Would you play a fundraising game? (Addressing the leadership crisis)
There’s a leadership crisis in the nonprofit sector.
Whether it’s because greying workforces are not giving over the reins to younger workers,
Or because working in an executive director role is seen as a thankless slog with few rewards,
Or perhaps because there are no merit-based pay increases if you do a good job in your current role, and you’re expected to live at poverty-line level wages to boot,
People are saying that Gen X and Gen Y JUST AREN’T INTERESTED in leadership of nonprofits! How can this be?
Is it that we just don’t know what it is to be a fundraiser or executive director?
Is there a way we could get people to learn these skills quickly?
Have you ever played a video game?
Do you remember Legends of Zelda or even Super Mario?
Would you like to play a game that taught you how to fundraise or lead a nonprofit?
Or would you be interested in such a game for teaching volunteers, board members, or junior staff in your office?
If so, read on!
What would you think of a fundraising game with three levels: Novice, Intermediate, and Experienced?
What would you expect to learn on those levels?
My assumptions are that on the Novice level, you’d learn how to find a fundraising job, send an appeal letter, and manage an online community.
On the Intermediate level, you’d learn how to write a grant and run an event.
On the Advanced level, you’d learn how to negotiate conflict, make major gift asks, perhaps apply lean principles.
Who would be your volunteers? Would you like to command a kitten army or a bunch of puppies?
Perhaps as you advanced, you’d get more moneybags, jewels, people around you to help, or shiny badges.
Perhaps you could choose between 20 avatars, to be everything from a glamorous fundraiser to a grassroots fundraiser to a unicorn if you wanted to be.
What do you think?
Let me know what you would do with a fundraising game.
Who would you give it to?
What would make it more fun for you?
Follow Wild Woman Fundraising on Twitter! Because why not?
I want to know what you want. Please tell me. Takes 5 mins. Tops.
