First things First 2

Owning the Profession

The second aspect of a successful fundraiser or a fundraising department is a strong commitment to the profession. Much has been written about the benefit of professional organizations have in the fundraising mix, and it is sad when people always seem to put into the category of ‘What do I get out of it?’ style of question. As a career choice I have been tremendously fortunate in to a degree in that I am able to choose what I do. Possibly from many years of experience but also because I look at my career as an active choice. I am not a fundraiser because it is the best paid job in the world. I am not a fundraiser because I love the sound of the Ching-Ching of the cash register, It s because I am committed to my organizations goals and I am committed to my profession. There are many organizations who actually run on donated funds and without our profession would not be able to be of benefit in the community.
So for me the two prongs of for future education is a passion for the profession and a deeper commitment to the organization. If you can put those two things in place then your career will take on a new dimension and your fundraising will become more effective.

First things First

In all fundraising organizations there need to be more than just a ‘fundraising department’. I have often said that for fundraising to be effective it needs to be a whole organization culture rather than just a single department. However there are lots of things that are needed to be an effective fundraising department.

Owning the Business

This is basic. Raising funds for the sake of raising funds is an empty experience akin to simply working to get a pay check. I know that it happens and that very few of us actually look in the Bathroom mirror in the morning and say I am really looking forward to going to work today, even though it is a great ideal. Likewise it is an ideal situation that enables us to actually be focused on what our organization does and to have that as our primary focus within the realm of what we do. “I don’t raise funds I enable our frontline support staff to do what our mission statement says we do”. I once worked at a hospital where some of the research was funded by us actually developed a new treatment for a particular condition, it was a world breakthrough and we, in fundraising, took great pride in saying ‘WE’ were part of the team that did it. And … the researchers at that particular place were happy to acknowledge that without the funding from the fundraising department it would not have happened and so it really was a ‘we’ experience.

A fundraising department that is separated from the bottom line of what we are raising funds for becomes a ‘Pawn brokers shop’ and all we do is money-raising. Once you have become engaged with your organizations mission you have gained one of the two vital components of becoming an effective fundraiser.........