Raising money for a non-profit is very, very hard work. We live in a world where the economy is governed by transactions. People give something, they get something in return. Usually this involves the exchange of goods, services, or currency.

Asking people to donate money while getting nothing tangible in return, then, seems counter to what we expect. It doesn't feel right. And since we all have this feeling to some degree, even people working for charities have trouble asking for money.

In the for-profit world, entrepreneurs play the venture capital game, all of them racing to launch the next big Internet start-up by pitching to investors for money. Simply being able to ask for money, and do it well, is considered a valuable skill...even as the costs of computing resources and software are falling all the time.

And yet, it's a unique skill in the non-profit sector: selling. In fundraising for non-profits, the stakes are often much higher than in the tech sector. Sometimes, lives are on the line.

I'd like to think it's more than just a transaction. Maybe it isn't just asking for money; maybe it's asking someone to see the world as you see it.