Fundraising Leadership

Executive Coaching, Professional Development, Training, and Career Advancement for Nonprofit Leaders in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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Creating a Coaching Culture: Life at Future Possibilities for Kids

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Imagine walking into your workplace and…

  • You are greeted with genuine warmth and interest
  • You notice you are asked what you think rather than told what to do
  • You are given space to create and design, to express, reflect, and consider your thoughts
  • You set goals – personally and as an organization
  • You experience subtle and not-so-subtle forms of recognition and celebration of your successes – big and small
  • Your mistakes are framed as opportunities for further learning and are encouraged as part of “the process”

This is every day. Welcome to our coaching-based organization, Future Possibilities for Kids (FPK). [Read more…]

Limiting Beliefs That Hinder Fundraising Success

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As an experienced fundraiser and leader you might not remember all the limiting beliefs that held you back at the start of your career.  Many of those beliefs are tied to the fears that surround asking such as: 1) “I  don’t know how to ask”,  2) “I’m too embarrassed to ask”, 3) “I don’t know who to ask”, 4) “I don’t have time to ask”, and 5) “If I ask, they will say no”.

While you may have faced some (or all) of these fears and limiting beliefs in the past and moved beyond them as your career as a fundraiser evolved, there may be some members of your staff who are not as advanced as you are, and who may be struggling.  This post is for them.  I encourage you to share it with them, as well as offer how you overcame these obstacles to success.

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The Power of Two: Co-Leading a Fundraising Program

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Is two better than one?  In the right situation with the right combination of people, YES!

Two is always better than one when it comes to things like puppies or vacations or pieces of cake (maybe even glasses of wine) but what about fundraisers in the same role at the same time?  This was the situation for me when I started a new role in an arts organization after spending three years at an academic institution.  I was excited to return to being a full-time major gift fundraiser with great opportunities in front of me at a transitional time in the organization.  One unexpected element was learning that it would, in fact, be two of us starting the same senior role, two weeks apart.  After a brief pause, and a request to meet my double, my surprise became delight and things began to fall into place. [Read more…]

Why Some Frontline Professionals Struggle as Leaders

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This scenario plays out frequently at many nonprofit organizations: top-performing professionals gets promoted to lead a team but has never been trained to lead or manage. This is often a disaster—results suffer, people head for the door, and the new manager flames out (and may even get fired).

There are a few key reasons why some frontline professionals struggle as leaders and others do not.

[Read more…]

Strategic Organizational Design for Larger Advancement Teams

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One of the most important decisions a Chief Advancement or Development Officer for a large team can make is picking the right people, particularly in leadership roles, for their shop. As the supply of professionals in our industry continues to play catch up to demand, it becomes critical that you keep and retain your leaders and their teams. [Read more…]

5 Ways to Lead from Behind

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When did you begin to see yourself as a leader? Some of us only see ourselves as leaders when we attain a certain job title. Or once we have staff reporting to us.

The Fundraising Leadership team (David, Silvia, Michelle and I) have all completed the CTI Leadership program. This program rejects the top-down, one-dimensional leadership model and expands our definition of leadership.

This new model is grounded in the idea that everyone is a leader because “leaders are those who are responsible for their world.” [Read more…]

Regaining a sense of control gives you increased confidence

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Feeling out of control is a nasty feeling. When we are out of control, we are often reacting to what’s going on:

  • The tears are ready to come, and it is NOT the time to cry.
  • A sarcastic comment slips out, and we didn’t mean it to.
  • We bite someone’s head off…and then regret it.
  • Our voice quivers, telling the world how nervous we are.
  • That cuss word just tumbled out, when it shouldn’t have!

 All of these are examples of losing control. We feel powerless to hold onto our feelings and behaviours.

We simply react. [Read more…]

Life as a MoMGO: Family and Fundraising Leadership

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A recent conversation with my daughter on the way to school led to a startling realization. My role as Director of Major Gifts at Franklin & Marshall College has taught me a lot about driving success, both as a professional fundraiser and as a parent. During this particular drive, my daughter peppered me with questions about what I was going to do that day. Do I like my job? Why did I have meetings and what did I talk about during them? With whom was I going to talk? Why does my team follow my directions? How do I succeed at my job? Her curiosity led me to think about how closely my career integrates with my family life and how my experiences leading a team of major gifts officers informs my parenting at home. What lessons have I learned from my life as “Mom and Major Gifts Officer” or, to coin a term, the MoMGO?

[Read more…]

Retaining Fundraising Leaders – Invest in Them So They Can Leave

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CFO asks CEO: “What happens if we invest in developing our people and then they leave us?”

CEO: “What happens if we don’t, and they stay?”

I am sure you have seen this quote many times on social media. It is a thought provoking quote, although it does play into some outdated stereotypes about CFOs.

Framing this quote in the context of the nonprofit sector, we have observed at Fundraising Leadership that most nonprofits invest in fundraising training. Where we see the gap is investing in growing leadership capacity. As David Hutchinson, President of Cause Leadership Inc., explains the social profit sector is currently facing one of the most significant leadership transitions.  And there is an urgent need to develop the next generation of leaders. [Read more…]