What not to look for when hiring a fundraiser
When I am advising non-profits, I tell them that effective fundraising is part art, part science. You need structure and planning to support it, but you also need instinct and charisma to make it a success. Both sides are essential.
The same is true of fundraisers themselves, great ones are typically all-rounders who can turn their hand to all components of income generation. There are specialisms, of course, but mostly fundraisers are expected to be jacks of all trades.
There are some characteristics and competencies commonly sought by charities, though, that in fact most fundraisers should not be expected to bring to the table. I have needed to steer many clients away from obsessing about these qualities when building fundraising teams and I would like to see this change. So, when searching for your next fundraiser, I recommend not prioritising the following:
A ‘black book’ of contacts
The reasons people give to charities are simple: they’re passionate about the cause and they have been well cultivated by the organisation. A lot goes into what “well cultivated” means, and while introductions from mutual contacts can go a long way, expecting fundraisers to bring a list of contacts with them is unrealistic and not recommended.
It’s better to hire an experienced and competent fundraiser who is totally new to your network than to choose a well-connected socialite who can’t create a gift table or an engagement plan.
Fundraisers may have connections from previous roles, but many of those will be owned by other charities, or will be donors with no interest in a new cause. As a result poaching donors from your team’s résumé is bad practice, for both of you. The key is to hire great relationship builders, who can work your networks and events in order to find and engage your hottest prospects. Don’t just recruit people who happen to have the phone numbers of people on a rich list.
Corporate sector experience
Experience in a variety of sectors can bring transferable skills — but recruiters should not necessarily be looking for connections in the corporate sector, specifically from finance, with £ signs in their eyes. Having worked with wealthy people or companies does not mean someone will be comfortable, or proficient at, soliciting ex-colleagues, friends or family.
Perhaps “insider knowledge” can be valuable, but if it’s not related to donations or partnerships, then it’s not that relevant.
Qualities that promote success in the corporate world do not always translate to non-profits. It can be quite a significant transition, and the most frequent line I hear from people who make the switch is that they didn’t realise it would be so hard to get money out of people for such good causes.
Enthusiasm and an MBA are, unfortunately, not enough to crack open the chequebooks of most donors, and the majority of charities do not have scope for a commercial income stream.
Passion for the cause
Staff are certainly more likely to go above and beyond if they feel proud of what they’re doing, but passion alone cannot carry lacklustre fundraising practice.
Similarly, being an expert in the programmes of a charity does not mean someone will be good at raising money for it. The knowledge needed to raise money for a cause can be gained through a good induction process and a couple of weeks’ revision — and the ability to speak about it in an engaging way can come from one or two practice sessions. But gaining the skills to be a great fundraiser takes time and experience.
Some of my biggest fundraising successes have been in contexts where I only fully understood what the charity did after my first week on the job. I am not alone in this — a strong case could be made for the excellence and professionalism of fundraisers who are able to advocate for causes they do not particularly care about. Knowing when to bring other teams into conversations with donors is also important.
Rather than concentrating on the above traits, my key recommendation when looking to hire fantastic fundraisers, especially for new or larger targets, is to prioritise candidates with experience of successful fundraising at a comparable level elsewhere.
Decide the skills and knowledge you need for your organisation, and look for a cultural fit, but always favour applicants who have demonstrated those in an equivalent fundraising context.
I.G. Advisors bridges the gap between fundraisers, corporates and philanthropists to maximise impact. We provide strategic advice to both charities and donors, advising charities on how to fundraise effectively, and advising donors on how to create the most impact with their resources. From large grant-making foundations to corporate brands, grassroots charities and everything in between — if you’d like to find out more about how we can support you, please get in touch or visit impactandgrowth.com for more information.
