This one will probably get me in trouble, but frankly I don’t care. I’ve been working in fundraising for almost 25 years. Richard has been in it for over 38 years. Throughout that time we have continually witnessed the erosion of solid fundraising professionals in our industry.
However, before I get into this, I want to be very clear. While Richard and I definitely believe this is a problem we have to address, there are many, many great development professionals who are doing phenomenal work. There are most certainly people with passion, a real sense of call for their job who are incredibly adept at their work. You are amazing.
Unfortunately, there are not enough of you.
By now, you have probably either heard about or read the new report in The Chronicle of Philanthropy called, “Under Developed: A National Study of Challenges Facing Non-Profit Fundraising.” If you haven’t read it, please do. It addresses this issue in great detail.
Often the non-profits we are so fortunate to serve ask us to help them in the hiring process for major gift officers and development directors. In the last 3 months, between Richard and myself, we have probably looked at 80-100 resumes in four different searches we are involved in and held numerous interviews, both over the phone and in person.
It’s depressing. Either these good people don’t have enough experience or their work history has so many moves it makes your head spin.
So what is going on? Here are some thoughts:
- The non-profit industry has exploded in the last 15-20 years and we can’t keep up with demand. This has resulted in many unqualified development professionals in positions they have no business being in.
- Leadership does not see the value in hiring quality development professionals. As we have written about numerous times, leaders (including boards) do not value a culture of philanthropy, therefore they don’t place a high value on the development department. Thus, pay is low, along with their power and influence in the organization.
- We are not educating well. Now admittedly, I don’t know every program in the country well, but who is training our students well in non-profit fundraising besides Indiana University? I know there are all kinds of programs in universities today related to non-profit management, but aside from a handful of young people I know, the resumes and interviews I’ve been experiencing leave me unimpressed.
- Our industry conferences are very poor. I’m going to be honest, I’ve attended dozens of fundraising conferences over the years and I cannot for the life of me say I was ever impressed with the quality of any one of them. Yes, they are a great time to meet people, but if I’m to be honest about the quality of the seminars, they are really lacking. I don’t know how many professional conferences I’ve attended in which someone is presenting about how well a strategy worked and there’s no data to back the story up. I mean, the beauty of our industry is that it produces tangible results, right? Yet these conferences are filled with seminars that are either commercials for agencies and consultants like us, or a lot folks talking about anecdotal evidence to prove how great their strategies are. Richard and I get so angered with these conferences that we rarely ever attend.
- Lack of mentoring—How many older, more seasoned fundraising professionals are actively mentoring younger folks? And, conversely, how many young professionals are seeking out more experienced professionals to be mentored? It’s not happening enough. I don’t know if we’re so ego-driven that we feel threatened by mentoring or being mentored, but this is where our industry could do more.
Gosh, I’m sure there are a ton more reasons. I just can’t get into them all here. But, now that I’ve laid out some “why” reasons, let’s quickly talk about what can be done. Here are some thoughts:
- Better leadership—If there is not a true culture of philanthropy in an organization, you will not attract or retain good quality fundraising professionals.
- Long-term vision—Connected to leadership, if an organization does not value a long-term vision, it will not hire, train or value good people.
- Better professional development—Our industry needs to get better at providing higher quality training. We need to push our universities to create better programs and make them just as attractive as holding an MBA in business.
- We need the “good ones” to step up—If you are an exceptional fundraiser you have a responsibility to the industry you love so much. You have to be able to give back your time to help the next generation of professionals. They need to learn from you and me. We have to come alongside of these young professionals and help them grow.
- Demand that fundraising conferences step up their content—If you are on the planning committees of conferences you have an obligation to be smart and creative about the type of seminars and training that takes place. Demand that presentations always come with results. Attract quality people. Think outside of the box, don’t just go through the motions of the same old, same old.
- Don’t hire low quality people—You may be desperate to hire people. But don’t allow yourself to hire someone just because “she was the best of the lot.” If you have to, think outside the industry and find people who have the skills and attributes you are looking for and really train them. And, for gosh sakes, if you see a resume where every two years an MGO is at another non-profit…that is a huge red flag, not a badge of honor.
We have got to get this right. Our industry is going to continue to grow. There are more needs out there than ever. If you, who are so good at this work, don’t step it up, we will not be able to meet the demand for good quality development professionals. Let’s help our industry thrive. Together we can do it.
Jeff
Series details:
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I attended the Master of Arts Management program at Carnegie Mellon University, which included several courses on fundraising, as well as marketing, operations, budgeting, statistics, and economics. There are several very good schools in the country teaching fundraising.
However, to be hired for major gift fundraising, you simply can’t be a young person; that is something you need some “grey hairs” for.
Recent graduates of these programs are eager but somewhat inexperienced. It is difficult to incorporate practices learned at these schools into existing fundraising programs when the people sharing those ideas are the least senior members of the team, and when due to their inexperience, they don’t always know when those ideas are appropriate to the situation.
Hi Crystal, thanks for commenting. I know several young MGO’s who are incredible at their work and they are in their 20’s. They started with a small caseload with lower-end major donors and after they proved themselves they now have a full caseload of some quality major donors. So, it can be done, in the right shop. You might want to consider reading my blog post “an open letter to young fundraisers” and “an open letter to experienced fundraisers.”.
But, you are right, like anything (even an MBA) it’s experience on the ground that ultimately teaches you how it’s done.
Jeff
You make many great points. I beg to differ on one count, that regarding your point that there is no availability of quality training education for those seeking a career in Fund Development, or ongoing education for those already in it. Two great resources:
1. Indiana University School of Philanthropy is a very high quality educational institution, offering all levels of education all the up to a doctorate level. In addition they have a wide variety of on-line and on-site continuing education opportunities. I’ve attended a couple of intensives, and received the best training ever in the focus areas I selected.
2. Another great resource for high quality training in the religious not-for-profit sector is the Christian Leadership Alliance. (CLA was formed 6-7 years ago when the Christian Management Association and the Christian Stewardship Association combined. They offer a variety of training opportunities on-line, web casts, and their annual conference each spring offers a wide variety of learning opportunities, including one-day intensives in various focus areas.
Thanks, David. I think I did mention Indiana University in by post, but thanks for mentioning CLA. I will have to check them out.
Sorry, I missed that point in your blog.
Jeff and Richard,
I’m a huge fan of your blog and often refer back to older posts just to remind myself that I’m not the only one thinking the way I do about our industry. I agree wholeheartedly with today’s post and am reminded of your points daily as I, like you, try to fill open positions at my institution.
The issue I see that I don’t see specifically identified on your list, is failure by leadership to hold MGOs accountable to established expectations (if there are any of those to begin with). We are doing our colleagues and our industry a great disservice by not requiring development staff to meet challenging goals by adhering to those best practices so eloquently and fervently described in your blog.
Some people think I’m crazy, but I really do love this profession of ours. Thank you for all you do to keep me sane 🙂
Erica
Erica, you are exactly right. Actually, we are hired by non-profits to do exactly that…hold MGO’s accountable to goals. We have seen time and time again that when MGO’s are held accountable they perform. Thanks for bring that up. And, thank you for being in this profession and helping it get better.
Jeff
I enjoyed reading this post as it comes at a time when I am both looking for an experienced mentor and am also looking for the next step in my professional development. I am a young Director of Development Operations, which means I am in charge of the annual fund and the phonathon, am the DBA, do the budget, and provide campaign support and various other miscellaneous tasks. In my 2.5 yrs in fundraising, I have learned what I can by taking every possible Blackbaud course on Raiser’s Edge, attending the annual Blackbaud conference, attending an APRA conference, a CASE conference on phonathons, and a Robert Sharpe conference, and taking numerous weinars and reading various books. I would like to learn more going forward about effective fundraising management and, in particular, want to develop the skills to help me effectively analyze our programs so that all our decisions are based on the best criteria and data and not gut or instinct. I want to make sure that my professional development time going forward is well used. Can you recommend any specific educational opportunities to take my skill set to the next level and help me better serve my institution? Is IUP the best bet? Will the courses on Principles and Techniques of Fundraisingand Developing Annual Sustainability provide me with enough depth that they are worth taking? Perhaps I should take “Program Evaluation for Mission Impact”?
Hi Paul, wow you’ve been busy! With only have 2.5 years of experience you certainly have been immersing yourself in gaining knowledge from many different sources. IUP does have the leading program for nonprofit management and fundraising in the country. Look and see what they offer on-line. But, nothing will help you more than continuing to get experience…and failing. That’s right. I want you to take risks, work hard, try new things that make you uncomfortable and work toward exceeding your goals. Read this post I wrote, “An Open Letter to Young Fundraisers” This may give you some needed inspiration. I’m really glad you are looking for a mentor. Other than experience, having a mentor is the next best thing.
Good luck and thanks for making our profession better. Richard and I really appreciate it.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff. Appreciate the feedback and encouragement. I will keep working at it and looking for that mentor. In the meantime, IUPs Certificate in Fundraising Management looks like it may be a great start. Thanks for your great posts.