The One Skill Every Fundraiser Must Cultivate

Learning to say NO!

That's right.  For a profession consisting of tens of thousands of individuals trained in the art of inspiring folks to say YES, the most important skill fundraisers (especially fundraising leaders) can cultivate is saying NO.

You may ask: "How can that be?", and you may be thinking: "I've been conditioned much of my professional life to say yes."  And therein lies the rub.  Many of the fundraising leaders with whom I work as a professional coach have a very strong "Pleaser Saboteur".  A saboteur as defined by Shizard Chamine in his NY Times bestselling book Positive Intelligence is an automatic and habitual mind pattern with its own voice, beliefs, and assumptions that works against our best interests.  And, by definition a saboteur is insidious.  It works in the shadows in a gradual, subtle way with harmful effects.

In particular, the Pleaser Saboteur indirectly tries to gain acceptance by helping, pleasing, or flattering others.  The negative impact of the Pleaser is often one of burnout, as I observe fundraising leaders saying yes to far too many unimportant (although perhaps urgent) tasks that come their way.

So what is a leader to do?  Just say no?  As simple as it seems, that would be a very good start.  I've previously written about my own less is more philosophy.  In that post, I offered an inquiry: "Can we simplify our lives, and thereby make them more meaningful?"  I believe we can, and Greg McKeown is his excellent book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less  eloquently expands on the inquiry.

McKeown, a writer, speaker and Harvard Business Review blogger, offers concrete advice on how to deliberately focus on the vital few priorities that really count and dispense with the rest.  McKeown observes (as I have) that many professionals are over-busy and over-committed.  They continue to say yes to ever more commitments and deadlines without asking the following questions:

Is this truly essential?
How important is this to me?
What do I really want here?
Is this really how I want to choose to spend my time?
How is this aligned with my values and purpose?

I believe if you are truly honest with yourself (and ignore the voice of your Pleaser) when answering these questions, you will say NO to upwards of 90% of the requests and opportunities that come your way.  And by doing so you will have a much more powerful impact as a leader on your world, and with the people around you

I highly recommend McKeown's book, and I encourage you to incorporate more NO into your life.

Retaining Fundraisers (Hint: It's NOT All About The Money)

In the marketplace for fundraiser talent it is well known that demand currently outstrips supply. As a consequence, advancement and development leaders with whom I interact often describe one of the most (if not the most) significant challenges they face as the recruiting and retaining of frontliners and managers.  While the economic forces of supply and demand are certainly putting upward pressure on salaries, a common misconception about fundraiser retention is that it's "all about the money". 

That's a management and leadership cop-out because we know from multiple published annual employee satisfaction surveys that while compensation is a factor, the other four primary aspects that affect employee engagement retention include opportunities to use skills/abilities, job security, communication with management, and relationship with immediate supervisory (see, for example, the Job Satisfaction and Engagement Survey by the Society for Human Resource Management).

So in addition to economic forces which do play a part, what are some of the other real reasons people leave.  According to employee retention expert Leigh Branham, author of The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late , while most people indicate that they are leaving for more money or a better opportunity, 88% change jobs because of negative factors in their current workplace, ranging from subpar people management to cultural misfit. Branham explains: “Citing increased pay and more opportunity is a convenient thing to say, and managers are all too willing to accept these reasons.”   Branham goes on to identify the top seven reasons people leave as follows:

1) The job or workplace was not as expected.

2) The mismatch between job and person.

3) Too little coaching and feedback.

4) Too few growth and advancement opportunities.

5) Feeling devalued and unrecognized.

6) Stress from overwork and work-life imbalance.

7) Loss of trust and confidence in supervisor or senior leaders.

 

So what is an advancement/development manager or leader to do?  I've written previously about the process of Hiring Great Fundrasiers which addresses reasons 1 and 2.  Providing continuous coaching and feedback is an obligation that managers must take on with gusto.  And let's be clear: feedback is about performance or the "how am I doing?", and coaching is about "where am I going?".  The latter question is related to growth and learning.  Fundraisers are an ambitious group (bordering on hyper-achieving). Nothing is more frustrating for an employee than discovering he or she is out of runway.  In today's environment it is incumbent upon the senior leadership team in larger advancement/development organizations to have a process that reviews all employees in the organization and their opportunities for growth. Branham advises organizations to provide easily accessible information on career paths and competency requirements that spell out how employees can progress.

Reasons 5 and 6 point toward environment and culture.  Fundraising in larger, complex institutions can be stressful and thankless work.  The demands to raise more money are never-ending, and while the donors are thanked for their generosity, fundraisers are frequently overlooked.  Creating an environment of appreciation, recognition, and gratitude not only for donors but also for the fundraisers who work with them goes a very long way on the path of retention.  And while having a culture of appreciation helps folks feel good about the work they are doing, it does address stress and the work/life imbalance that often accompanies the fundraising profession.  Dealing with this factor is among the top reasons mid-career advancement/development leaders hire me as a coach.  One of the ways we work together to reduce stress and overwhelm for them and their teams is to encourage a culture where everyone commits to a culture of play, improvisation, and laughter.  In honoring this commitment, individual look to maximize energy (not manage time), while getting sufficient rest and renewal.

Finally, at the most basic level, fundraisers want to know that they can be successful in their roles and they want to work with leadership that has integrity, and whom they can trust.   All too often (especially with development professionals assigned to an academic unit led by a Dean) I see confusion, competing priorities, lack of vision, and poor alignment/communication.  That, my friends, is a ready-made formula for turnover.  In this regard, Branham (and I) recommends that leaders inspire confidence with a clear vision, a workable plan, and a belief in employees’ competence to achieve it.

Dreamin' Big

This morning I awoke in the pre-dawn hours of my 52nd birthday with a piercing pain reverberating through my chest.  No need call 911, it was not a heart attack.  It was (and is) the pain that one can only experience by taking an inadvertent knee to the chest while rolling with a friend at my local gym (Paulo Riberio Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) yesterday.  It is a pain known only to those who choose (as Teddy Roosevelt said) to "dare greatly".

Many might call this foolhardy.  My own inner critic ("Sledgehammer") is certainly having a field day.  Between the ongoing physiological pain from my bruised rib cage and the psychological beating from Sledgehammer, perhaps a widow making heart attack would have been preferable.  But then again, I am living one of my dreams.  That dream was initially catalyzed by one of my father's returning Vietnam War veteran students who showed me a few moves many years ago so I could defend myself in the inevitable street scraps I experienced as very young boy growing up in Brooklyn.  That dream, which has been with me ever since, was to become proficient in a martial art.  That dream is one small expression of my life purpose.  That dream will take some time, effort, and perseverance to fully manifest (should my body last).  And, there's no guarantee that I'll achieve proficiency.  All I can say is that I am enjoying the path (despite the pain).

I share this story at the urging of my good friend Henna Inam who is manifesting one of her own dreams, which is to bring authenticity into the workplace.  I also share this story to encourage those leaders (fundraising and otherwise) who follow my posts to dream big, and as the authors of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership counsel--live in your zone of genius (Commitment #8).  Yes, sometimes it's scary pursue a dream.  Yes, sometimes you get hurt (emotionally or physically).  Yes, it is uncomfortable to stretch beyond our zone of excellence where we already know our strengths and abilities and can excel with ease.

As fundraising leaders there is a temptation to become complacent, play it safe, and strive to hit our numbers each year.  Understandable.  We have families to support, bills to pay, and lifestyles to maintain.  I will assert that no institution (or individual) was ever transformed from that perspective.  Some donors want to fulfill their dreams of helping organizations they care about through their philanthropy, including the deployment of their time, talent, and treasure.  One of the great privileges of the fundraising profession is that we are in the rare position of helping donors dream big, while sharing their joy when those dreams come true.

Leading (and helping others lead) a fulfilled life where one pursues his or her dreams is a radical act.  So I'm curious: what unfulfilled dream do you intend to pursue, and will you wait until you're 52?