I have a confession.
As someone who is an achiever and a perfectionist by nature, I sometimes have a bad habit of trying to handle everything myself. Not just because I want to make sure it gets done right (and I trust myself), but because I know if I do it all myself, it’ll get done on my schedule.
I choose to operate as an island instead of seeking support or feedback from others. Not only is this habit a fast track to burnout, but it’s also a sign that tells me I’m not doing my best work. The work may get done, but I tend to miss a lot of the wisdom and strengths that others bring to the table. It’s a habit I continuously work on improving.
I’ve seen a lot of frontline fundraisers try to operate as an island, too. The profession can sometimes lend itself to this approach, and the achiever/perfectionist personality trait is a strong one in our field. But functioning as an island is truly one of the biggest mistakes that you can make in fundraising.
Whether you’re a one-stop fundraising shop at your organization or part of a larger ecosystem, every fundraiser needs a support system with different perspectives, skills, and expertise. It’s one of the best ways to grow into the fundraiser you want to be.
How to Establish Relationships and Connections
To start, all fundraisers need to establish strong relationships with the program and finance folks at their organizations. At Veritus, we’ve already written a lot of white papers and blogs about this. If you aren’t actively working to establish or maintain those relationships, I encourage you to do so with the same level of intention and commitment that you would use when establishing a relationship with one of your caseload donors.
Second, be careful not to silo yourself from other departments in the fundraising pipeline. For any donor pipeline to flow freely, it’s key to have collaboration and a shared culture of philanthropy among all the fundraising departments. How are you working to connect with the direct mail or donor services (back office) teams? Are you learning the trends they’re seeing—particularly those that can impact your caseload donors? Are you sharing with them how the work they do positively impacts your caseload donors’ experiences?
Think about the last time you were intentional about connecting with the other fundraising departments and plan to connect again soon if it’s been a while since you last did.
And, even beyond the other members in your organization, it’s important to have others in your field that help you grow, too. Learning from other frontline fundraisers and leaders makes you better at your job.
Seek out colleagues and leaders. Work with them to talk through strategies and ideas. And don’t just utilize them when you’re stuck, either. Reach out to them when you think you have a good idea, too. Give them the space to help you see your own blind spots and what may be missing or improved.
(My colleagues at Veritus are some of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with, and our culture of learning from each other has made me so much better at my job, especially when I fall back on my bad habit of trying to do it all myself.)
If you don’t have another fundraiser at your organization, find others to talk to—like peers, mentors, or coaches. (You can always check out the Veritus Community Hub as a resource to ask questions of peers or get feedback.)
Human Connection is Key
While webinars, white papers, or other online resources can be extremely helpful, they’re still one-sided learning. As humans, when we learn alone, it’s easy to let our biases or blind spots creep in, and we can miss pieces or interpret something differently than intended. There is a strong benefit to interacting with others who can help guide you through your learning or even challenge your interpretations.
Think of it like doing a workout video online, compared to going to a class with a coach or trainer. The trainer can push you to work your hardest if you won’t push yourself or correct your form if you need it. Having someone to be your learning partner—a colleague, a mentor, even a Veritus coach—will make you a stronger fundraiser.
So, if you find yourself sometimes trying to do it all alone, I challenge you to find ways to push yourself off the island. Seek feedback from others as a regular part of your work. You will see the benefits.