Which Came First, the Stat or the Visit?
In my experience, fundraisers are notoriously poor at working with statistics. Once the analysis gets beyond how much they raised this year and comparing it against last year, either the fundraiser loses interest or is out of his or her league mathematically.
That’s not to say that fundraisers aren’t intelligent. They just know where they need to be, and it’s not behind a desk grinding out numbers.
Why is this important? Because in fundraising, like your career, knowing where you need to be is key to finding your next job. Typically, that’s not behind your desk grinding out resumes. It’s out in the community, meeting the people who have the jobs.
How is this a career move? Get out and meet someone! Anyone? Well, yes, that’s better than sitting behind your desk, but meeting people who do what you want to do at another organization is even better. Get out and connect on a friendly basis. Find out what their day looks like and who they know. And if you must, after the meeting tally the meeting on your spreadsheet, and send someone a resume!
Signs of Love.
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and it’s time to think of giving a small token to the one you love. Hmmm. Who could that be? You!
Yes, you. Let’s face it; most people love themselves more than anyone else in the world. That’s not saying that you’re narcissistic (although … !), but it’s just how we’re wired.
So with that in mind, give yourself the gift of a better career. It certainly shows your love to you, and it will keep on giving, maybe for years to come.
How’s that? Somewhere around Valentine’s Day, take yourself to a networking event. Or show yourself some love by attending a professional webinar. Or make sure you know you care by ordering a book on a new fundraising technique.
You get the idea. Love yourself enough to actually do something for you. My guess is that others you love will love to see you do it.
Some Shameless Advertising
I hope that this week you’ll indulge me some “shameless advertising” of a couple of upcoming speaking engagements …
- On October 25 and 26 I’ll be joining my good friends at the DonorPerfect Community Network Conference, at the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel in suburban Philadelphia. Here’s the link to sign up: http://www.donorperfect.com/CommunityNetworkConference
- On November 19 I’ll be one of the featured speakers at the Brandywine (Delaware) AFP’s National Philanthropy Day at the Deerfield Golf & Tennis Club in Newark, Delaware. Here’s the link: http://afpbrandywine.afpnet.org/LocalNationalPhilanthropy.aspx
On both occasions, I’ll be presenting on: “Technology is Great, But Why We Still Need to Pay Attention to Direct Mail.”
Here’s the promo:
The age of paper solicitation is fading like an old newspaper in the hot sun … or is it? Join Matt Hugg, fundraising veteran, educator and writer for a lively presentation on where direct mail fits into your fundraising plan and how it fits, or not, in this emerging age of the “techo-ask.”
I hope I’ll see you there. Both conferences look like they’ll be excellent opportunities to get great ideas for your fundraising programs — and, of course,a great career move — to do some networking.
Can You Dance?
I admire great dancers — if not for their skill, at least for their self confidence (and yes, from what I see sometimes, they have a lot of self confidence!)
Yet learning to dance is an attribute required of many careers — especially fundraising.
No, I don’t mean whirling your partner across the gala’s dance floor. I mean “dancing” through the solicitation process — keeping balance while your colleagues, volunteers, and prospects spin out of control around you — and yet still landing on your feet, gift in hand.
Is this a career lesson? Big time. There are a huge number of variables in a charitable gift solicitation. Yet a skilled fundraiser gets through each using multiple “moves” that look like ballet to the uninitiated.
So work on those moves, so that next time you get to that special event, you’ll have some fun and dance!
Shrines and Museums
I live in the Philadelphia region, and between here, New York, and Washington there are probably more museums and shrines than anywhere in the county and maybe the world. There’s a museum for just about anything and everything, that is, except fundraising.
Sorry, no Gala Hall of Fame on New York’s 5th Avenue. No Shrine to the Unknown Grant Writer on Washington’s Mall. Philadelphia’s Main Line doesn’t have the world’s biggest lead trust captured and on display in an elegant former estate. The Girl Scout headquarters doesn’t even have the top grossing cookie seller sculpted out of Thin Mints in their foyer!
Yes, fundraisers can be heroes, but the permanent recognition goes to the donors, not those who ask. In short, fundraisers are an unsung lot.
It’s easy to see how this impacts your career. It takes a special kind of person to do the work and see others get the recognition — time and time again. It can be frustrating — standing in the background of events big and small — and liberating — seeing your organization’s mission fulfilled — all at the same time. You need to know whether that’s for you.
So next time you think about your role in the organization, think about the other unsung heroes in the profession, and ask yourself, who would play me on TV?
