Fundraising, also known as the development process, involves the board, staff and volunteers inviting and offering people an opportunity be part of something special. You are offering someone a chance to join you (yes, join you — the asker had better already be a donor) in a chance for a truly gratifying experience.

Assuming your arts organization's mission is one of public service and provides a unique value to your community, you are not asking for something, you are not being selfish, you are offering something that is desirable. Being a fundraiser is a generous and selfless act.
After all, didn't it make you feel good when you made a gift to your organization? It made you feel that you were part of something and significantly involved with enabling the success of your organization. It made you feel important and special.

This is why experienced fundraisers often refer to the development process as friend-raising. The key to successful fundraising is creating and cultivating relationships. The process involves the right person (the asker), asking the right person (the prospect), for the right amount of money, at the right time, in the right way, and for the right reason. What better reason could there be than the mission of your arts organization?

— Steven Morrison, Arts Professional and former Assistant Professor, Arts Administration, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati