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Thanks for writing!

As far as I know, usually American think tanks are funded by a few rich people who believe in the think tank. Sometimes this makes kind of a joke think-tank that simply parrots the ideas of the rich person. So, I am glad you are creating a think tank that helps create clear political dialogue.

Look for funding in other countries
If you have approached people, corporations, foundations in your country in vain, it is definitely time to go where people appreciate your work. If you are getting recognition in Poland, London, and in the Ukraine, I would focus your international fundraising efforts there. For funders, you might want to look to the UN for development money, or the Soros Foundation, they care very much about international government, as well. You could also check into the Gates Foundation.

Research other think tanks
Look at who funds think tanks in Spain, or think tanks in France or the USA. Would they be interested in funding you as well? Get the annual reports of 10 think tanks that you admire, and start researching the names, addresses, emails and phone numbers of these major donors.

Social Media Outreach
Also, if you want to get more exposure for your ideas, I would start a blog and a twitter account, and find out who the influencers are on Twitter for think tanks, and get them to write about you. In this way, you can gain more amplification for your ideas, and more exposure for your need for help.

Areas of improvement
I looked at your website, and I noticed several things that are missing that would make me want to take action.
1. Large pictures.
2. Snappy headlines.
3. A clear call to action.

Take a look at http://Kiva.org. Their call to action is simple and clear, and they have changing pictures all of the time about the people that they are helping. Because you are a think tank, it may seem too abstract for people. You have to make it REAL. Visceral. Make them understand the consequences of your nonprofit NOT being there. Make them feel the pain of democracy obstructed. Speak to their fears. Speak to their needs. Speak to their joys. And then ask them to give.

Also, take a look at http://plannedparenthood.org. Their giving page helps people give in many different ways. It could be useful to rethink your donation page that way as well.

Also, look at http://imamuseum.org. They have a dashboard that helps you see how they use the money, each of the different things that they are doing.

Also, look at http://mercycorps.org. They make it very clear what they are doing, with lots of pictures, and give you lots of ways to get involved. There are little articles all over their site on how to give.

The Networked Nonprofit, by Beth Kanter, has a case study that might prove useful for you.

Wildlifedirect.com, based in Nairobi, Kenya, started with 7 blogs in 2007 and raised $350,000.

As of 2010 they have 73 blogs, all about different animals and habitats, and they have increased their donations four-fold. They use their rangers to blog about the animals, and even though most of their donors will never visit Africa and have no tangible connection to their cause, they have managed to thrive by providing consistent specific and transparent content about what they do.

So you see, having several blogs making issues real for people can be very powerful and can be a real source of money for your nonprofit.

Make a plan
I would also make a fundraising plan, and I would use my book to help you make that. My book is $40, and it’s $8 international shipping. it has all of my experience and advice inside it, and a CD too, full of editable templates that you can use to start making more money right away for your cause. You can buy it here.

Go where people can hear you.
It’s incredible how numb and uninterested people simply go along because they do not have the vocabulary to describe their experience, and so cannot at first name and then claim what is happening to them, and then envision a better way of life.

Rankism
Once I learned about Rankism, by Robert Fuller, I found a vocabulary to help me speak to people who were numbed and uninterested, and it helped them to understand what was happening, to name and claim what was going on.

I have made a few blog posts about it:

Change your Language, Change your life
18 ways to demand dignity
What rank is your boss playing? (What Copenhagen can teach us about power)

And I devoted a large section of one of my book’s chapters to this subject, because I think it so important, when agitating against oppression, against a corrupt and unjust system, to learn the language that will set you free, to become a persuader and an activist.

As you know from your think tank, there is nothing more powerful than ideas, except possibly the vocabulary that expresses those ideas. Vocabulary, in my opinion, can expand awareness to new levels of consciousness.

——————————————————-

Do you know how think tanks get funded? Do you have any advice for this think tank? Have I left something out?

Is there an incredible nonprofit website that I should be telling this reader to look at?

Please leave a comment and help us out!

Reader Questions: How can I get funding for a think tank? originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on April 21, 2011.

darwin fish!

Hi Mazarine

I am grants manager at the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galapagos Islands. Raising and managing millions annually through grants, but most of it is restricted to specific projects and we do want to increase our unrestricted/general operating funds (doesn’t everyone?). What would you suggest?

Thanks so much for your interest

Freda
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Dear Freda,

Thank you so much for writing!

Here’s a special metaphor just for the Darwin Foundation. Evolve or die. So, what this means is:

Imagine a nonprofit depending mainly on grants and one annual event to survive.

Does this sound familiar? This is how a LOT of unstable nonprofits operate.

So, how do you get more STABLE with your multiple income streams?

What direction should you go in?

If you are offering social services, I would recommend getting government contracts to offer comprehensive services with a couple of sister agencies in your city.

If you are doing scientific research in the Galapagos, that’s a bit trickier.

You could try trademarking the Darwin name and being able to collect lucrative use-rights from the Darwin fish stickers that seem to be everywhere these days.

I understand it might be difficult to get people worked up about the Galapagos, since there aren’t that many people out that way.

One thing that you could do is start to facilitate phonecalls with donors so they can talk to people doing the work in the field on the Galapagos, so even if they can’t physically go there, they can start to understand the issues, and feel connected with the work that’s going on.

You could also get speaking engagements at local corporations and start to build those relationships, get volunteers, start to build relationships with big universities with serious scientific research, and start to partner with their fundraising offices as well.

What about your board? Do they have the means to give large sums to the Darwin foundation? If not, do they have rich friends they could ask? They should be spearheading a fundraising effort, and just because they seem reluctant, doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be involved. EVERYONE CAN DO SOMETHING.

If you REALLY want to get a lot of unrestricted funding, the BEST way to do that is start to build your major gifts office. Which means, board first, everyone needs to give, get, or get off. That’s how that works. If they aren’t giving, they need to be connecting you with people who CAN give.

How can you find donors who would be willing to give large, unrestricted sums to your nonprofit?

Glad you asked!

The Short Answer is: Research your ASS OFF

The Long Answer Is
You need to learn who your sister agencies are in the field. Who else is doing this work?

How do they get their unrestricted funds? Do you have an annual report from them? Does it list their donors? That’s a place to start!

Another place to go is to Guidestar.org, where you will see their board members listed on their 990 form.

You can start to google their names and see where they work and then if their workplaces are interested in groundbreaking biology research, you can start to connect with them and see if they’d be interested in lending an executive for your board. That can help you build a relationship.

Otherwise, think of natural strategic partners for the Darwin Foundation, people who would lose a lot if your organization went away tomorrow. Is it the society of biology researchers? Is it another corporation? How can you start to work those relationships and help get more and more people to give? You might be able to create natural resonances between what they care about and your cause.

Finally, why not brainstorm with your list of top 200 donors in front of you, and see if you see any connections between these donors?

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Reader Questions: How can you get unrestricted funding? originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on February 14, 2011.

No really, forget about them.

If you’re fundraising for a small nonprofit, you have probably tried, over and over and over again, begging, cajoling, pleading with your board to fundraise. It’s probably causing you no small amount of frustration that they won’t do it.

They don’t want to fundraise?

Don’t fight it anymore. It’s a waste of your energy. You’ve got more important things to worry about.

Like that next meeting with your major donor.

I was having a fabulous conversation yesterday with Cheryl Newcomb, Development Director of the ACLU in Austin, and she told me that their fundraising program is not based on board members fundraising. And I just thought, WOW, what a radical notion! But it makes so much SENSE!

You are getting paid to fundraise. Your executive director is getting paid to fundraise.

Don’t try to make your board do something they’re not getting paid to do.

Board meetings? Try Bored Meetings.

Do you ever look around a board meeting and see people’s glazed eyes? They didn’t even read your fundraising/marketing report! You’re working hard! How can they be so ungrateful and unnoticing?

They are bored! No matter how many stories of hope you tell them, it’s not putting money into their wallets. It’s really not benefiting them in any way.

It’s not that your report is too long. I suspect that even if it was half a paragraph, it would be too long. It’s not that you can’t engage them properly. It’s that they’re not getting paid to be there.

They are, in fact, wasting their own time. But they go, out of some concept of duty or obligation, and eventually, they drop off. And the problem is not them. It’s the system that expects them to do something for free, day in and day out, with absolutely no benefit to themselves.

And YOU’RE supposed to lean on them to fundraise. And if you lean too hard, you can get fired. And if you don’t lean hard enough, you can get fired. WHAT A RIGGED GAME!

It’s a crazy system, built by the puritans, and we can acknowledge it and stop it right now.

When I sat on a nonprofit board, I was fundraising full time, 50 hour work weeks, and then I was also expected to do grantwriting 10 hours a week for this other nonprofit. It was insanity. I tried to make myself do the work, but I just couldn’t. It was grating my soul to do something that I should have been paid for doing. And I just had to ask myself,

WHY AM I WORKING MYSELF TO DEATH? FOR WHO?

Why am I trying to make board members do something which has no benefit for them, and which they have no interest in doing, anyway?

Let’s just stop the insanity.

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Forget about your board originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on January 26, 2011.

Today at 11:30am EST, 10:30AM CST, and 8:30AM PST, I’m going to be a guest on The Michael Chatman Giving Show,

We’ll be on http://MichaelChatman.com talking about philanthropy, major gifts, fundraising, my new book, volunteerism, and more!

Listen in by going to http://michaelchatman.com

Who is Michael Chatman?

“Voted America’s Maverick Philanthropist and one of the nation’s leading authorities on new philanthropy, Michael Chatman heads the nation’s largest network of mission-related philanthropists giving up to $50,000 annually, The Association of Maverick Philanthropists, reaches a philanthropic community that’s collectively making the biggest social impact in the United States and overseas.

His annual philanthropy summits featuring America’s premiere thought leaders, engages thousands of attendees each year. An accomplished professional speaker, Michael Chatman has personally spoken to more than 75,000 next generation philanthropists from families with household net worth of $1 million to $10 million – and more than 25,000 mission-related philanthropists from families with household net worth of $10 million to $100 million.”

To buy my book, go here

Thank you for listening!

Maverick Philanthropist, Meet Wild Woman Fundraiser! Listen in 11:30AM EST TODAY! originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on December 9, 2010.

After you’ve researched your prospect, through combing your database, or through looking at annual reports of other, similar nonprofits, or through paying a prospect researcher to find this prospect, the next step is engaging the donor.

So, I know it’s scary, but pick up the phone.

When you make your major gifts call,

First, Thank your prospect for their time and past support

Indicate the time frame you’re working in

Ask what they know about the organization

Add to that knowledge

Invite them to participate fully

Show them how they can make it happen

Thank them again and again.

From Judith Nichols, New Directions in Philanthropy, judnich@aol.com.

Judith Nichols is a development practitioner, author and consultant with a variety of not-for-profit clients across the USA, Canada, Australia, South America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. A highly respected researcher, trainer and presenter, she specializes in helping organizations understand the implications of our changing demographics and psychographics on fundraising, marketing, and membership. Dr. Nichols has been a featured speaker and trainer at numerous conferences, workshops, and symposia.

Her latest book is Pinpointing Affluence in the 21st Century.

Making your Major Gifts Call originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on November 22, 2010.

What are major gifts? Gifts that make a significant difference for your organization. Why pursue leadership or major gifts? Because this is the way you can get money in the shortest amount of time with the least cash outlay by your nonprofit.

If you’re looking for people with the capacity to give large amounts to your nonprofit, where should you be looking?

People who make over $100,000 per year. They now represent 12.3% of all US households.

The Four Sources for Individual Major Gifts

Old Wealth: families that made money generations ago

Corporate Wealth: People who are high up in the corporate world who want “investment return” on their giving

Millionaire Next Door: modestly living professionals and small business owners who invest wisely and give frugally.

New Wealth: Younger entrepreneurs who earn their money in technology, real estate, corporate mergers, athletics, or entertainment.

If you look on a timeline, even people who give small amounts over 30, 40 or 50 years are major donors!

Who are your major donors?

Rank your donors by recency, frequency and value.

“The really difficult part in major gift fundraising is not getting people to give, but getting people to ask.” -Ken Burnett, Relationship Fundraising.

From Judith Nichols, New Directions in Philanthropy, judnich@aol.com.

Judith Nichols is a development practitioner, author and consultant with a variety of not-for-profit clients across the USA, Canada, Australia, South America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. A highly respected researcher, trainer and presenter, she specializes in helping organizations understand the implications of our changing demographics and psychographics on fundraising, marketing, and membership. Dr. Nichols has been a featured speaker and trainer at numerous conferences, workshops, and symposia.

Her latest book is Pinpointing Affluence in the 21st Century.

Who is a major donor? originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on November 19, 2010.

What are major gifts? Gifts that make a significant difference for your organization. Why pursue leadership or major gifts? Because this is the way you can get money in the shortest amount of time with the least cash outlay by your nonprofit.

What if you’ve never done major gifts before? That’s okay. Start where you are.

First know that your biggest obstacle is going to be your own and other people’s unwillingness to ask.

Why are we afraid to ask?

Once you’ve gotten over that,

Here are 3 objectives of a major gift program.

1. Treat donors as individuals, seek to understand their motivations, needs, and interests.
2. Make your donor feel recognized and valued.
3. Bring the donor closer to the cause and specific aspects that interest him or her.

Asking is advocacy. Ask for those who can’t ask. Ask for people who don’t have access to these donors.

Why do people give?
1. Belief in the mission of the organization.
2. Community responsibility and civic pride
3. Fiscal stability of the institution
4. Volunteer and Staff Leadership
5. Service on a board or committee

-Jerry Panas, Mega Gifts

From Judith Nichols, New Directions in Philanthropy, judnich@aol.com.

Judith Nichols is a development practitioner, author and consultant with a variety of not-for-profit clients across the USA, Canada, Australia, South America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. A highly respected researcher, trainer and presenter, she specializes in helping organizations understand the implications of our changing demographics and psychographics on fundraising, marketing, and membership. Dr. Nichols has been a featured speaker and trainer at numerous conferences, workshops, and symposia.

Her latest book is Pinpointing Affluence in the 21st Century.

Starting Your Major Gifts Program originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on November 17, 2010.

Of these, which ones do you think yield the most money? Which ones, the least?

If you have any to add, please leave a comment!

1. Quarterly Appeal letter

2. Grants

3. Your Annual Report

4. Sell Fruit

5. Old-time photograph booth for your museum

6. Gala/Dinner

7. Sell t-shirts

8. Do a Twitter push for donations

9. Collaborating on grants with another nonprofit

10. E-newsletter

11. Ask your most faithful donors to become monthly givers

12. Ask for donations on Facebook

13. Create a bequest program

14. Ask for gifts of stock

15. Set up a workplace giving speaking engagement tour and ask your most successful local corporations to give.

16. Have a phone-a-thon

17. Hold a yard sale for your nonprofit

18. Ask donors for baked goods to hold a bake sale

19. Ask new local businesses to donate to promote their business in your next newsletter.

20. Ask your local library to donate old books to your nonprofit, sell the books on Amazon.com

21. Get people who are selling their houses to use a broker that will give your nonprofit a percentage of the proceeds.

22. Invest in stocks or CDs for your nonprofit

23. Get people to donate their cars to your nonprofit

24. Get people who are having a bridal shower to have their friends give the money they would have spent to your nonprofit.

25. Get a billboard donated to your nonprofit and ask for donations there.

26. Get a celebrity to come to an event, and sell a pre-event where rich people can hobnob with the celebrity.

27. Ask a scout troop to adopt your nonprofit and raise money with a carwash.

28. Ask a ladies auxiliary committee at your local hospital to consider donating to your nonprofit,

29. Ask your local community foundation if they have any donor advised funds that would be a good fit for your nonprofit

30. Ask the Moose Lodge or Shriners to donate to your nonprofit

31. Get people who are having a wedding to get their guests to give to your nonprofit instead of getting them gifts.

32. Advocate for state appropriation of funds to your nonprofit

33. Ask churches to give to your nonprofit out of their collections once a month.

34. Make a food cart and sell food for your nonprofit downtown, at festivals, or farmer’s markets.

35. Lease space in your building to other nonprofits or businesses.

36. Hold an arts bazaar in your nonprofit space, partner with community artists, and get lots of people to come in and see what your nonprofit does, and ask them to give.

37. Hold a movie night and ask people to give.

38. Ask your volunteers to give to your nonprofit.

39. Ask your board members to give, and introduce you to their rich friends.

40. Cultivate long term relationships with many different community members that lead to giving.

41. Hold a festival around your nonprofit cause, and ask people to give there.

42. Research people who gave large amounts to other similar nonprofits, and ask them to give to your nonprofit via a long cultivation process.

43. Hold a community forum about a particular topic and then ask people to give there.

44. Hold a friendraiser for your most loyal and generous donors, secure their support for another year there.

45. Ask sororities and fraternities to organize social gatherings for your nonprofit.

46. Get a group of cyclists to do a long ride for your nonprofit, and get people to sponsor them.

47. Use MGive where people get their own donation page on your website and can direct friends and family there to give.

48. Ask for text donations to your nonprofit.

49. Send out a paper newsletter or magazine and ask for money for your nonprofit.

50. Ask your own employees if they’d like to start a monthly employee giving program to your nonprofit.

51. Set up a partnership with Credo Mobile so that people can round up their cellphone bill and give that to your nonprofit each month.

52. Ask local restaurants to donate a portion of one night’s profits to your nonprofit.

You obviously can’t do one a week, some of these are long term ideas. However, others would only take one phonecall to hear if they want to help you or not. Why not make a list of those phonecalls today? Start with people already in your database. See who you know. Give this list to your board members. See who wants to run with it.

These are my ideas, do you have any you’d like to share?

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52 Ways to Fundraise originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on November 8, 2010.

Cassie Gruenstein

“I met Cassie several months ago through a mutual friend. When I met her, I found out that she has a fundraising consulting business, and specializes in major gifts and communications planning and coaching. You can hire her here.

Recently, she produced of a Month Without Monsanto., a project highlighted on Alternetand in YES magazine, and is about to launch a consumer advocacy campaign, Digging Deep.”

Her guest post rises out of her obvious passion for food and expertise in how to build relationships with major donors.

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Do you have a major donor program yet? I know how much spare time you have before December 31: none. But not only is it not too late to plan a few thoughtful phone calls and visits with the people who love your organization the most, it’s essential you do. Why?

During the holidays, we reach out to friends and family and celebrate our connections, often over a meal. Over the years, wouldn’t the people closest to you begin to wonder why you’d never invited them to a holiday dinner to get to know each other better, face-to-face?

Not asking your closest supporters to engage at a higher level during the season of giving is similar. They’ll wonder why they’re not being asked. Eventually, they’ll go elsewhere for nourishment.

So pretend you’re throwing a dinner party and the same rules apply to your major gift outreach:

Your first major donor effort doesn’t need to be a banquet.
It’s easy to convince yourself your organization doesn’t have the capacity. Who has time for fancy moves management and extensive donor research? Forget about all that and just do what you can. If your home will only accommodate a few guests right now, then start small. We often have the most intimate and satisfying dinner parties or successful major gifts efforts with a few select guests.

Thoughtfully compile your guest list.
You want invitees to respond favorably, i.e, make a major gift. So only invite the people most likely to join you. Do you have a strong connection to them are they a volunteer, long-time donor, Board member or Board member’s best friend? Or, are they interested in the kind of delicious food you’re serving your programs? Make sure your guest like has either a connection or an interest, plus the ability to make a gift of significance.

Consider having a co-host.
You know if life-of-the-party Uncle Jack comes, then your other invitees are more likely to sit down at the table. Ask whomever your organization’s Uncle Jack is to help plan your party and encourage other guests to attend.

Craft your invitation carefully.
You must give invitees the information they need to make an informed decision about your invitation. You wouldn’t invite someone to dinner and after they’ve eaten, boldly ask them to pay for the meal AND next year’s party. Have the same respect for your prospective donors, and tell them you’d like to meet with them to talk about a gift.

If you send an email or a letter, DO call them to follow up. If your prospective guest knows how important it is to you, the host, that they’re valued and wanted, they’re more likely to join you.

Flickr Photo by ebatty

Put your house in order.
Doing major gifts does mean being prepared to answer honest questions about why you’re asking, who else is a supporter, and how you’ll use their investment. But when planning for a dinner party don’t renovate your dining room – just ensure it’s organized, doesn’t smell bad and is warm, comfortable, and inviting. Make sure the materials you bring and your answers are the same.

Flickr Photo by panduh

Prepare something delicious and serve it beautifully.
The actual meal represents 1) the ways the work you’re doing benefits the community 2) an ask for a major gift and 3) a discussion of how their gift will advance the mission. Whatever you’re cooking, make it appealing, easy to swallow, and tailored to their individual tastes as much as possible. It can be appropriate to offer them range of portion or gift sizes, or ask them if they’d prefer one dish or funding opportunity to another.

Make sure you know who your server is and that they’re trained at their job before they dish up an ask for a major gift. The ask is just one moment in an entire evening. But if it doesn’t get served right, everyone walks away hungry.

Sit back and enjoy the conversation.
Be mindful you don’t monopolize the discussion. As the host, it’s important to listen to your guests, acknowledge their questions, and invite their input.

And remember: you’re offering to satisfy their appetite for having their philanthropy make an impact in a satisfying way. Sharing stories of success and your passion will feed their excitement and invite them to be insiders. Be honest about your specific need, but don’t make 渡eeda focus your general need for support is not unique: your relationship with this donor is, so focus your conversation around that.

Send guests home with your appreciation and a gift.
If all goes well, your in-person get together with a prospective major donor will result in a promise for a gift from them. Whether or not it does, make sure they know you appreciated their time and their company. Give them a gift: more information about what you just discussed, and possibly a small token that’s valuable to them something your organization or constituents make might be appropriate.

Keep the connection through the New Year.
Once you’ve deepened your organization’s relationship with someone, stay in touch with them. Major donors want to hear how things are going. Even if the investment of time didn’t result in a gift right away, your effort won’t be unnoticed. You’ve likely made a new ally for your organization and you’ve opened your door to future possibilities to sit down at the table together and talk.

Thank you so much for writing this post Ms. Gruenstein! I don’t think I’ve ever heard fundraising and food associated so well before! Mmm. Now I want strawberry shortcake!

Cassie Gruenstein has over 12 years of experience in development and fundraising. She is an expert in development and communications strategy, major gift fundraising, and donor relations. You should hire her.

Why Major Gifts Fundraising is Like Hosting a Dinner Party: Guest Post by Cassie Gruenstein originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on October 25, 2010.

Lisa Avra’s presentation was fantastic. She presented at our Nonprofit Career Club and told us what it was like being a Chief Development Officer at the University of Texas at Austin, what she learned before coming on in that role, and how we could get there.

We had 15 fabulous people attend our presentation, everyone from people who were looking for a place to volunteer to people who had a career in fundraising to former nonprofit executives to people who wanted to start nonprofits, to people who wanted to get INTO nonprofit work but didn’t know how.

At first Ms. Avra talked about her background, how she got from a BA in Radio and TV and English Literature to the CDO of the Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. She was really good at relating what she talked about back to the people she was talking with. She said that she got a BA in English Lit and a minor in Art History, so she decided to become a teacher.

Job #1: She got an Master’s in Education, and began to teach art at an inner city school. After a year of that, she realized that elementary school politics were NOT going to work for her, so she moved into museum education,

Job #2: As the Director of Education for the Dallas Historical Society. Unfortunately her position was only for 9 months, as a contract, so then

Job #3: She found another temporary position at the Dallas Museum of Art. But she realized then if she wanted to move up in the world of museum education she needed an advanced degree in Art history. So as she thought about that, her husband got promoted into a position in Mississippi.

Job #4: Since there weren’t a lot of people with advanced degrees in Mississippi back then, she ended up being the Director of Education at the Mississippi Museum of Art. And this is where she first got a taste of development. She said, you’ve got to do grantwriting if you want your programs to succeed. At the same time, she was volunteering with a nonprofit that helped mentally challenged adults. She created a program for them to sell their ceramics and they took them to market and made lots of money.

Job #5: They offered her the position of Executive Director, and she took it.

Job #6: Then another nonprofit for developmentally disabled people asked her to come on as Executive Director, and she did this for two years, and then it was time to come home to Texas.

Job #7: She realized that when they moved back, although she’d been the head of two nonprofits, what she liked best about her jobs there was development.

She said, “Money makes the world go around. If you can raise the money, you can do the good works.”

And she wanted to go somewhere where she could do it well, in a big development office. She looked at the University of Texas when she got back to Austin, and applied cold for a Development Director position, and got the position.

Job #8: After a few years, the Children’s Museum in Austin needed a development director. She knew someone who said, “You’d be perfect for this job!” They wanted to start a major donor program, and her children were the age that she thought, This could be fun for them. So she went to visit the management there, and they wanted her, so she worked there for a few years.

Job #9: Then she was talking with a friend who was getting promoted from the Chief Development Officer and Assistant Development Director position at the Ransom Center at University of Texas, and he said, “You should really have this job” and she realized it was a perfect position for her, and she’s been there ever since.

So how she got her executive position was at first through just volunteering, and she said, “You would not believe how many people become executives through volunteering first” and it’s definitely true in my experience as well. And she got her first full time development position at UT through a cold application, but all of her subsequent positions were through personal recommendations by people that she knows.

For people who want to move up in their careers, here’s what she said.

#1. Join AFP if you’re wise. They have monthly luncheons, workshops and a jobline in Austin. For $250, they will hook you up. This is the place to network and find a fundraising job.

#2. Check out Greenlights.org for Texas based people.

#3. Check out TANO.org, ditto, and the RGK Center for Philanthropy Certificate program if you want to get certified. There may be a nonprofit certification program in your city. Google this.

Ms. Avra’s presentation was particularly useful to me because she broke down the definitions between fundraising and development very succinctly. She said,

Fundraising is creating a product or activity you can sell and have the proceeds go to your organization.

Development is building relationships with people who have the same intent and capacity to give. You give them the opportunity to give. Someone who has the capacity will give it to you or give it to another nonprofit or the government, and they already give the government enough money, so you might as well ask! And provide an opportunity for them to feel good about giving.

Do you have any other suggestions for how people can get started in nonprofit careers or move up in development? Please leave a comment!

Follow Wild Woman Fundraising on Twitter! Because you’ll get sweet tips on fundraising and development!

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How you can become a Chief Development Officer originally appeared on Wild Woman Fundraising on July 28, 2010.