Fundraiser Education

Roger Craver recently presented at FundRaising Success’ Engage Conference. Now, he undoubtedly said many, many wise things, but he read the following fairy tale — "Snow White and the Seven Small Woods People" — which arguably contains the nub of his message. Enjoy!

Thomas Wolf, principal of WolfBrown and author of "How to Connect With Donors and Double the Money You Raise," recently spoke with his publisher about donor relations. GuideStar has published two excerpts from the book and shares Dr. Wolf's additional thoughts with you.

Why keep learning? Because things are changing, and we need to change along with them. There are great opportunities to learn, no matter what your learning style is.

Three themes seemed to emerge at the Engage Conference among all the presentations — retention, risk and reward, or the three R's.

In a recent LinkedIn discussion group for fundraisers, many people shared their observations about whether commitment to the mission was essential to a fundraiser’s success. There were two sides: people who believe "it's all about technique" and people who believe that "belief in the mission is essential." I find myself on the “commitment to the mission matters” side of the argument. Technical mastery is important, or course, but it will only get you so far. Here are some of the benefits of being in a job you are passionate about.

In her Little Shop column last June — "Staying Focused in … Oh Look, a Unicorn!" — author, coach, copywriter and nonprofit marketing consultant Pamela Grow said that balanced fundraising begins with a fundraising plan and a fundraising calendar.

Whether you end up in the penthouse or the outhouse depends on personal success, timing, being in the right place at the right time and good luck. Treat people as you would like to be treated. Your success depends on that of others.  

We are all on a learning curve. After all, not that many years ago, not one of us had any idea how to raise money through e-mail. So no excuses! Make today that day you start managing your career so you can become the best fundraiser possible.

Here are the 12 principles of fundraising that Pamela Barden thinks are most important.

Funny how such a simple, five-letter word (brand) can be so complex and so much more than just a logo.