Fundraising for Nonprofits

Inspiring Gifts that Transform

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Where do you find your next fundraising superstar?

These days, there are few things more difficult than hiring a new fundraiser. There simply are not enough people to fill the ever growing number of development jobs. Recruiting more individuals into this field should be of critical importance for all of us.

The first step of creating a powerful job description is not only a helpful recruitment tool, but essential long-term planning guide and evaluation benchmark. Please take a some time to reflect on your goals and expectations for this position. Are you looking for a staff person, consultant or a volunteer? Full-time, part-time or temporary? What is the life stage of your organization? What gift markets do you want to develop? What is your hiring, as well as long-term support budget?

If you are having a hard time answering these and other questions, call up a similar nonprofit and ask to conduct an information interview with the head of their development efforts. I’ve found that fundraisers are, by and large, very generous with their expertise.

Ultimately, successful fundraising is a team effort, whether you are an all volunteer group or a large institution. The traditional model is a small, well-trained professional staff supporting a large group of volunteers, with occasional outside consulting assistance. The answers you get to the above questions, as well as which team member you are recruiting, will of course shape your recruitment strategy. However, you can’t go wrong with 1) looking to promote from within, 2) leveraging your personal and institutional network, 3) accessing professional trade associations or special interest groups, and 4) paid advertising.

Perhaps you have an intern who is ready to step into an associate position, or a manager who might be ready to take on a new director role with a little bit of coaching? Other options include forwarding your job announcement to contacts in your address book or asking your Board to do the same, attending a meeting of the your local fundraising association, or even advertising. If this is a high level position, you would be well served by putting together a staff/board search committee or even hiring outside professional experts.

With so many people making mid-career moves into the field, you may want to also try reaching out to local for-profit MarComm and Publicity groups for people with similar skills. There are a growing number of MBA graduates entering the nonprofit field. More colleges and universities have nonprofit management programs that you can approach. Many cities have nonprofit management support organizations or volunteer centers that act as information hubs.

Finally, don’t forget to ask your current funders. Experienced donors often already know the best fundraisers in your community.

These days -- and into the foreseeable future -- it is a job seeker’s market when it comes to fundraising. It is not uncommon for it to take six months or longer to fill an open position. Interim staff or consultants are temporarily filling many jobs. Because of these factors, do understand the salary scale for development jobs is higher than in any other nonprofit department. In fact, some Development Directors earn more than their Executive Directors.

One last piece of advice. When looking for your new superstar don’t just sell the position, sell your mission. That’s what’s going to attract someone to your organization with passion for the work, who can successfully raise funds for your good cause.

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7 Comments:

At 5:26 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great post Gayle! I also just posted a review from a webinar I attended on this topic. You are so right about selling your mission. It needs to be a good fit for both the organization and the employee.

 
At 5:39 PM , Blogger Gayle said...

Your post is very sobering, but valuable information. Thanks.

Had a quick 30-minute information interview and pep-talk early this morning with someone considering entering our field. A small step. However, every new heart helps keep us all a bit warmer!

 
At 5:23 PM , Blogger Jeff said...

I have had a difficult time trying to get an organization to give me a chance in a fundraising role without prior experience. I have a background in sales. Any ideas?

 
At 6:59 AM , Blogger Gayle said...

Jeff, I understand your challenge. Sometimes it is a chicken or an egg question. You might want to check out my prior post on the topic.

 
At 10:02 PM , Anonymous Job Descriptions said...

Good resource, and a great info.

 
At 12:43 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

 
At 9:25 PM , Blogger syeds said...

Gayle do you have any suggestion for Finance firm fundraising technique. i just started one..and need advice on that.

Job descriptions

 

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