A person who seeks financial support for a cause or organization, or an event organized to raise money. Someone who solicits donations or contributions.
Compound of 'fund' (from Latin fundus 'bottom, foundation') + 'raiser' (from Old Norse reisa 'to lift up'). The modern sense of organized charitable giving developed in the 19th century.
Professional fundraising emerged during the World Wars when governments needed unprecedented civilian financial support. The psychology of fundraising relies on the 'identifiable victim effect' - people donate more to help one specific person than abstract statistics about thousands in need.
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