In the world of fundraising, whatever “glory” can be obtained usually comes in the form of titles. There is a hierarchy implied within titles such as senior vice president, vice president, director, coordinator, or associate. There’s nothing the matter with titles, but sometimes they can keep us from seeing each other as equals. And sometimes those in executive leadership can feel the work of “managing” is below their rank.
We believe that fundraising is a team process with a shared outcome led by a person who takes responsibility for managing the fundraising process and sharing information that leads to collective success. This makes an executive or a director more of a coach than the person at the top of a pyramid. As a coach, you play the critical role of ensuring those on your team have the resources they need to fulfill their roles and responsibilities. It means you have a game plan, more frequently referred to as a fundraising plan. The plan has to be more than a spreadsheet with high-level financial milestones. You’ll need to know how much your organization anticipates raising through events, online giving, board giving and solicitation, individual major gifts, sponsorships, corporate gifts and grants, foundation grants, direct mail, and/or government grants. You will want to know who exactly the prospects are within each revenue category, and what you anticipate receiving and when. Finally, because not everyone who supports your organization or institution will give at the level you anticipate, we strongly recommend working with a pool of prospects for each giving category that is three times your goal.
It is a lot of work to create such a plan, but it pays off if you use it. As the coach, you are working with team members to ensure they know who they are engaging and towards what end. You are reviewing progress reports and adjusting the plan as needed. Most importantly, you are a manager of people – your staff and ideally the volunteers who are engaged in fundraising. Yes, you have your own portfolio of donors to strategically engage and solicit, but that is not your sole responsibility. As the leader of the fundraising team, you are a manager. If you feel that this is below your pay grade or that it is not making the best use of your time, you may be in the wrong position. You may be a major gifts officer or a special gifts officer, but not the right executive or director of a fundraising team. That person is a member of the team.
So, here we are, back to titles and the word “manager.” The person who manages the fundraising process is not a lower-level person. This individual is experienced with multiple fundraising methods and can support their team. It is an honor to manage a process and a team – it is not a demotion. Let’s play ball! God protect America and the world we live within.
