Make a conscious decision to work only for organizations whose mission you feel passionate about. Remember the adage— “do what you love, and the money will follow.”

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Respond to each peer initial post with a response about 3-4 sentences long.

Peer #1

Fundraising is not a task that should be taken lightly.  This profession requires certain skill sets and qualities to reach your end goal.  Linda Lysakowski (2014) states that the following are the 10 qualities of a successful fundraiser:

  1. Impeccable integrity
  2. Good listener
  3. Ability to motivate
  4. Hard worker
  5. Concern for people
  6. High expectations
  7. Love the work
  8. High energy
  9. Perseverance

A fundraising manager should possess these qualities or learn them.  Of the 10 a few of these qualities stand out.  When trying to persuade others to give money to your cause you must have impeccable integrity.  In today’s time professional integrity is on the decline.  There are ways to develop your personal integrity by proving guidelines on what is ethical in this career field.  Adherence to the Donor Bill of Rights is another way of ensuring the organization’s hold the donor’s interest above its own (Lysakowski, 2014).  Beyond integrity, you must be a good listener.  Communicating and listening to the interest of the donor is essential to the organization.  This allows the manager to know exactly what they are looking for.

There are ways to becoming successful with fundraising.  The following are a few examples (Lysakowski, 2014):

  • Make a conscious decision to work only for organizations whose mission you feel passionate about. Remember the adage— “do what you love, and the money will follow.”
  • Strive to be a change agent within the organization for which you work. Develop a plan to educate the organization’s leadership about philanthropy.
  • Remember that the donor’s interest is always the foremost consideration in any decisions involving fundraising.

The demographics of your fundraisers will also determine its success.  There are certain things to consider that will help boost the results.  The first would be the net worth of individuals.  You want to attract individuals with a high net worth and committed to philanthropy.  The high rollers have a “giving” budget so approach them for the funds, do not request an inappropriate amount. By doing this your risk the chance of losing them all together.

Another demographic to keep in mind is the young people.  Young people are volunteering more often now to help communities and themselves. This generation is the most tech savvy group so you have to strategize to get their attention.  One effective way of attracting the young is by having the events in an unconventional setting or club (Desi Cabrera, 2012).  Although young people may not have much money or disposable income, they are a perfect target audience as engaging them early on will help build on a long-lasting relationship that may produce giving in the future.

Women are another demographic that should not be ignored.  Women – specifically those aged 48 (Baby Boomers) and older – and single give more to charity than males in the same demographic Cabrera, 2012).  Women have a greater impact on issues in today’s society and giving is no exception.

Some issues that a manager may face is poor governance and networking.  Some regions may not be able to network as well as other areas.  This is a hinderance but one that the manager must overcome.