So ... You're a Fundraiser!

“Mastery” talks about the different kinds of learners:

• Dabblers: Dabblers get frustrated quickly and give up, then try something else. A dabbler reads a book on karate, goes to a couple of classes and drops out. Then he decides to try Indonesian stick-fighting, goes to a couple of classes and drops out. Then decides to learn Japanese, picks up a book, practices for a week and then drops it. Know anyone like that?
• Obsessives: These folks obsessively try to go make the biggest splash they can right off the bat. They try very, very hard for a while, then get burned out and never come back. Obsessives don’t want to be on a plateau. They fear the plateau. Oh man, I am such an obsessive!
• Hackers: Hackers learn just enough to get by, stay on a plateau for awhile, then bump up a bit as they have to learn something new. And then stay on that plateau indefinitely. Maybe this person just had to learn how to enter donations. Then she learns how to run events — because she has to. And that’s all she ever learns. Nonprofit marketing, grantwriting, planned giving — none of that interests her. She thinks, “Why bother?” She won’t get promoted. She’ll stay on her plateau.