Posted 9/4/25
In an earlier post, I wrote about how fundraisers should be aware and manage the expectations of donors in order to maintain long-term relationships. What surprised me, when personally making the transition from for-profit to nonprofit (sales to fundraising), was how prior sales experience impacted my career transition. Maybe the best way to explain it is by example.
There are several examples, but this seems most clear. I was helping to run a 5K event to raise funds for our cause, and my role was more marketing as well as promotion. Over a four year period, the event continued to grow, creating a healthy income and increasing exposure in the community. The event also showed positive momentum for the future in order to continue raising funds.
Here is the surprise. After four years of riding high from consistent growth and profitability due to the event, leadership decided to cancel it indefinitely. I was prepared to continue growing revenue as a fundraiser, but became confused by the cancellation. As a former sales professional, I had been programmed to achieve profits, and the event was a perfect fit, especially with proven growth and community support. Canceling it was confusing based on my prior sales experience, and proved to be a difficult pill to swallow.
I was stunned until I realized that a nonprofit organization can have different priorities. This means that the most important job is to serve the mission and ensure that the programs and services remain functional. I did not realize that the event was taking too many staff members away from the programs, thus weakening the impact of the organization. As a former salesperson, I naturally focused on profitability, but as a fundraiser, I failed to realize that we were there for a purpose, a mission to do good. Taking staff away would weaken the programs as the event continued to grow. I learned a valuable lesson that the mission and programs come first, and needed to adjust to raise funds via other strategies. If you are making the career move, some nonprofits do operate similar to businesses, but most will place the programs first which requires you to have an open mind and maintain flexibility as you move forward. I was disappointed at first, but soon came to realize the rationale behind a decision that goes against everything I had learned in sales. Please check your expectations before joining a new organization as it will make your career transition from for-profit to nonprofit much smoother.
(Photo by: Yan Krukau – Pexels.com)