Professional Fundraising editor Becky Slack recently wrote on her PF blog about how the ‘six degrees of separation theory' could be applied to major donor fundraising.
Six degrees of separation is the idea that everyone on the planet can find a pathway to anyone else through just five intermediate people – a friend (one degree of separation) of a friend (two) of a friend (three) of a friend (four) of a friend (five) knows the person (six) I want to reach (I can get to Sir Paul McCartney in three!).
The idea originated from an experiment in 1967 by American psychologist Stanley Milgram (which he called the Small World Experiment) but many people will know of this through the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon party game.
I reckon we should have our own fundraising version of this game, Six Degrees of Ken Burnett maybe, for when the conversation runs out at the bar at the International Fundraising Congress this year.
You have to get to Ken via working with someone who worked with someone who worked with someone who worked with Ken - in six or fewer moves.
Under my rules, all these are allowed:
• You worked with someone in a paid job
• You worked with someone as a volunteer (e.g. trustee or intern)
• You worked with someone in an agency-client relationship
• Any combination of the above.
I can get to Ken in two.
Comments
Disallowed
Sorry Howard, you're move is disallowed.
Commercial relationship are not allowed, only proper agency-client relationships because that means you are actually working with someone. Agency-client relationships involve mutually-interactive professional working relationships whereas 'commercial relationships' just mean you've bought something off someone or sold something to them. In that case, Ken's barber could get there in one.
Sorry to be such a stickler, but we have to have rules!
However, I do take your point. I'm sure most people will get to Ken pretty quickly.
Ian
Not beyond our Ken
Nice idea to fill those small hours discussions at IFC. In fact one could even set up a website to facilitate this...
Actually, Kevin Bacon used his unexpected fame and association with the six degrees idea and did just that: with Network for Good, he set up a website which helped charities fundraise online:
www.sixdegrees.org
According to its frontpage, it has generated $2,364,678 for nonprofits to date.
I think I can claim a one, with UK Fundraising having had a commercial relationship with Burnett Associates and White Lion Publishing.
Perhaps more interesting would be those working in fundraising who can't get to Ken in six or less.