New fundraiser hopes for 'giving' gene

Fran Karliner of Old Bethpage is hoping there is such a thing in human nature as a "giving" gene. That's because she has taken on a job many would describe as unenviable, at best.

She is Long Island's chief fundraiser for nonprofit organizations.

Karliner last week was named president of the Farmingdale-based Long Island chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. How do you raise money in this economic climate?

"Fundraising in any economy is not easy," Karliner said. "We say that in any economy what you do [to raise money] is to work hard and do your research. In a bad economy, you work harder, you ask more people [to donate] and you research in places where you haven't been before."

The weak economy has certainly made the task of fundraising harder, as have corporate and bank consolidations, Karliner said.

Things can't be done the old way, she said. The use of social media is a must now, as is the need to constantly reinvent the way things are done.

Karliner said some studies show that giving releases chemicals in the brain that make people feel good -- what she calls the "giving" gene.

Karliner's position is voluntary and unsalaried. She is director of development for the Bellmore-based Long Island Crisis Center, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention hotline.