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Translating skills from the for-profit world to non-profit

February 14, 2011 By Sandy

I had the privilege of attending the AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) Think Tank a couple of weeks ago.  It was so cool to be among a group of great thinkers to talk and brainstorm.

One of the things that came up was the number of people who are entering the profession without a solid understanding of our principles and ethics.  Lots of people take jobs in nonprofit fundraising and assume their sales or other corporate skills will transfer.  While an awful lot of things are the same, some are very different.

Skills/concepts that translate:

  • Marketing concepts are the same in for-profit as in non-profit.  It’s about identifying target audiences, key messages, and consistent communication.
  • Good leadership is always appropriate!
  • Customer service works very well in the nonprofit.  Donors, volunteers, and people in the community enjoy being treated well and sort of expect it from nonprofit organizations.

Skills/concepts that don’t translate:

  • Working on comission is considered unethical among professional fundraisers.  This is troublesome, because in the for-profit world, it’s a commonly accepted practice.  In fundraising, the donor expects 100% of their gift to go directly to the nonprofit to help people.  When a commission is given, the nonprofit doesn’t get 100% of the gift.
  • In the for-profit world, it’s all about me, me, me.  In the non-profit world, it’s about what’s in the best interest of the organization.  In fact, there are times when a fundraising professional needs to step out of a donor relationship so as not to muddy the waters.  For example, imagine that a particular Director of Development (DD) builds a very strong relationship with a particular donor, so much so that the donor decides to leave the DD in her will (not the non-profit).  This puts the DD in a precarious ethical situation, because they are working to secure resources for the non-profit, not for themselves.

I’m sure there will continue to be many well-intended people who try to apply what they know from the for-profit world to the non-profit one.  Somehow, we must find a way to education them about our industry’s ethics so they can be successful in their new jobs.

Filed Under: General Fundraising, Management, Personal/Professional Development

What happens when you do what you’ve always done?

January 26, 2011 By Sandy

Work rhythms are common. We all fall into ways of doing things that serve us in some way. We host the same special event each year or we submit the same grant application each year. It works for a while, but then attendance starts to drop off or our grant is no longer funded. But it’s a good idea to evaluate your work habits periodically to make sure they still work.

I was talking with a client yesterday and she was telling me about someone in her organization who has become a problem child. Every time others talk about changing things or trying something new, this woman says “that’s not the way we do it.” She’s not willing to hear a new idea. She’s so stuck in the old ways of doing things that she’s starting to impede the progress of the organization. In fact, she clings so tightly to the old ways, that she’s gotten quite negative with others and has lost sight of the mission of the organization. Others are now avoiding interaction with her because of her negativity. It’s become “me vs. them” and she’s determined to win.

I can remember working with a couple of people just like this. In one case, I came back from a conference with new ideas ready to implement, and she did her best to discredit me and squash my enthusiasm. I never could understand why she was so negative, unless she was terrified of change. Either that or she wanted to be the “Star of the Show” and I was stealing her limelight. Either way it was holding the nonprofit back from doing bigger and better things.

So, back to my original question. What happens when you do what you’ve always done? You get what you always got.

If you aren’t happy with the fundraising results (or any results for that matter) you’re getting, then you MUST change what you’re doing. Simple as that.

You have to find a way to get these negative folks on board with moving forward, or they need to be let go. I know that’s harsh, but it’s true. You have way too much important work to do in the world to be held back by someone who has their own agenda.

Have you had experience working with negative people in your nonprofit who were reluctant to change? I’d love to hear your story. Click on the comment link and share.

Filed Under: Board of Directors, Capital Campaigns, Donor Acknowledgement, Donor Relations, General Fundraising, Get Fully Funded, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Planned Giving, Strategic

Does your nonprofit need to fish or cut bait?

January 11, 2011 By Sandy

I saw a great blog post this morning from a former coach of mine, Andrea Lee.  She said:

“If you have been complaining about not earning enough money for more than one month – not earning enough money isn’t really an emergency for you.”

Translated for the nonprofit world, it means if you’ve been complaining about not raising enough money for more than a month, it must not be a problem.  Because if it was REALLY a problem for you, you’d do something about it.

Think about it: there are lots of things we tolerate:  a broken piece of office equipment, a slow computer, a volunteer who isn’t quite working out but we don’t want to have to fire them.  We put up with it for months longer than we should.  A true problem or emergency gets our attention and we do something about it, fast.

Back to fundraising.  Are you raising enough money?  And is that a real problem or are you tolerating it? 

This is some tough love, I know.  But here’s the thing:  the time you spend complaining about the situation is a waste.  How about instead, make an action plan and go DO something about it.  You’ll be much more productive with your time and you’ll likely see things start to happen.

If you need a little help getting motivated and moving, stay tuned.  I’m about to launch a very inexpensive 1-hour Clarity session where you can get clear about exactly what you need to do to start raising more money.  I’ll help you craft a 90-day plan of action with easy-to-follow steps.


Filed Under: General Fundraising, Get Fully Funded, Management, Personal/Professional Development
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