What’s Your World Vision?
I'm here in Senegal teaching a course on Marketing and Fundraising to World Vision staffers in Africa. What dedicated people! They go where few of us would dare to go, and do things that few of us would consider doing. But they're the first ones to tell you that they're ordinary people simply doing what they feel called to do.
So what's your world vision? No, I don't mean, “Have you sponsored a child facing issues you can barely imagine?” (although you might consider it at www.worldvision.org). I mean, “How do you see the world?” How has your world vision impacted your career? Has it drawn you to organizations that you may not have imagined? Has it made you do things you never thought possible so that others might live better?
Step back for a moment. Your world vision may not take you to the ends of the earth. Maybe it takes you to the end of your block. But either way, consider where your world vision takes you and your career.
What you learn from your donors
Something I felt blessed with each day as a charitable gift fundraiser was meeting hundreds (probably thousands) of donors to the causes I represented. Usually (with some notable exceptions) they were friendly people who wanted to help my organization whether they could make a gift or not. The ones that I drew closest to had more than money — they had some great life and career lessons to provide if I did what every good fundraiser should do — listen.
How much do you listen to your donors? What did they say — not just about what you asked them, but what life lessons did they share about their lives?
How is this a career lesson? Fundraising, like a job search, is 20 percent talking and 80 percent listening. Listen for the clues to the next opportunity. Listen for what's important to your prospect for a gift or job. Or, listen for that job offer!
At Your Convenience?
Okay, pet peeve time … how many of you have heard someone say on their voice mail greeting that they'll return your call at "my convenience?" At my convenience? So that means that he or she will get to it when they can — regardless of how important this issue is to me! That's not what I want to hear, and I'm not sure that's what they mean. The person I'm calling probably means "as soon as I can get to it."
Griping aside, what image does your voice mail greeting project to anyone leaving a message for you? Are you professional? Are you interested in your caller's problem? Do you want to brighten their day? Voice mail is such a ubiquitous part of our culture that we tend to treat it as perfunctory. That means your ability to stand out is significant.You can say a lot just by your voice intonation, let alone the words themselves.
How is this a career move? Think about the impression you want to give to your donors or your potential next employers when they leave you a phone message. Is it that you'll call them back as soon as you can, or "at your convenience?"
Career Jeopardy
I caught a bit of the television show “Jeopardy” not long ago and nearly fell off my chair when one of the contestants was introduced as a "charitable gift fundraiser." "Wow!" I thought, "You don't hear that very often." But on reflection, I can see why he and many other of my colleagues could make the "Jeopardy" cut. Yes, I'll give you a "virtual pat on the back" — we're a pretty bright bunch, we tend to have personalities that attract some level of attention, and we know a lot about a lot.
But while the first two attributes could be how we're fundamentally made, the last — knowing a lot about a lot — isn't in the genes. You have to work at it. So why do successful fundraisers have such a wide breadth of general knowledge? Because we have to. We never know who we're going to meet — and what we'll need to say about any number of topics.
How does this help with your career? The same skills apply. Yes, in your job search it helps to be bright and to have a likeable personality. But the fuel to the career fire can be a broad base of knowledge — just like that same base can stoke a donor relationship. Your ability to take disparate, arcane pieces of information and combine them into an intelligent conversation will advance your progress with a donor and your career.
The lesson — stop watching Jeopardy like I was and do what I should have been doing — pick up a book! Then pick up another and another. Always have something to discuss — you could avoid career jeopardy.
“That’s The Way It Is”
Are you of a certain age to remember who said that every evening? How about "Good news and good night”? These came from two legends in television broadcasting — Walter Cronkite and Ted Knight (yes, The Mary Tyler Moore Show's Ted Baxter.) One was a serious journalist and the other a serious buffoon, but both are recalled by the way they said goodbye.
How do people remember you when you leave the room? No, I'm not suggesting that you develop a parting tag line. But I am suggesting that you consider what small take-away you leave behind — probably unconsciously — when you go out the door. Then think, "What do I WANT them to remember?" A kind smile? A firm handshake? An offer to help? Because they WILL remember something — so you decide if that should be left to chance or purposeful choice.
How will this impact your career? You don't just need to be in an interview situation for people to decide whether you'd be right for a job. At the next donor event, or an AFP mixer, or even at your kid’s soccer game, people will make decisions to recommend you to their friends for whatever they think you can do. Make sure you get recommended right — because "that's the way it is."
