If for some crazy reason you’re trying to join the
non-profit forces as a fundraiser, you should probably know what you’re getting
into first. Okay, even if you’re not out of your mind, and you’re just looking
for a fundraiser for your organization, I’d like to share with you a few of the
common attributes and qualities you should have or look for in this person, in order to make your fundraising is more successful.
Being a fundraiser involves a wide variety (and I mean, a lot) of duties, and is now referred to as the Development Officer/Coordinator mainly because fundraising is more than just bringing in dollars. The fundraiser is typically seen as the “salesperson” for the non-profit organization in which he/she must attain funds to ensure the organization can operate its programs and services, versus a corporate salesperson whose aim is to ensure profit. If it’s easier to continue with our corporate counterpart comparison, a salesperson normally sells products and services while on the contrary, a fundraiser sells HOPE. Their “sell” is that the organization can make positive social change to the issue its mission is dedicated to. That ability to translate social transformation and hope is what is important in being or finding a fundraiser.
Being a fundraiser involves a wide variety (and I mean, a lot) of duties, and is now referred to as the Development Officer/Coordinator mainly because fundraising is more than just bringing in dollars. The fundraiser is typically seen as the “salesperson” for the non-profit organization in which he/she must attain funds to ensure the organization can operate its programs and services, versus a corporate salesperson whose aim is to ensure profit. If it’s easier to continue with our corporate counterpart comparison, a salesperson normally sells products and services while on the contrary, a fundraiser sells HOPE. Their “sell” is that the organization can make positive social change to the issue its mission is dedicated to. That ability to translate social transformation and hope is what is important in being or finding a fundraiser.
Here are some mutual qualities found in a fundraiser:
1. Communication – First and
foremost, communication is the utmost vital skill a fundraiser needs to have.
As aforementioned, the fundraiser has to persuade funders and donors that the
organization has the capacity and innovation to challenge an issue. This skill
is evident primarily through grant writing and developing fundraising letters.
The goal is to convey a message that the issue needs attention now, and the
organization is the best group to offer solutions. Other areas of communication
include maintaining a healthy relationship with funders and donors by keeping
in contact with them. Fundraising is so much about communication, that without
this skill, the act of fundraising almost can’t exist.
Even the kid in our neighbourhood who sold lemonade for a charitable cause (quite successfully, might I add) had to tell his customers why they need to donate to him! To give you some insight, he was raising money for a cancer society and his reasoning was that patients would die without their help. A bit of a farfetched sell, but nonetheless he’s choked up more coin than some fundraising initiatives I’ve seen!
2. Creativity – Fundraisers should always be thinking outside of the box and that’s only because of the increasingly repetitive methods of attracting donors—do golf tournaments, annual galas and runs/marathons sound familiar to you? Not that I’m discrediting those types of initiatives, but let’s be honest here, almost every organization is doing one or the other. Fundraisers have to stay on top of trends that are popular in the non-profit industry, including coming up with new ways to reinvigorate the repetition. They NEED to be able to deliver the organization’s message creatively and in a way that is understandable for everyone.
3. Multitask-ability – Okay, that’s not actually a real word, but I’m sure you know what I mean. The ability to wear multiple hats is also crucial in fundraising. The fundraiser is oftentimes the person meeting with potential funders, writing grants, planning events, coordinating/recruiting volunteers, managing social media, among many others. The fundraiser has to have excellent time management and organizational skills in order to prioritize items that can be overwhelming and seemingly needs immediate attention. Though everything in fundraising is important, the fundraiser needs to make judgment calls on what has to be done first.
4. Daring, but not too daring – Paired with creativity, fundraisers need to take the leap on a lot of new initiatives but simultaneously take calculated risks before doing so. There is a constant pressure that charitable organizations need to come up with bold ways to bring in revenue. Because of this, organizations need to be more daring when brainstorming ideas for fundraisers. Non-profits as we already know have so little resources and time, that there is a very small window for trial and error—something our corporate counterparts have an abundance of. Fundraisers have to take into consideration the amount of time and resources available within their reach, and ways to mitigate risks. For example, if planning an event, the fundraiser needs to plan out the event logistics, who to invite, the number of people needed to break even or profit, getting sponsorships, recruiting volunteers, having a back-up plan, etc.
5. Fast & Accurate – Fundraising is a fast-paced job. Fast but also accurate! As I mentioned trends, things come and go, and if the fundraiser does not seize the moment, it could become irrelevant to donors. For example, when the Canadian government announced that pennies were no longer in circulation, organizations jumped on the penny drive bandwagon faster than the Canucks fans jumped off theirs! Imagine hosting a penny drive now, when many organizations have already competed for the novelty of that simple yet effective idea.
Another is accuracy. Not to scare the living squiggles out of you, but even one minor error can offset great fundraising efforts. My nightmare moment was forgetting to publically recognize a longstanding funder through our materials. The years of rapport we developed with this funder was so unique but the day the Chair emailed to express his disappointment, I knew the relationship with our organization had changed. Something so simple as a mention COULD be detrimental, but fortunately for the organization, the Chair was very understanding of human error. Lesson learned.
You’re probably all like, “this sounds like the perfect qualities for ANY employment position!” and while that is true, fundraisers need to be above exceptional in these characteristics. Not to mention, the fundraiser also has to believe in the organization’s mission and vision! And managers, I just have to put a note out there that if your current fundraiser doesn’t have all of these skills, please do not fire them (I am totally not ready for a law suit). These are merely guidelines!
Even the kid in our neighbourhood who sold lemonade for a charitable cause (quite successfully, might I add) had to tell his customers why they need to donate to him! To give you some insight, he was raising money for a cancer society and his reasoning was that patients would die without their help. A bit of a farfetched sell, but nonetheless he’s choked up more coin than some fundraising initiatives I’ve seen!
2. Creativity – Fundraisers should always be thinking outside of the box and that’s only because of the increasingly repetitive methods of attracting donors—do golf tournaments, annual galas and runs/marathons sound familiar to you? Not that I’m discrediting those types of initiatives, but let’s be honest here, almost every organization is doing one or the other. Fundraisers have to stay on top of trends that are popular in the non-profit industry, including coming up with new ways to reinvigorate the repetition. They NEED to be able to deliver the organization’s message creatively and in a way that is understandable for everyone.
3. Multitask-ability – Okay, that’s not actually a real word, but I’m sure you know what I mean. The ability to wear multiple hats is also crucial in fundraising. The fundraiser is oftentimes the person meeting with potential funders, writing grants, planning events, coordinating/recruiting volunteers, managing social media, among many others. The fundraiser has to have excellent time management and organizational skills in order to prioritize items that can be overwhelming and seemingly needs immediate attention. Though everything in fundraising is important, the fundraiser needs to make judgment calls on what has to be done first.
4. Daring, but not too daring – Paired with creativity, fundraisers need to take the leap on a lot of new initiatives but simultaneously take calculated risks before doing so. There is a constant pressure that charitable organizations need to come up with bold ways to bring in revenue. Because of this, organizations need to be more daring when brainstorming ideas for fundraisers. Non-profits as we already know have so little resources and time, that there is a very small window for trial and error—something our corporate counterparts have an abundance of. Fundraisers have to take into consideration the amount of time and resources available within their reach, and ways to mitigate risks. For example, if planning an event, the fundraiser needs to plan out the event logistics, who to invite, the number of people needed to break even or profit, getting sponsorships, recruiting volunteers, having a back-up plan, etc.
5. Fast & Accurate – Fundraising is a fast-paced job. Fast but also accurate! As I mentioned trends, things come and go, and if the fundraiser does not seize the moment, it could become irrelevant to donors. For example, when the Canadian government announced that pennies were no longer in circulation, organizations jumped on the penny drive bandwagon faster than the Canucks fans jumped off theirs! Imagine hosting a penny drive now, when many organizations have already competed for the novelty of that simple yet effective idea.
Another is accuracy. Not to scare the living squiggles out of you, but even one minor error can offset great fundraising efforts. My nightmare moment was forgetting to publically recognize a longstanding funder through our materials. The years of rapport we developed with this funder was so unique but the day the Chair emailed to express his disappointment, I knew the relationship with our organization had changed. Something so simple as a mention COULD be detrimental, but fortunately for the organization, the Chair was very understanding of human error. Lesson learned.
You’re probably all like, “this sounds like the perfect qualities for ANY employment position!” and while that is true, fundraisers need to be above exceptional in these characteristics. Not to mention, the fundraiser also has to believe in the organization’s mission and vision! And managers, I just have to put a note out there that if your current fundraiser doesn’t have all of these skills, please do not fire them (I am totally not ready for a law suit). These are merely guidelines!
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