Posted on 7/28/24
With over 14 years experience in nonprofit fundraising, I was surprised by something that I did not expect in my career, especially coming from a sales background. It is mostly understood that fundraising professionals are expected to be outside of the office most of the time cultivating new relationships, maintaining connections with regular donors as well as community outreach. It is necessary in order to raise revenue. What surprised me after awhile was that I somehow noticed a personal struggle to raise funds. Nothing had changed and I was still focused on what I needed to do.
It soon dawned on me that I was suffering from what I call fundraiser isolation. This can occur when you logically understand the mission of the organization but are too separated from the programs or work being done that you begin to lose the emotions needed to stimulate your motivation for the mission. The same emotions that move donors to contribute to a cause can also provide fundraisers with the emotional lift needed to continue bringing in funding. Strangely enough, both need to be maintained.
I noticed this issue at times, but also naturally felt energized when invited to join a special event or observe the mission in action. There was a time where I was invited to a grand opening of an after school program for a middle school in a low income area, and was deeply touched by the joy that the students had expressed as well as the complete relief for the parents who no longer had to worry about their children going home alone or getting into trouble in the neighborhood while both parents worked. I was touched by this and would never have been aware of the good work we did without witnessing it. The motivation returned
I worked for an organization supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and one day I happened to be in the office when there was a monthly fire drill. I went outside and saw the residents working to get out of the building for the drill, which I had never witnessed before. I did not feel sorry for them, on the contrary, I was deeply proud of each individual and it provided the emotional lift that can get lost when away from the experience of the mission.
I have even witnessed university advancement officers taking walks around campus to observe students who were benefiting from scholarships that the officers helped secure, and found it recharging. What would the students’ lives be like if the financial support was not available? Some might say that a professional should not need such support to do their job, and maybe sales people do not need it as much because their motivation often comes from rewards and commissions. Fundraising is different and so are the emotions that are tied to it.
If I were a supervisor of fundraising professionals, I would make it a point to periodically allow them to revisit the mission, witness the programs and show the good work being done as a reminder of their impact. It is basically human nature. Emotions can be challenging as well as fleeting, and whether we like it or not, they play a significant role on our progress so it makes sense to maintain and restore the emotions needed to benefit fundraising.
Photo provided by Lukas Rychvalsky (www.pexels.com)