Every fundraiser deserves a good start

A young woman bounced up to me after the morning service at the church I attend, eager to report that she had recently joined the development team at a nearby college. A couple of sentences into the conversation and it was painfully obvious that she had been tossed into the proverbial deep end of the pool without so much as a beginner course in fundraising.

The newbie’s supervisor had welcomed her to the office with a stack of books, but apparently without explanation or follow-up. Three weeks on the job and she hadn’t had time to read even one of the tomes, a confession she made with a giggle.

The fundraising novice had scheduled visits with donors without orientation, coaching, the opportunity to observe an experienced fundraiser in action, or so much as a chapter’s worth of advice from a development text.

Books may float, but unless someone throws this would-be fundraiser a lifeline, she’s not likely to achieve the success she imagines. And that’s just sad – for the optimistic young woman, the college for which she works, and the donors with whom she will relate.

Even sadder, this sorry scenario is re-enacted in development offices all across North America, over and over and over again. Desperate to get someone, anyone, out there asking for money, organizational heads hire carelessly, expect the moon, and criticize more than educate.

It’s little wonder that the average tenure for fundraisers hovers at a staggeringly low eighteen months.

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way for you and your fundraising program. It’s within your power to launch a new development officer well. Or as veteran fundraiser Ken Burnett puts it, to “knock their socks off, make them sit up, dispel their misconceptions and open their eyes to endless possibilities.” In short, to give that new fundraiser the start he or she deserves.

Describing his perfect first three weeks for the new kid(s) in the shop, Burnett continues:

I’d fill their heads with all the good stuff they need to know, that’ll serve them superbly in the coming decades. Because their purpose is nothing less than to change the world. To have any chance of even denting that difficult task, they need the very best start possible, so

• I’d summarize the indispensable basics in a digestible form.
• I’d introduce them to some of the great figures and lessons of history.
• I’d set them up with some of fundraising’s best books.
• I’d immerse them in fundraising’s great writers, the power and potential of storytelling and wisely-chosen words.
• I’d frame the culture and ethos that they need to engage and inspire donors.
• I’d share profound sayings that’ll shape their fundraising day by day.
• I’d spread before them the world’s biggest, best collection of fundraising case histories across the 20-plus main areas of our profession.
• And lots more besides.

My only beef with Burnett’s list is that he assumes the presence of someone with the expertise to deliver it all. Within the majority of small nonprofits and many mid-sized organizations, there isn’t. Fortunately, there are folks like me available to fill the gap with coaching for newcomers.

A few hundred dollars invested up-front in starting a fundraiser right will come back to the organization many times over. You’re also more likely to hold on to the good fundraiser you’ve nurtured.

If you’ve recently hired a development officer with more promise than preparation, give me a call. I enjoy nothing more than shepherding a newcomer into the wonderful ministry of fundraising.