Funding Freedom

Chapter Two: Rainmakers & Changemakers Through my years of fundraising, I’ve found there are two types of donors: Rainmakers and Changemakers. They’re very different, but still interconnected forces that are driving progress in the world. They both play a vital role in the dynamic ecosystem of philanthropy, each contributing in their own unique way to the greater good. Why they choose to contribute to the greater good is their primary difference. Changemakers are the visionary architects of transformation. These are the people who dare to dream of a better world and possess the courage and work ethic to manifest those dreams into reality. They are the driving force behind social innovation, and they use their passion and ingenuity to make positive change in communities near and far. They rally behind causes with no perception of financial gain. They’re passionately invested in philanthropy and giving because they want to make change. They want to make a difference, sure, but more importantly, Changemakers want to leave a permanent change in the status quo. Rainmakers, on the other hand, have different motives. In my experience, these are people that are not passionately invested in philanthropy and giving for the right reasons. There, I said it! Yet, Rainmakers can still be a powerhouse for good as long as we can help them give their money in the right way. Rainmakers want influence and recognition, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do something good with their money in exchange for influence and recognition. Think about every library that is named after some rich person who funded it. Or, the chair of a gala that’s the face of a charitable act, whilst not necessarily heavily donating. Every situation is different and unique for Rainmakers. See, Rainmakers want to see change, but it’s usually change in their bank accounts, social status, or the amount of attention they got that month. Rainmakers can be (and typically are), for lack of a better word, difficult to work with (and that is honestly an understatement). But there are different types, even within Rainmakers, and that is important to remember. It could be a straight across exchange. One Rainmaker was once asked why they liked their name on buildings, and he responded with “it shows the people that work for our companies that we like to give back.” Sometimes they just love the attention, like a reality star I once worked with that was the chairperson of a gala for a local organization. Her status was elevated in this philanthropic position, especially as a reality TV personality, and that shows her love of the spotlight. It was well covered, whereas she may or may not truly care about the impact of the organization, like, say, something like homeless people with missing teeth, but I imagine it's not on the top of her to-do list. Once, I was working for a musical influencer fundraising $12,000 for a dress she was to wear at the Grammys. Without giving too much away, it was a loud, overstated dress that unmistakably carried a political affiliation with it—the dress was made out of red leather. She was the first person to make the First Amendment relevant at a red carpet for this affiliation, and she intended to repeat the sentiment a second year in a row. She reached out to me to fund this, so I reached out to a Rainmaker that I knew, and she agreed to sponsor the styling in exchange of her logo being put on the train of the dress. Everything was going exactly as planned, and all the designs of the dress were approved by the Rainmakers and all the time coming up to the event I was receiving texts rife with exclamation points exclaiming (!) their excitement (!) for the event! The logo on the carpet was not entirely visible since it was put onto the train, but the dress wear-er told interviews she was sponsored by [Rainmaker’s organization]. It was the best possible scenario for this Rainmaker. This deal was brokered between three people and we all received a, from what I could tell Google or ChatGPT templated legal letter shortly after the event. This Rainmaker was threatening to sue me, demanding their money back, and at this point I’m still fresh in my career, and my first thought is “Holy crap… is this going to ruin me?”