# What I wish I’d known when I started my career in fundraising

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/07/24/what-i-wish-id-known-when-i-started-my-career-in-fundraising/
- Published: 2020-07-24T12:38:48+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**There are some things in every profession you simply have to learn by experience.
Even knowing them on an intellectual level isn’t quite the same knowledge you get
through having an up-close-and-personal encounter yourself. This holds true for 
fundraising.**

 

 

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Making your first major gift ask of a donor is an example that comes to mind. You’ve
done all the right things in preparation: thorough research, multiple conversations
to get to know the donor and donor’s interests, discussion of the elements of the
request prior to the actual ask to test interest and readiness.

 

 

 

But then you’re in the room and it’s all you can do to get the words out, let alone
know exactly when the right point in the conversation is for saying them! That’s
the part that comes from experience.

 

 

 

Still, there are some helpful things you can learn in advance—things that are important
for framing how you approach the work, things that, when you find them out later
you think, “I wish I’d known that when I started!”

 

 

 

While I don’t profess to know everything—how boring would that be?!?—I have spent
twenty years in the philanthropic sector. Even after entering the profession once
I had completed a graduate program in nonprofit management, there was still a lot
I didn’t know about fundraising, and I didn’t even know what it was that I didn’t
know!

 

 

 

I have learned much over the course of my career that has been exceptionally valuable
in helping me triumph over a variety of common challenges and dispel misperceptions.
I’ve also learned savvy tips that have helped me persevere and remain committed 
to ethics in a profession with no small amount of ups and downs.

 

 

 

Here are my tips that may serve to help you navigate the valleys between the peaks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## 1. It’s not only about the money

 

 

 

![Multi-coloured love hearts - graffiti on a wall - photo: Unsplash](https://wfay6x.
infiniteuploads.cloud/2020/07/love-hearts-graffiti-wall-unsplash.jpg)

 

 

 

Many fundraisers are fond of saying it’s not about the money. While well-intentioned,
it’s simply not true. If we’re being fully honest about our work, we must recognise
that without money, missions don’t move. It takes resources—including financial 
resources—to carry out the work needed for any charity to accomplish its mission.
Among those resources are fundraising professionals, leadership and administrative
professionals, professionals who lead and deliver the programs, as well as donors.
These are all people. People who are about the mission and what it is seeking to
do in the world, regardless of whether

 

 

 

they are internally or externally connected.

 

 

 

So, yes, it’s about the money, but also the people involved. Treat them with respect.

 

 

 

Take the time to understand them and listen to their stories. People working in 
the programmes can tell you incredible and inspiring stories about how your mission
is having an impact in the world through the people it touches. Donors can tell 
you incredible and inspiring stories about what your mission means to them and why
they want to support it.

 

 

 

Seek out those stories; they represent both sides of the equation for why your mission
matters, and you need to understand that if you’re going to be successful engaging
others in it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## 2. It’s not only about you

 

 

 

![Black women and men in an office - source: black.illustrations](https://wfay6x.
infiniteuploads.cloud/2016/01/Group-of-Black-Men-and-Women-in-Office-Setting-scaled.
jpg)

 

 

 

Yes, it’s true that you, the fundraiser, are the person doing the day-to-day work.

 

 

 

You are likely the one leading conversations with current and prospective donors,
whether in-person or via print appeals, emails or an assortment of digital mediums.
You may excel at telling stories (see #1) about why your mission matters and how
donors make all of your organisation’s victories possible. Make no mistake, though.

 

 

 

Donors aren’t giving because of you. Donors give for their own personal reasons.
Maybe they or their family member have been personally affected in a way related
to your mission. Maybe they have a special interest in the issue your mission addresses.
Maybe they give because of the impact your mission has on a community, in any definition
of the word.

 

 

 

As much as they may like you and as effective as you may be at your job, you are
simply the conduit, the facilitator, for their giving. You are not the reason. More
importantly, as the conduit and facilitator, you are not only performing that role
with their charitable gifts but also doing it to strengthen their affiliation to
the mission.

 

 

 

If you leave the organisation, the donor should still feel connected and communication
should continue. Multiple points of contact other than you are crucial for seamless
stewardship. They won’t detract from your fundraising; they will elevate it and 
ensure it lasts beyond your tenure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## 3. There is a body of knowledge

 

 

 

![the british heart foundation always need more books - a BHF sticker on a book](
https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/files/images/news/IMG_5166.JPG)

_Read it then please bring it back for others to enjoy – a British Heart Foundation
sticker_

 

 

 

A common misconception about fundraising is that anyone can do it. Another is that
it’s not a real profession. Neither are true.

 

 

 

There is, in fact, a body of knowledge that informs our work. Anecdotal, “this worked
for me” transfer of information is not the same.

 

 

 

From Henry Rosso in the early beginnings of best practice, to Jim Greenfield on 
assessing fundraising performance, to Ken Burnett on relationship fundraising and
to Tom Ahern on donor communications, there are resources that have been tested 
and proven over the years.

 

 

 

A science to fundraising exists. There is accessible, field-tested academic research
that can inform and transform your fundraising. Adrian Sargeant, Jen Shang, Russell
James and John List are but a few of the many respected authorities whose names 
come to mind.

 

 

 

Seize every opportunity to learn from the works and words of these and other thought
leaders in the sector. Beware of becoming complacent with your current fundraising
knowledge. The most effective fundraisers I know are the ones who continually invest
in their professional development by participating in ongoing education.

 

 

 

Consider earning the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential, which requires
both a foundation in professional education and practice to attain it as well as
ongoing education and practice to maintain it. A certification demonstrates your
commitment to the highest professional standards and serves as built-in accountability
for ongoing learning.

 

 

 

The key to sustainable fundraising is continual informed adaptation. That requires
thoroughly knowing best practices and being aware of the shifting environment in
which we exist. Know what works, how it works and why. When you have a mastery of
the fundamentals, you have the ability to effectively apply them across a variety
of scenarios.

 

 

 

Without those fundamentals, you’re simply making a best guess. Your mission and 
those served by it, as well as your donors, deserve better than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

## 4. Ethics can’t be compromised

 

 

 

!['Code of ethical behavior' neon sign - photo: Unsplash](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.
cloud/2020/07/code-of-ethical-behaviour-neon-photo-unsplash.jpg)

 

 

 

The philanthropic sector is sometimes referred to as the voluntary sector. That’s
because donors give of their own volition. It’s a choice they freely make, not an
obligation or requirement. When a donor makes a charitable gift, it’s given with
the expectation the gift will be used to carry out the mission of the organisation.
There is a level of trust required.

 

 

 

Charities are holders of the public trust. When they misuse donations, are underserving
their beneficiaries, or conduct themselves in a way in stark contrast to their stated
missions, a devastating erosion of public trust occurs and, with it, a negative 
impact on the success of the mission.

 

 

 

What’s worse, there is often a transference of perception to other charities in 
the sector. When one ethical breach occurs, donors may question the trustworthiness
of other organisations. Ethical fundraising is imperative for the work of our missions
to be possible.

 

 

 

Be able to identify an ethical dilemma and understand the kinds of questions that
should be asked when determining how to address it. Think critically about who the
stakeholders involved are and what the effects of a decision may be on them.

 

 

 

Remember #1: It’s not only about the money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a profession where rejection is all in a day’s work, developing resiliency is
critical. Right now, many fundraisers feel more stressed and lonelier than ever 
in their jobs as pressure mounts to bring in funds during a pandemic. Maybe you’re
one of them.

 

 

 

As we collectively venture into uncharted territory, I hope this advice helps equip
you for the journey and that you know you’re not alone.

 

 

 

_[**Heather R. Hill**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherrhill/), CNM, CFRE ([@HeatherRHill1](http://twitter.com/HeatherRHill1))
is a seasoned nonprofit leader and AFP Master Trainer, experienced in several areas
of the philanthropic sector, including higher education, human services, associations,
faith-based and international relief and development organisations. A highly rated
international speaker, she is passionate about giving back to the profession as 
a thought leader and volunteer. She has held the CFRE credential since 2009 and 
is Chair of Board of Rogare, the international fundraising think tank._

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