Career as a Fundraising Professional

CAREER AS A

FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONAL

Institute Research Number 316 ISBN 1-58511-316-6 DOT Numbers 293.157-010, 293.357-014 O*Net SOC Codes 11-2031.00, 41-3099.99

CAREER AS A

FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONAL OVER ONE MILLION NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS REQUIRE THESE PAID PROFESSIONALS TO KEEP THEIR MISSION ALIVE A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION IS ONE THAT IS TAX-EXEMPT, A STATUS GRANTED BY

the Internal Revenue Service. By the strictest definition, a nonprofit does not participate in profit-making commercial activities. In reality, a nonprofit organization actually falls somewhere between being a public and a private organization.

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There are generally twelve categories where the majority of the nonprofits fit: Private schools Religious organizations Arts and cultural societies Health organizations Social service organizations Advocacy and political groups Business and labor organizations Scientific and research organizations Community development organizations Foundations Youth leadership organizations Some utility companies There is a common misconception that nonprofits utilize only volunteers to do their work. Of course, they all depend to a certain extent on volunteer time, but there are almost always full-time paid positions available within a nonprofit organization. The reason for this is that the nonprofit must run on a consistent daily basis, requiring organized, hard-working individuals who are paid for their time. Many people make their living by organizing charity appeals and fund drives; philanthropy (charity on a large, usually corporate, scale) is among the ten largest industries in the United States today. In the 1990s alone, Americans donated more than $100 billion to various religions, charities, research centers, schools, hospitals, libraries and social service programs. Fundraising professionals develop and coordinate plans for charitable organizations, receive financial contributions, generate publicity and fulfill organizations’ fiscal objectives. Fundraising professionals work in a variety of nonprofit venues, including the arts, social services, health care and educational fields, as well as at private consulting firms around the country.

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There seems to be an enormous variety of titles to cover the job of fundraising professional. For instance, Annual Giving Officer, Associate Director, Campaign Director, Development Associate, Development Director, Fundraiser, Major Gifts Officer and Vice President. The prevalent term, however, would have to be Development Director – eleven out of nineteen fundraising positions held this title in a recent survey. The forms of fundraising that most people are familiar with include telethons, direct mail, canned food drives and telemarketing. Less well known but sometimes more lucrative are the planned giving programs, where people include in their will a donation to a specific charity, or endowment, where an individual or company provides a trust fund that will give the nonprofit a stable and permanent income. In order to initiate a fundraiser, the head of an organization might approach a fundraising counseling firm to discuss options. The firm will guide the nonprofit into identifying the best fundraising campaign to fit their potential donors and monetary needs. Such firms work for the nonprofits only when they are needed, thus saving the nonprofit the expense of having a full-time fundraising staff. Many more organizations employ people full time in their fundraising efforts. In small organizations, the fundraising professional might also be a mid-level manager of another department, like finance or public relations. In today’s economy, organizations compete fiercely for charitable dollars, so they sometimes verge on the entrepreneurial in their fundraising efforts. For instance, one organization sells greeting cards, while another sponsors a profitable travel program. Luckily, in spite of the reduction in government funding of nonprofits, most organizations have been able to survive because Americans are donating to nonprofits more than ever before. People may feel that nonprofits are more responsible and accountable than government agencies, more trustworthy and more worthy in general of their contributions. People would rather give to nonprofits and get a break on their taxes, than pay those taxes to the government. There are over 1,000,000 nonprofit organizations that employ more than 10 million people, or about 7% of the total workforce in this country. Many of them tackle public policy and social welfare issues, making them very attractive to many job seekers who also want to serve the public good with their work. Some of the major issues in 4

which nonprofits are involved include health, education, child labor, auto safety, homelessness, AIDS, civil rights, housing and environmental issues. While it is true that the headquarters of major nonprofit organizations are located in large metropolitan areas like Washington DC and New York City, more than 90% of nonprofits exist on the local level, in the form of community-based operations. They may have smaller staffs and fewer paid positions, but they still generate a significant number of job opportunities. Up to now, the nonprofit organization has had a reputation for using unskilled, unorganized and inefficient workers and procedures to run their operations. This may never have been entirely true. It takes hard work and an businesslike approach to raise enough money for an organization to prosper. Nonprofits work with an annual budget just like a public corporation. They must market and advertise, and the public and savvy donors alike insist they establish a mission statement and stick to it, or they may not contribute. Nonprofits also have the reputation for being a haven for do-gooder, social-action types who stage sit-ins and protests, and occasionally fling themselves into danger in support of their cause. In reality, however, nonprofits run the gamut from ultra-liberal to the ultra-conservative. There is a place for people from every ideology and persuasion, for people who wish to make a political statement to people who want nothing to do with politics. Nonprofits have worked hard to change their image with the public. They are no longer seen as an excuse for being inefficient, attracting amateurs who could not otherwise make it in regular jobs. With their new professional image comes a new and urgent need for skilled employees to help nonprofits move forward in the new century.

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WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW TO EXPLORE THIS FIELD EXPERIENCE IN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR IS PROBABLY EASIER FOR A HIGH SCHOOL

student to achieve than in any other career field. Begin by volunteering at a religious institution, a social agency or any organization that you admire or respect. You may already be volunteering to fulfill a community service requirement at your school. However, choosing to work in the nonprofit sector is another thing altogether. One of the ways to decide if a career in nonprofits is one you might enjoy and also be good at, is to make a list of what you do best and those things that you are passionate about. For instance, under what you do you could list “write proposals”, “make and maintain strong relationships” and “persuade people”. All these are vital abilities and character traits that will make you successful in a nonprofit setting. For your passions, you could list “children’s welfare”, “making a difference in the world” or “preservation of the environment”. These would be helpful in directing you to the nonprofit area where you will be most successful and fulfilled. Ask yourself the following: How important is it that you do what others expect of you, that your career and lifestyle mirror that of your friends and relatives? Do you often find yourself wanting to reach out and help people, such as when you see a public service announcement about how street violence affects children or the fact that the elderly need hot meals and companionship? What are you willing to sacrifice in order to achieve your goals? Is making a difference in someone else’s life more important than your own personal agenda? In the past, it may have been difficult to find information about jobs available with nonprofit organizations. Now, however, most career publications include information about fundraising as a professional career, and nonprofits also look for professionals from other fields, such as accounting and health care. If you become involved with a large nonprofit organization that serves professional people, like the American Medical Association or American Bar Association, you will find it very much like a corporation. However, if you work with a community-based nonprofit that serves 6

the homeless or disadvantaged children, you should be prepared for the emotional element. Only those with the hardest hearts are not affected by people who live on the streets or children who have no parents. The nonprofit world has its own employment publications and services. On the Internet, you will find Web sites devoted to finding job opportunities and learning about nonprofits in general. Even the major employment Web sites like Monster.com and HotJobs.com have a wealth of information about nonprofits. They also offer a separate area that lists all the nonprofit jobs registered with their service.

HISTORY OF THE CAREER ORGANIZED FUNDRAISING, ALSO KNOWN AS PHILANTHROPY, IS A FAIRLY MODERN

rendition of an older concept known as charity. In ancient Greece, the wealthy were very involved in giving to charities. Just as today, there were institutions to care for strangers, the sick, the poor and the old. During times of drought, the government paid a daily stipend to the needy. Interestingly enough, the Greek word for love is charitas, or charity. With the advent of Christianity came a new and very specific emphasis on social issues. Treat others the way you wish to be treated; what you do is more important than what you believe; love and care for one another; give what you have to those who have not. Under this doctrine, all people were responsible for the care and well being of those around them. Many charities today are still based on these tenets. Although the Dark Ages soon settled over a large part of the world, charitable practices had become ingrained in society. In Medieval Europe, the nobles in their castles ate their two daily meals on large, thick slices of bread known as trenchers. This bread was heaped with roasted meats and vegetables, and the copious juices soaked into the bread. After the meal, these trenchers were taken outside the castle and distributed to the poor. During this time in history, there was only one organized charitable institution, the Catholic Church. Members of the church were expected to give one tenth of their income to the church. In return, the church looked after orphans and other unfortunates. It was

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the lifetime work of nuns and monks to care for people in need, and monasteries were the social services organizations of the day. Subscription fundraising, the process of obtaining donations from wealthy people in order to build a new hospital, church, or other community project, was very popular in 18th century England. Many hospitals and mental health facilities would not have been built if not for this form of charitable giving. The basic procedure would be for some wealthy person, usually a titled noble, to invite other notables for an evening meal and, possibly, entertainment. During the course of the evening, the host would turn the conversation to the reason for the gathering. One or more of the guests would volunteer a sum of money and the rest would follow with their own pledges. A clerk would make note of who pledged what amount, and the party would continue. The most prominent subscription fundraiser in America during this time was none other than Benjamin Franklin. He was instrumental in raising the funds for the Philadelphia fire companies, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the school that became the University of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Hospital and the cannon that protected Philadelphia during the French and Indian War. In the 19th century, philanthropy began to take on the modern character of large-scale giving by wealthy people, documented in Andrew Carnegie’s essay Wealth, written in 1889. However, such giving was suspect to social reformers, who felt that the money had been earned by exploiting the very people it was now supposed to help. Jane Addams of Hull House refused to accept a $20,000 gift because she suspected it came from the Rockefellers. The first foundation in America is commonly thought to be The Peabody Fund, established in 1867 to assist with education. The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research was the first foundation to have a director and a board, established in 1901. In 1907, it was followed by the Russell Sage Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation in 1911, the Rockefeller Foundation in 1913 and then a multitude of similar organizations. During the First World War, charity became coordinated into Community Chests, the forerunner of today’s United Way. In 1928, before the stock market crash, more than $2.5 billion was raised for charity. By this time, professional organizations had been established to specialize in fundraising activities. They took a percentage of the 8

funds raised as their fee. Although some fundraisers still do this, it is no longer a recommended practice, because fundraisers may be tempted into illegal and unethical practices in order to inflate their own compensation. In the not too distant past, fundraising was a job that you almost fell into. You might be working as a middle manager in a social service organization when your boss mentioned that the organization needed to have a fund drive and would you please organize it. From then on, you were considered the person responsible. In this case, the people in your life would misunderstand your job more often than not. You might often be asked, “But what do you really do?” Almost no one actually planned to be a fundraiser as a lifetime career. There was no educational path in place to prepare anyone to enter the field as a professional. There was certainly no group to govern the behavior of those who wished to raise funds, or to hold them accountable. As recently as the 1990s, we saw the results of lack of accountability when televangelist Jim Bakker was exposed for wrongdoing. Until 1960, there was no formal organization of fundraising professionals. The American Association of Fund Raising Counsel (AAFRC) represented fundraising firms, and there were many local fundraising organizations. But there was no representation for charitable fundraisers. The idea of the National Association of Fund Raisers was the vision of three noted fundraising professionals: Benjamin Sklar of Brandeis University, William R. Simms of the National Urban League, and Harry Rosen of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies. They received their charter in 1960, and by 1962 they had 197 members. The organization gradually evolved into what it is today, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). It has 26,000 members in 171 chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. They are committed to the development of the professional fundraising field, the members’ adherence to a strict code of ethics, and the promotion of public understanding of philanthropy and its fundraising efforts.

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The AFPs Code of Ethics is probably the most significant development in the history of professional fundraising. Prior to the Code, there was no organized set of rules to govern the behavior of fundraisers. Some professionals were paid a percentage of the money they raised for an organization, leading to some questionable practices on the part of the fundraisers. The Code prohibits this practice, and members who violate the provision are sanctioned. This is just one example of how the Code has elevated the professional status of fundraisers. The AFP currently offers two recognized certifications for fundraising professionals: the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE).

WHERE FUNDRAISERS WORK FUND RAIS ING PRO FES SION ALS WORK FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT WISH TO

generate donations from the community in which they are located. The majority of these organizations are known simply as nonprofits. As a fundraising professional, you will probably be employed in one of two different areas: as a participant in the fundraising activities for your organization; or as an employee of a fundraising consulting firm, responsible for helping client companies raise funds. If you are a full-time fundraiser for a single nonprofit organization, you will spend most of your working time in your own office or at your own desk. During the campaigns you may be working in a temporary facility, such as a radio or television studio. You will be working long hours as the campaign becomes more intense with each passing day. As you near the end of the campaign, if you are not close to your target dollar amount you may have to initiate contingency plans to attract more dollars. Some of the fundraising campaigns may be as simple as sending out letters asking for a donation, including free address labels as an incentive. In this case, you would work with staff and volunteers at your office location to copy the letters, prepare envelopes, and stuff them for mailing. Then, when the donations begin to come in, your staff will make a record of them, deposit them in the bank and, finally, report the amounts to the board.

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Large organizations require more complex fundraising plans, even though they may use direct mailings as well. They may hold many different kinds of events in one area each year, including marathons, dinners, phone drives and television advertising. The staff for such continuous activity will include full-time and part-time employees and many volunteers, and the events will take place in multiple locations. As the fundraising professional, you will be working where the campaigns are taking place, in or out of the office. You will be training volunteers and staff in a facility set aside for that purpose. You will be meeting major donors at their homes or offices to discuss pledges. In fact, meetings and phone calls will consume the majority of your day. You will attend board meetings to review your progress, formal luncheons which you arranged with major donors, fundraising dinners which you organized and which you must attend. You will meet with potential volunteers to determine if they are a good fit. You will meet with the people who will support your fundraising events, such as caterers, floral specialists and event planners. Even if you work for a fundraising firm and service a number of clients, your day will be much the same. The only real difference is that you will meet and work with personnel of different kinds of nonprofits. When government withdraws funding from nonprofit organizations, the role of the professional fundraiser continues to increase in importance. It is becoming a smart investment for organizations to employ part- or full-time fundraisers to meet their financial needs.

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A FUNDRAISER’S DUTIES THE FIRST THING YOU MUST REALIZE ABOUT BEING A PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISER IS

that it is a people-oriented job. This means that 99.9% of your time will be spent interacting with people. You cannot do this job if you dislike or fear dealing with people. As a fundraising professional, your work duties will include being involved in a number of fundraising activities, all different and sometimes all occurring at the same time. You must be extremely organized if you hope to succeed at managing a direct mail campaign, a telemarketing campaign, and a black tie fundraising dinner all at the same time! Your daily, weekly and monthly schedule planner will become your best friend. Besides actually asking for donations, you will also spend a great deal of time preparing to ask for donations. Intense research, proposal writing, letter writing, managing volunteers’ schedules and training, will all be essential tasks even before you actually solicit contributions. You must always look and act in a professional manner. That means you will wear appropriate business clothing to work each day, and address people in a respectful and businesslike manner. Your image will be intimately connected to your success. Accept responsibility for your actions and speak with complete honesty; if you have reservations about the target dollar amount the board of directors is seeking, say so. Never be afraid to ask for a donation from anyone, and speak powerfully about your organization at all times; passion often motivates people to support. Paperwork in a nonprofit organization is almost as important as people work. Written policies and procedures, schedules, instructions, annual reports, financial reports – you will have a hand in almost all of them. You may be asked to prepare periodic written reports to the board of directors concerning the progress of a specific project. You will write letters to potential donors and thank you letters to those who have donated. Depending on the size of your organization, you may also need to produce press releases and advertisements. A very important part of your paperwork may include writing grant proposals in order to apply for private or government money that has been set aside to assist social agencies and other nonprofit organizations. Each grant will have its own guidelines and format to follow in order for your organization to be considered. Grant writing 12

has become something of a writing specialty that you can learn. You may even have a full-time grant writer on your staff, in which case you will work with this person to produce the grant instead of writing it yourself. If you are employed by a newly established nonprofit organization, the cardinal rule of any effort to raise money will be to start by looking to those closest to you for support, friends and family, volunteers and staff, vendors (your suppliers), community businesses and individuals and, finally, foundations. Why should you start with those closest to you? For one thing, they are much more likely to give you support with little persuasion on your part; they are the easy sell. The less your prospect knows about you and your organization, the more convincing you will have to do. These prospects will also want to know what other support you have, and it is extremely persuasive to be able to say that friends, family, volunteers and board members all contribute to your organization. You may think it might be inappropriate to contact vendors and, indeed, you may not get a direct contribution from an individual vendor. Instead, your organization may receive donated materials from that vendor, or a price reduction of some sort on your next order. Every little bit will help. Sometimes when you contact a vendor, a larger corporate foundation makes the donation. If you are hired by an established nonprofit organization, whether as a full-time employee or as a professional within a consulting firm, there will be information about previous fundraising campaigns that you can use in your job. Be sure to examine the successful campaigns most carefully; what worked once will probably work again.

Make a Feasibility Study As a fundraising professional, no matter where you are employed, your first step in organizing any campaign will be to find out how much the organization needs to raise and for what purpose. Then you may conduct a feasibility study to see whether the community will be able and willing to support the fundraising efforts. The fundraiser hires and sometimes trains the volunteers, arranges for publicity for the event and oversees the actual event. For a major fundraising campaign, the feasibility study will involve personal interviews, surveys and a review of previous fundraising activities. You will talk to a wide variety of people, including board members and community leaders. 13

Once you decide to proceed, the feasibility study is used to identify the amounts that need to be raised, the timing of the campaign and how the funds will be raised. It may even suggest who the major contributors might be, using previous fundraising experience.

Start With Major Gifts Major gift fundraising will be the first step; major gifts make up seventy to eighty percent of all funds raised as a rule. You may personally and directly solicit major gifts, or you may speak with people individually at small gatherings or receptions at the homes of prominent community leaders and politicians. You must ask for a specific dollar amount from each individual and suggest a time frame for making the contribution. Be sure to get a definitive “no” or “yes”; too many “maybe” answers can mean you will fall below your target dollar amount. After major gifts, you will pursue general gifts through various means, including direct mail, phone solicitation and smaller fundraising projects. Start with likely donors, usually those who have given money in previous campaigns, and work toward those who have never given. For smaller organizations, such a major campaign can be accomplished in three to six months. At larger organizations, it may take a year or two to complete the campaign, and another three to five years to receive the donations.

Maintaining Good Community Relations As a fundraising professional, one of your most important ongoing duties will be to maintain good community relations between your organization and the surrounding neighbors and organizations. These will include clients (the people you serve), community residents, public officials, government agencies, other nonprofits and potential donors. Maintaining good relations means controlling the flow of information about your organization, whether good or bad. You should take a proactive approach by planning in advance what you will do. You might proceed as follows: Define your community and its various groups. Identify which groups come into contact with your organization most often. Determine what you hope to accomplish with your community relations program; decide what you want from each group and what you are willing to give to them. It could involve donations, or joint 14

work on public policy, partnerships on various events or increasing your client base. Write it all down so it is easier to analyze. Create the message you want to send, in all likelihood a different message for each group. Marketing professionals call this targeting, addressing the concerns of your audience. The message will include the information about your organization that will matter most to each individual group. Choose the best way to convey your message. It may be a brochure to potential clients, a fact sheet or press release to a newspaper reporter, a community question and answer forum, or a personal visit to a potential donors. Don’t work on the plan so long that you neglect to put it into motion. No one will get your message if you never send it, so forego that final revision and just let it go. In any such plan, you will not be the only one who will be involved, however. Board members, whether well-known or not, may have the opportunity to express public opinions about your organization. The organization’s volunteers, public relations people and marketing people may also become involved. It is your job to maintain good relationships with all these internal groups, as well, in order to reduce the amount of bad publicity given to your organization. Analyze the outcome of your community relations efforts. You must understand that each time an organization communicates with its audience, the results will probably be widely mixed. It takes time to influence any audience, and with each contact you will learn more about each group. Future campaigns will reflect the process and each time will be more successful. Quite simply, you are not alone in your community, and you cannot afford to act as if you are.

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FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONALS TELL YOU ABOUT THEIR CAREERS I Work as a Fundraising Director for a Major Nonprofit Organization “I love my work, and I would certainly recommend it to any young person looking for a different kind of career, a different take on the balance between work and the rest of your life. Fundraising is only one part of philanthropy. Philanthropy is technically the trusts and foundations set up by large corporations to support certain organizations. A good example is the way companies underwrite the programming on public television; without their dollars, the programs probably wouldn’t get filmed or aired. Fundraising is the process of marrying the people who care with the needs to be met. It’s the job of the fundraising professional to perform that marriage. We run several fundraising campaigns a year, including a 10K run in the spring and a black tie affair late in the year. But these aren’t just events to organize and live through, hoping the dollars that result from them is enough to keep us going for another year. In fact, it isn’t even mostly about the money we raise at the events. A fundraiser is a gathering together of people who believe in something, an organization that performs a specific kind of service or an issue that must be brought to the forefront of society’s consciousness. We’re not just holding out our hand and saying, ‘Help us exist for another year.’ What we’re really saying is, ‘Join us to help make the world a better place.’ Don’t get me wrong. Fundraising is hard work and commitment and a lot of frustration. No matter how carefully you try to plan an event, there is always something that may go wrong. Volunteers will back out at the last minute, the caterer gets hung up in traffic, half the phone lines go down unexpectedly … Murphy’s Law definitely seems to get the upper hand at times. 16

I rely heavily on my personal planner to keep names, dates and deadlines straight. I take notes and write down important dates as quickly as I can so I don’t forget them; even if you think you have a perfect memory, when you’re juggling many different events and people, things slip through the cracks if you’re not careful. But when it’s all over and you can’t move another muscle and the dollars are counted and you know that the organization will keep on going, it all becomes worthwhile. There’s no greater sense of satisfaction than knowing your planning and hard work count for something, and the best part is that everyone feels that way, everyone knows the value of their own contribution. It never ceases to amaze me how powerful people can be when they come together for a cause they believe in. Over and over again in history, we see how groups of people who cooperate have the power to change the world. When you get discouraged about the state the world is in, knowing how to change it makes you feel strong and empowered. I would encourage you to experience the nonprofit world at some point in your school years. Even if you decide not to pursue a professional career in the field, it’s important to understand how charitable organizations work and how they get their money. Someday you may want to support such an organization.”

I Work as a Fundraising Consultant for a Firm That Specializes in Helping Organizations Run Fundraising Campaigns “Most of the organizations I work with do not have a full-time fundraising employee, either because they can’t afford it or they simply want an expert to spearhead their campaigns only at intervals during the year. When an organization decides to hold a fundraising campaign, they call 17

our firm to begin the process. If my workload allows, I will be assigned to this client. What I do personally is start the process by meeting with the organization’s designated contact person. We go over the organization’s objectives – how much money they need and for what purpose, what resources they can offer for the fundraiser, any ideas they may have for it – and we draw up a tentative outline for the event. Depending on the scope and complexity of the fundraising project, I will invite other staff members to be part of the team who will be handling the details of the project. I also draw on the client’s staff for people who can help. Everyone receives an assignment and deadlines for completing the work, and we’re off and running. Throughout the rest of the process, the contact person and I will talk on the phone almost every day, especially the closer it gets to the event. Of course, other people in the organization may call or meet with me, and certainly I work with the volunteers who will be doing the detail work: people who operate the phones, hand out the flyers, prepare the facilities. I have found that the hardest part is keeping it all together. If you communicate your expectations to everyone, get everything in writing, there comes a point where you just have to trust that your people will be where they are supposed to be, on time and ready to go. I enjoy working for a fundraising consluting firm because I have the chance to work with many different organizations. The needs of each organization are different, which means the fundraisers must each be different. I find it very stimulating to create the campaigns, and challenging in a way I’m sure I wouldn’t in any other job. Of course, I’d be lying if I said the stress didn’t get to me sometimes. There is the constant pressure to perform, and any failure I have is more than just personal, because with each job I am representing my firm. But the successes more than outweigh the stress, and working with committed, energetic people who believe in what they do goes a long way to make up for it. 18

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS IN ORDER TO BE A SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISER, YOU MUST HAVE

strong communication skills, the ability to organize and manage your time and the time of others, and you must be willing to participate in the fundraising personally. This last is the most crucial part. If you can communicate, organize and manage time, but you are embarrassed or awkward when asking people for money, you will have trouble in this profession. The important thing to remember is that a professional fundraising is nothing like the telemarketer who calls and interrupts your dinner. While calling prospects is certainly part of the job, you will usually be contacting people who are familiar with your organization and have probably supported it in the past. The personal qualities that are most important include being friendly and outgoing, able to interact with a wide range of people from all areas of society. Leadership ability is equally important, because you must gain the respect of the people who work with you and inspire them to give their best efforts. Cultivating your leadership and communication skills is just the beginning, though. You will also need experience and education in financial management and accounting, public relations, marketing, human resources, management and media. In other words, you will be expected to have a breadth of knowledge to do this job well. Most great leaders share a variety of personality traits that are essential if you wish to succeed. You must have a strongly developed sense of responsibility and the willingness, even passion, to participate in your organization. You must be persistent in pursuing your goals and solve problems in creative, original ways. Self-confidence and a sense of personal identify will carry you over whatever rough spots you encounter, and many of those rough spots will involve rejection. You must cultivate the ability to define specific objectives, stay on track toward your goals and provide the means for attaining them, direct group action and interaction and group task performance. You must know how to delegate responsibility effectively, because you cannot possibly do everything in this job by yourself.

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You should be able to influence others in their behavior and interaction within a group. You must be very mindful of the consequences of your actions, particularly because many people will be watching how you act in order to determine how they should act. You will also experience stress, and you must be ready, willing and able to absorb and handle it. Any job that has deadlines and the uncertainty inherent in fundraising will automatically be stressful, not to mention the pressure that is constantly applied by board members who want results, donors who want more time to pay and volunteers who want time off. Many professional fundraisers say you must have a “calling” for the job, able to rejoice in the satisfaction of positive results for the group, instead of personal recognition for your own efforts. You are allowed to have an ego, but you must keep it in check. You can be idealistic and enthusiastic about your organization’s work, but you must also act in an professional manner, businesslike and practical. Perhaps the most difficult qualities to balance on this job are the need for a soft heart so that you can help the people who need your organization’s services, and a thick skin so you can deal with rejection. Without compassion, you will have a hard time believing in your organization’s goals. Without a strong core to face rejection and move forward, you will be unable to continuing soliciting the donations you need. Finally, have no shame when it comes to your work, meaning you must approach anyone and everyone for donations to support your organization. Never forget, when a potential donor says “no” it is not the first time or the millionth time you will hear it, so just move on.

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ATTRACTIVE FEATURES MOST PEOPLE WHO WORK AS FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONALS ARE ATTRACTED TO

the job because of the human factor – nonprofits meet human needs that are not addressed by government or business. Nonprofits heal, educate, promote culture, shelter the abused, and preserve our environment. Fundraising professionals find that the work touches them deeply, as fundamentally as it touches the people they serve. People who work for nonprofits feel deeply about the work of their organizations, and it can be extremely satisfying to be working in a field that allows you to change a small part of the world. You will be working and living the commitments of your heart. Within the professional fundraising field, you can customize your work to fit your skills. For instance, you might prove to be best at grant writing or planning fundraising events if communication is your strongest characteristic. If you are more comfortable working with numbers and you understand the tax law, you might be better utilized working with planned giving, advising potential donors on ways their gifts can best fit their tax planning. The work can be interesting and exciting, if you deal with social issues that need to be addressed or laws that need to be changed. You’re actually making history if you participate in such wide-sweeping change. You may be content to work for a conservative organization where you will keep a relatively low profile, like the American Bar Association. Or you may want to work in a more politically active association, like Planned Parenthood, which is intimately involved in politics, or Greenpeace, whose members regularly face danger to save marine creatures. The work environment itself can be “kinder and gentler” than the average corporate culture, and it tends to be much more supportive than in a for-profit organization. Because other workers share your commitment to the organization’s goals, they can provide a stimulating work atmosphere. Don’t underestimate the value of enjoying your work and its environment. Those who hate their nine-to-five job, dread getting up in the morning and can’t wait to leave at night. Their whole outlook on life is colored by the unhappiness they feel in their work situation. Since you will spend most of each day in your work place and with a 21

certain group of colleagues, you owe it to yourself to choose the best environment for you. The nonprofit world can also give you the chance to acquire work experience even before you are old enough to get a conventional after-school job. Volunteers can begin in their early teens and get an inside look at the way a nonprofit works. Most internships in for-profit organizations are not available to students until the late high school or college years. While you are still in school, you can also establish a network of contacts that will may help you for years to come. You may even find a mentor among your co-workers, someone who will show you how things are done, give you advice, maybe even help you find a good job opportunity when the time comes. Success often depends as much on who you know as what you know. Nonprofit jobs can lead to advancement within the nonprofit sector, and not necessarily in the particular specialty where you are working at the moment. A good fundraising professional can organize a campaign to attract funds for a hospital, a church or the NAACP. Successful fundraising professionals receive salaries and benefits that are as attractive as those in the for-profit sector. They can pick and choose where they wish to work, and it is not unusual for them to command salaries of $200,000 a year and more.

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UNATTRACTIVE FEATURES UNTIL RECENTLY, FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONALS CHANGED JOBS ABOUT EVERY

eighteen months, sometimes having to move across the country to start a new job. One of the reasons they moved around so much is that an organization’s expectations and those of the professional did not match. The organization’s leadership might have been too optimistic about the amount of funding they could raise from a campaign, and the fundraiser may have been unclear about how successful the campaign would be. This is just one of the negative aspects of working for nonprofits, and many of the other negatives center around money. What you will be paid at a nonprofit organization will almost always be at least somewhat lower than what you would be paid for the same work at a for-profit organization. Depending on where monetary rewards fit in your life, this can be a deterrent to working for nonprofits. If you work for a small community nonprofit, you may not have the opportunity for advancement to an executive position that you would in a for-profit organization. If you are determined to advance, you may need to relocate to a large metropolitan area, where nonprofit headquarters are often located. As a fundraising professional, you may find yourself holding a middle management position, but with the potential for leadership that only top executives possess. This means you will not have the final say in every matter, though you may have influence of a sort. This in between status tends to frustrate people. The way others see you will be very different from how you perceive yourself; you may not always be a welcome caller. For instance, if you arrange to call on a potential donor, that person may become defensive, even unpleasant. There may be resentment that you are asking for too much money, too often. Others may willingly pledge support but fail to follow through, finally avoiding your reminder calls as if you were a conventional bill collector. The work environment at a nonprofit can be unpleasant if the people are disorganized or incompetent. Many times volunteers are catered to because they are needed, even when they are late or difficult to get along with. The board of directors may be at odds with

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the staff, and the equipment may be broken or old, with no budget to repair or replace it. The stress of this business is another deterrent. Your success will often depend on the success of your fundraising events. If you run too many campaigns that bring less than the target amount, your career may be in jeopardy, certainly your job will be. Because a nonprofit is supposed to be unconcerned with the bottom line or profit margin, it may be difficult to measure any results at all. If the nonprofit does not have a clear mission statement that guides how it operates, no one may know if goals are being met. Nonprofits rely on a variety of funding sources, so finances may become shaky at times. If a major donation is never delivered or the donor dies and the donation becomes a disputed portion of the will, the nonprofit may face serious cash flow problems as a result. Many fundraising professionals come to regret taking a job without thoroughly checking it out first, but this need not happen to you. A little time, a little research is definitely a sound procedure. A no-win job is easy to spot because fundraising will appear to be a low priority. There may be little or no support staff, and you may be left out of the information loop. Perhaps there is an inconsistent prospect base, or an imbalance between cash donations and budgeted income. Of course there is no such thing as a perfect job, but here are some steps you can take to make sure you don’t end up in a no-win job situation: Visit the organization and ask to be shown around. Chances are good you will be able to tell if employees are happy; if they are not, it may be a warning sign. Does your guide introduce you to workers or ignore them? If you are permitted to talk with workers, are they guarded or open? Discuss fundraising goals in detail. Ask to see figures on how much has been raised in the past three to five years, and whether they met their goals and how they set their goals in the first place. Was the goal established based on past performance and logical expectation, or an impending financial crisis? See if you can meet with board members, or at least review their biographies. If the information is not forthcoming, it could mean there are problems. If the board is too enthusiastic toward you, they may have unrealistic expectations of you. If they have no time to meet with you, will they have time to support you later? 24

EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACCORDING TO DR. LILYA WAGNER, AUTHOR OF CAREERS IN FUNDRAISING, THE

field of professional fundraising is booming. Colleges and universities are starting to offer degree programs in the field, and students are enthusiastically pursuing the career. To make professional fundraising your career, concentrate on college preparatory classes in high school. Include English, creative writing, speech, mathematics, business and history classes, as well as foreign languages, bookkeeping and computer training. In college, a liberal arts background with an emphasis on the social sciences would be most useful. Courses in psychology, social work, sociology, public relations, business administration, education and journalism are especially useful. Not all colleges or universities offer a degree in fundraising or philanthropy. The counselor at your school will be able to help you build a curriculum and degree program that will be applicable to this field. However, there are some schools that have already developed a degree program. The University of Pennsylvania offers a Certificate in Fundraising, a Certificate in Program Management, and a Certificate in Executive Administration. Each certificate requires a series of core courses and electives, some of which include Asking for Major Gifts, Planning and Producing Special Events, and Planned Giving Essentials. Columbia University offers a course of study in their Fundraising Management Program, citing the fact that the nonprofit sector is the fastest-growing source of jobs in New York City, with an annual contribution of $43 billion to the city’s economy. Their course offering includes Major Gifts, Annual Campaign, Fundraising Essentials and Planned Giving. Indiana University has an entire division of the school devoted to the field, named The Center on Philanthropy. They offer management programs, as well as a Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies, Master of Public Affairs, and a PhD in Philanthropic Studies. They accept almost any undergraduate major and one of their goals is to help their students “enhance their participation in building civil society wherever they live, work or volunteer.”

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Professional Certification Once you have been working in the field for a while, it might be a good idea to pursue the certifications offered by the Association for Fundraising Professionals. Continuing education is an important part of any professional career and obtaining the certifications will give you the right to put the prestigious initials behind your name, offering instant credentials to anyone who sees it. To attain the Certified Fundraising Executive level, you must have at least five years of experience before you can file the application, which includes the documentation of your education, professional practice, performance and service. If the application is accepted, you may sit for the CFRE examination, which is a 200 item multiple choice test of your knowledge of fundraising theory and practice. If you pass, you will have the CFRE designation for three years and your name will be posted on the AFP Web site. You will be required to recertify every three years. If you already hold the CFRE and you have recertified at least once, you may attempt the ACFRE credential, or Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive. You must apply, noting your education, professional practice, performance and service. Besides a written test, you must assemble a portfolio and pass an oral test as well. New ACFRE designates are honored at the annual AFP conference.

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EARNINGS POTENTIALS NONPROFITS TRADITIONALLY DO NOT PAY AS WELL AS FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS,

but that does not mean you cannot make a good living in a nonprofit job. Salaries have to be moderately competitive in order to attract people with the skills needed by the organization. Some nonprofits pay excellent salaries and benefits, including business and professional organizations, health groups and research groups. Salaries can range from $20,000 to $70,000, to as much as $200,000 if you develop into a top-notch fundraising professional. This may seem a daunting range of salaries, but it can be narrowed down to some averages. Abbott, Langer & Associates, a licensed Psychological Corporation in Illinois, put together some statistics for pay rates in nonprofit organizations. The following are the median incomes for some of the fundraiser positions:

Planned (Deferred) Giving Managers $58,880 Directors of Marketing $58,500 Marketing Development Managers $51,870 Directors of Members/Constituent/Chapter/ Affiliate Relations & Services $50,000 Directors of Program Services $49,440 Directors of Public Relations $48,862 Grant Proposal Writers $38,812 Donor Research Managers $38,250 Special Events Fundraising Managers $36,855 Directors of Volunteers $34,095 27

As you can see, titles are not clear cut and some seem to overlap. No one person is the sole director, in most cases, although smaller nonprofits may require you to fill many of these positions. As a beginner you will not earn this much, especially if you start as a volunteer. However, you will earn more as you gain experience and if you are involved in some particularly successful campaigns, you may be able to name your own price at your next job. Most people who are just starting out in a career do not need the same financial rewards as a person with a mortgage, car payment and children to raise. You must decide how much you really need in order to pay your bills and remain debt-free. When you apply for an entry-level job with a nonprofit, the salary you are offered is most likely tied to a grant or other donations and will be non-negotiable. However, if you have many years of volunteer or part-time paid service to nonprofits, you may be able to discuss your salary needs and come to an understanding with your potential employer for benefits now or more compensation later. If you have a friend or mentor within the nonprofit sector to whom you can speak candidly, ask their advice about salary concerns you might have. Your friend may have other information about your potential job, or may suggest the appropriate way to approach the subject. When your interviewer tells you what the job pays, it is not out of line to inquire about raises or other benefits. Do not be afraid that you will come across as someone only concerned about money. In all likelihood, your interviewer will admire your decisiveness and candor. Your salary will probably never be as large as you would get at a for-profit company, and you may not have as many opportunities to be groomed for future promotions. However, the fact that people still seek jobs in the nonprofit sector and some have spent their whole lives working in nonprofits should speak for itself.

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OPPORTUNITIES SINCE 1994, WHEN THE GOVERNMENT BEGAN CUTTING BACK THE FUNDING OF

many social, education and cultural organizations, fundraising has taken on a new importance to these groups. One way they have restored their funding is through partnerships with large corporations. Another way is to hire highly skilled professional fundraisers to run their various campaign drives and ongoing programs. The nonprofit job market is expected to expand dramatically within the next ten years, as nonprofits continue to become more technical and oriented to the Internet, requiring workers who are capable in these areas. There may come a time when most fundraising activity is centered almost exclusively on email campaigns. Many people think it’s easier to get a job with nonprofits, but it is really no different than trying to obtain any other job. Nonprofits work within a tight budget as a rule, but they still require top skills and expertise from their employees. The chances are good that you have overlooked the nonprofit job market not because you think they offer unattractive jobs, but probably because you think that nonprofits are mostly volunteer-run. This is very far from the truth. Nonprofits do not fit into the standard image of either the government or business workplace; nonprofits are neither one nor the other, but they can sometimes has aspects of both. Anything you might do in the for-profit workplace has a corresponding job within the nonprofit sector. If you are an accountant, secretary, or public relations person for a mid-sized company, you could land a job in a nonprofit organization and, some would say, enjoy your work much more. The nonprofit field has become increasingly more stable over the last two years, partly due to the availability of education in the field. The Association of Fundraising Professionals reported several years ago that fundraisers change jobs about every two and a half years. More recent research indicates the interval is getting longer. There is no typical career path for nonprofits. In some organizations, you can see a clear promotion path from entry level to mid-level management, to executive level. In other nonprofits, advancement may be less clear and you may need to move to another organization in order to get to the next job level. Some nonprofits 29

require high educational credentials for their executive positions, while others are more focused on years and types of experience. Most entry level nonprofit positions are research assistantships, direct service or administrative support. Whatever the position is called, you will be asked to assume a wide variety of duties. As you demonstrate willingness to take on more responsibility, your job and skills will expand. Entry level and middle management people change jobs more frequently because senior executives in nonprofits tend to hold their positions longer. Therefore, it is often necessary to change organizations in order to advance to the executive level. Advancement within a private consulting firm is more like advancement within any other service field, such as a law firm or accounting firm. At the entry level, you will assist with campaigns being handled by the firm. Then you will progress to handle more responsibility and become more visible in your work, until finally you are handling major campaigns for clients that are part of your portfolio. After you have gained a certain level of expertise and reputation, you can explore the possibility of opening your own firm. Or you may be offered a position at one of the large nonprofits in the country, such as The American Red Cross or the American Medical Association. Also, it will never be necessary to align your career in either the nonprofit or for-profit sector exclusively. There is a much more fluid movement between government, business and nonprofits, and this shows no sign of diminishing. You might start in a government or business position, then move to a nonprofit, then back to business.

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GETTING STARTED NONPROFIT JOB OPPORTUNITIES ARE ALL AROUND YOU, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT

aware of it. Right this moment, you probably are affiliated with two or more nonprofit organizations. If you belong to a church or synagogue, or a youth group, if you collect canned goods for your local food bank or you have ever trick-or-treated for UNICEF, you are already involved with nonprofits. The good news is that you can start gaining experience right away. Most nonprofits accept volunteers of all ages and abilities; all you have to do is sign up, participate in training and you’re on your way. In most nonprofit organizations, the majority of the employees are involved in fundraising in one away or another. Whether you design and orchestrate the latest campaign, which you could do if you work for a small organization, or you simply answer the phones for your local PBS station during their annual membership drive, you are intimately connected to the fundraising aspect of that organization. The more fundraising events you work, either as a paid employee or volunteer, the more likely you will be to land a job in the field. Anyone who works in the nonprofit sector is much more likely to hire a person who has at least some experience in the area. While you are still in college, you may be able to obtain an internship or part-time position to further develop your skills and meet other professionals working in the field. Here as elsewhere, who you know can sometimes help you advance. Short term programs are available for new graduates. They last from six months to two years, and provide either regular pay or a stipend to cover living expenses. You must have a professional resumé in order to apply for a nonprofit position, just as you must in the for-profit sector. Be sure to include all your experience, training and skills that relate to the job, even going as far back as high school. Also, information about volunteer and paid internships, related academic projects and student activities are important. Potential employers will want to know if you ran the campaign that raised several thousand dollars for new uniforms for the school marching band.

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Many students are not immediately attracted to the nonprofit job scene, but they may have trouble determining exactly where they might find a career. If this sounds like you, try volunteering for a nonprofit organization that shares your beliefs. You will be exposed to a world of career opportunities, while at the same time helping others and gaining valuable experience that will be applicable to any other job you consider. However, the best reason of all to volunteer is what it can bring to your life, even if you decide not to pursue a nonprofit career. Helping others provides a richness of experience not to be matched by any other activity, and you may find that what you give comes back to you a hundred fold.

ONLINE SOURCES FOR NONPROFIT CAREER INFORMATION:  Association of Fundraising Professionals

www.afpnet.org  Career Center – Nonprofit & Public Service – Getting

Started http://career.berkeley.edu/Nonprofit/NPStart.stm  The Chronicle of Philanthropy, newspaper of the nonprofit

world http://philanthropy.com  Idealist.org, Action without Borders

http://idealist.org  Grassroots.org

http://www.notforprofit.org  CommunityRoom.net

http://www.communityroom.net

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COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES  University of Pennsylvania

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/CGS/certificate/cfr/  Columbia University

http://www.ce.columbia.edu/fundraising/index.cfm  Indiana University

http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/academic.htm

FUNDRAISING ASSOCIATIONS  Society for Nonprofit

Organizations www.snpo.org  Association of Fundraising

Professionals www.nsfre.org  American Association of

Fund Raising Counsel www.aafrc.org  National Society of

Fund Raising Executives www.nsfre.org  Independent Sector

www.indepsec.org  National Committee on

Planned Giving www.ncpg.org

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FUNDRAISING PERIODICALS  Nonprofit World  Funding Alert

www.snpo.org/publications/index.php  Philanthropy Journal

www.philanthropyjournal.org

FUNDRAISING FIRMS  National Community Development Services

www.ncdsinc.net  Talbot Wolf Ahearn

www.talbotwolfahearn.com  The Greenwood Company

www.thegreenwoodcompany.com

COPYRIGHT 2009 Institute For Career Research CHICAGO CAREERS INTERNET DATABASE www.careers-internet.org

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