I sit on the board of a local charity and during a recent meeting, I participated in a fun soul-searching exercise. Everyone had to identify a character trait they believe is essential to be an effective board director. After the meeting I had a chance to reflect on this experience and I began to ponder what personal attributes are necessary for a person to be a capable fundraiser?
Having been in the profession for more than a quarter-century, I have detected a plethora of characteristics that can elevate the performance of fund development practitioners. However, I have singled out these five (5) personal traits as the most vital to fundraising success:
Patience: Building a sustainable fundraising system for a charity takes time – as in years or decades. As much as we aspire to change the world immediately, it is our responsibility to ensure that the base of support, resources, processes and systems that facilitate that transformation are firmly in place. Not every grant proposal will be approved. Not every special event will be a success. Not every funding appeal will meet its target. There will be setbacks along the way. We must be patient and persistent at every step. Do not be jaded by negative occurrences. Embrace them and keep your eye on the larger prize.
Empathy: As non-profit professionals it is crucial to have empathy for the people we serve. For those of us responsible for generating the money and resources needed to serve our communities, it is equally important that we “walk a mile in the shoes” of the donors who support us. We must learn what interests, motivates and inspires them to give to our causes. It is our duty to guide each of them along their donor journey so they can realize their philanthropic objectives. Empathizing with our donors also demands that we understand and appreciate our donors when they are unable to support us for various reasons. Ultimately, we are the guardians of our organization’s relationships with its benefactors.
Attention-To-Detail: Planning, organizing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating fundraising activities involve an astounding degree of detail. Spelling errors in appeal letters, slight miscalculations on spreadsheets, failing to send a “thank you” notice to a prospect immediately following a visit and not having the correct colour pattern on promotional materials are seemingly minor mistakes that can have disastrous results. Tediously taking the time to ensure that everything is in place is an absolute necessity for every fundraising-related task. Always involve multiple sets of eyes when inspecting materials, proofing letters, checking facts and verifying budget totals.
Resourcefulness: Plans rarely work out as we originally envisioned. The same rule applies to the world of fundraising. A grant or a major gift we thought was a sure thing is denied and our scheduled conclusion for the campaign is in two weeks. What do you do??? Encountering unforeseen obstacles and setbacks is a guarantee when executing funding campaigns. Modifying our master strategy on the fly is a harsh reality with which all development professionals must cope – whether they like or not. The key is being acutely aware of every resource at their disposal and knowing how to repurpose them within a tight timeframe.
Attentiveness/Responsiveness: Yes, I know that we were only supposed to list five traits. But this pair go together and are massively important to donor relationship-building. Competent salespeople rely on solid listening skills to absorb everything possible about customers so they can meet every unique need with superior quality service. Fundraisers likewise must employ highly perceptive listening skills when engaging donors to consume as much information as possible regarding their interests, values, experiences, limitations and giving capacity. Accumulating and storing both qualitative and quantitative data allows the fundraising practitioner to pinpoint and help their donors realize their philanthropic aspirations. Maintaining regular dialogue enables fundraisers to keep abreast and respond proactively to the evolving needs of their generous supporters.
Stay well,
Mike
