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Are You Fundraising in a Small Shop?
- May 17, 2010
- Posted by: Mazarine
- Category: Finding a job Fundraising 101 Grant Research Graphic Design for Nonprofits Marketing Measuring Effectiveness
Fundraising in a small shop is really hard sometimes.
You have to be the development director, development associate, development assistant, events director, grantwriter, outreach coordinator, major gifts officer, grant researcher, volunteer coordinator, envelope stuffer, marketing director, graphic designer, etc.
If you are fundraising in a small shop, I salute you. It is hard. You come to work and often receive no kudos or respect for what you do. I want you to know that I know what you’re going through. And I appreciate that you take a small part of your limited time to read this.
You must not only look for funds, rub shoulders with major donors, and keep your programs on track, but you must fight the utter confusion, board member inertia, and culture of destitution.
Nonprofit organizations have a culture of destitution because they lack the ability to think strategically enough to grow an organization.
You must be strong enough to scold your CEO for being a poor business person, for creating and perpetuating a culture of destitution.
You must be able to go and get volunteers and interns from somewhere, and you must have clear job descriptions for them, and you must be RELENTLESS in delegating tasks and asking for help.
To remain able to think strategically, you can’t be thinking about how you’ll survive into next week if you don’t get some more money. You must be compensated fairly. Many nonprofits do not want to compensate you fairly, and so you either have to be very firm in the negotiation process, or you have to bring in a union. And that would help everyone in your nonprofit, not just you.
How do you deal with all of this pressure?
What else do you need to know when fundraising in a small shop?
Here’s a resource for you. Laura E. Kaufman has written an excellent post about development planning over on her blog.
Comment and tell me how you deal, and what else you do.
I want to know what you want.
Please tell me. Takes 5 mins. Tops.
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