Spasiba.  That’s Russian for “thank you.”

It’s the one word I got really good at while walking around Moscow. I’m big on appreciation and live my life in a grateful way so it seemed fitting that I would be thanking people halfway across the world from home.

In October this year, I had the distinct privilege of being invited to speak to the Master School for Fundraising in Moscow. It was their annual gathering and they wanted someone from the United States to come and speak about fundraising. The Master School is sort of the ‘go-to’ organization right now for nonprofits in Russia.

Apparently, in the US we are quite good at raising money. And after hearing me speak at the AFP conference in New Orleans last Spring, Master School Director Tatiana Burmistrova was impressed enough to invite me on-the-spot to visit her homeland and teach a class at this year’s event.

Needless to say, I said “yes!”

To understand what a big deal this was, you need to understand a couple of things about me.  First, I’ve never had a passport and obviously never been out of the country.  Second, I don’t speak Russian. Third, I was very excited to visit Russia but also a bit nervous about being in a different country.

But I gathered my passport application and all my courage and set about making plans for the trip for me and my husband. It was a 10-hour flight from Dulles airport in Washington to Moscow. We arrived a bit bleary-eyed and were greeted at the airport by Tatiana. She was the most gracious hostess!  She spent 2 days showing us all around Moscow, including Red Square, the Kremlin, and the first McDonald’s.

In my mind, it was a dream visit – we had a native who spoke fluent English to show us around the city and give us all the inside scoop. She told us about how life had changed between the communist government and the current one. She told us how the world of fundraising is growing and evolving in the cities.

She also took us to visit several nonprofit organizations in Moscow, including one called “The Basement” which was a theatre group serving children. The thing that was most interesting to me was that we went on a Sunday morning and the place was full of kids. She said that kids are too busy during the week and on Saturdays so Sunday mornings are one of the few times they could offer programming. Interesting. How many American nonprofits would consider offering programs on a Sunday morning.

In October, it was just starting to get cold and I found my favorite drink in Moscow to be the hot chocolate. It wasn’t like anything I’ve ever had. Imagine a dark chocolate candy bar melted and infused with steaming milk. That was about it! It was awesome!!

We were amazed at all the history in the city. We saw buildings that were built in the 1500s. It was awe-inspiring to imagine all the history and activities that had taken place between then and now.

So, what’s different for fundraising in Russia than in the US?

First, there’s a lingering expectation among many people that the government should take care of things. Now that the country is no longer under Communist rule, some services are being taken over by private nonprofits. It’s a slow cultural shift and it makes fundraising difficult for many.

Second, there’s no tax incentive for people to give like we have in the US. I know that this is a small consideration for many donors here in America, but face it – it does encourage some gifts. They don’t have that benefit in Russia.

Finally, there are few middle-class people to give. In Russia, you have a large and growing number of wealthy people due to the new capitalist opportunities. There’s also a large number of poor in the country. Middle class, who are the bulk of donors in the US, make up only a small percent of the population in Russia. So, they simply don’t have the sheer number of donor prospects that we do.

Fundraising is very young in Russia. The industry is very much in its infancy and they are doing their best to learn everything they can which isn’t always easy. Consider the wide variety of books, webinars, and websites we have that are available to us in English. There are precious few materials available in Russian. At the Master School this year, they distributed the first fundraising handbook written in Russian. It was quite exciting!

Individual organizations are still in the basic stages of building their case and attracting donors. There are few (if any) capital campaigns or endowments being created.

One very exciting activity occurred at the end of the first day of the event. The group did some brainstorming about forming a professional association. I had the privilege of offering my input to them as they thought about what an association could do for them.

No doubt, it was an amazing trip for me.  Here are the things I came home with:

1. I’m very grateful for what I have – my country, my community, my friends, my family. There’s nothing like being without these things to make you appreciate them more
2. Fundraising in the United States is not hard – we’ve just gotten lazy. It’s a simple process and we live in the land of plenty. We need to collectively get off our rumps and go out and tell our stories. Then ask for a gift. Simple as that.
3. We have tremendous resources available to us. If we aren’t sure what to do, we have ample resources available to us such as

a.    Association of Fundraising Professionals and other groups

b.    Books, magazines, websites, audiconferences, and more

c.    Consultants, coaches, and mentors

I came home and warned my friends and clients – don’t whine about fundraising around me! You think it’s hard here, go to Russia and try fundraising!