include external perception reviews; bid reviews; training for fundraisers and non-fundraisers involved in bids. www.emmabeeston.co.uk ;  emma@emmabeeston.co.uk ; emmabeeston01