Actually, most people give because they are asked to give. The ‘ask’ – as it’s known to fundraising professionals – isn’t usually as clearcut as someone standing in the street making personal contact. Quite often, it’s an ask through a piece of direct mail, a website pop up or a television ad. But it is an ask nonetheless.
Fundraisers know that people give to charity because they are asked to, usually by a fundraiser and usually one who is a paid professional.
Very few people give spontaneously. If they did then there would be no professional fundraising industry, the Institute of Fundraising with its 4,500 members would not exist and charities would not have to spend vast amounts of money on direct mail, telephone agencies, TV advertising, and driving traffic to their websites through email marketing, affiliate marketing and optimising search engines. All you would need to do would be to set up a website, wait for people to find you and watch the donations come rolling in. Of course, it doesn't work like that.