Hiring fundraising staff this year? Don't make this mistake.
Several executive directors I know are looking to add fundraising staff to their team this year. For many, it will be their first full-time fundraising hire.
This is a HUGE hire, and there are a hundred different places along the way where things can go wrong.
As I visit with leaders and advise them on how to handle this process, I occasionally come across a dangerously subtle faulty belief lying just under the surface of their thought process.
It’s one of those beliefs that, if left unchecked, is going to set everyone up for major disappointment somewhere down the line in the not too distant future.
What is it?
If you’re interviewing someone for a fundraising role hoping they’ll bring givers with them from the organization they’re leaving, they won’t.
Or … and this is even worse … if you’re interviewing someone for a fundraising role and they tell you they’ll bring givers with them from the organization they’re leaving, they won’t.
I’ve never seen it happen.
I know a lot of really talented, really good fundraising professionals, and no fundraiser is that good or has that much influence over givers.
What can a good fundraising hire bring?
✅ Leadership
✅ Knowledge
✅ Experience
✅ Systems
✅ Processes
✅ Curiosity
✅ Integrity
✅ Strategy
✅ Understanding
✅ Mindset
Never hire someone because you think they’ll bring givers with them to your nonprofit.
I’m paraphrasing Wendy Lee from a conversation on this topic a little over a month ago, but … if the person you’re interviewing is a professional who’s done their job well, givers will wish them well when they leave — some may even be curious about what’s next for that person — but they will remain committed to the organization they care about and deeply understand.
💯 That’s the job, folks. ⤴️
Are you looking to add fundraising staff to your team this year?
Find someone who understands what fundraising requires, someone who has stuck with past roles longer than 18 months, and someone who has consistently delivered results — leaving every organization they’ve ever been at better off than when they arrived.
Interestingly enough, those things have a strange way of following someone wherever they go.
Givers?
Not so much.