Interestingly, the posts on this blog that tend to generate the most feedback are the posts that are about the Fundraiser, not about fundraising.
They are the posts where a Fundraiser feels seen for the work they are doing and the conditions they are doing it in.
So, here’s a note to all the leaders of Fundraising departments out there: make sure you help the Fundraisers you’re leading regularly recharge their “fundraising batteries.”
And I don’t mean giving them days off or spa days (though they aren’t going to turn those down).
I mean making sure they regularly connect with the power of their fundraising work, and feel appreciated for their fundraising work. I mean things like this:
- A monthly exercise where they visualize donors giving gifts, and get that “little jolt of joy” that happens when you put yourself in a donor’s shoes as they make a gift.
- Bring in an experienced donor who can talk about the joy of giving, and the positive role that fundraising plays in a donor’s life
- Regularly practice “fundraising fika.”
- Remind them that while the results of their work may feel like numbers on a spreadsheet, to look around at all the program activity and know they play a major role in making it happen.
Fundraising in a nonprofit (particularly smaller orgs) has its own unique difficulties. What other department regularly gets negative critical feedback from all the other parts of the organization? What other department’s wisdom and expertise is regularly pushed aside because of one person’s opinion?
So if you’re in charge of Fundraisers – make sure they regularly get to feel the beauty and grace of fundraising. You’ll recharge their fundraising batteries, you’ll have happy co-workers who stick around longer, and you’ll create a place where Fundraisers want to work.
