Hiding in Plain Sight: Fundraising Opportunities Are Everywhere

2. Learn from all sides
As the president of the Friday Forum, an organization dedicated to offering thought leadership presentations to senior development officers, I am involved with selecting the speakers for our quarterly meetings. Our largest turnouts occur when funders are featured or are part of a panel. In contrast, our seats are only half full when we have thought leaders in ancillary professions that affect the philanthropic landscape and donor attitudes.

Where’s the opportunity here?
As it takes a village to raise a child, it takes the ability to have a circumspect perspective of the philanthropic world to be solid fundraiser. Every person that you meet provides the opportunity for learning. Consider each interaction or story exchanged another piece of hardware in your informational and experiential toolbox. You never know when you may need a hammer or file to close your next gift! Clearly, the best advancement professionals are those with a broad scope of interests, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to connect disparate dots to make for enjoyable and memorable encounters with donors and others.