What can we do to nurture and grow the charity sector's talent in major donor fundraising?
Matthew Cull is high value giving manager at RSPCA
Major donor fundraising relies on two key factors: confidence and the ability to answer a donor’s questions. A major donor fundraiser needs time to learn their cause inside out, and to develop their skills in communicating their knowledge and enthusiasm for their subject to individuals who can give lots of money.
An organisation expecting instant success with major gifts adds to the fundraiser’s challenges. The best way to nurture major donor talent is to provide adequate support. Resources are often limited so the easiest thing is to introduce a mentoring scheme, where experienced fundraisers can provide free advice on approaches and techniques, as well as be there when confidence is low. The relationship is good for the mentor too.
Kim van Niekerk is founder of The Coffee House
Let's stop making the age and status of fundraisers an excuse for poor major donor fundraising. I hear so many in fundraising management talking about the need for volunteers or senior staff to make asks because their young staff have no sway. Presence in a room and with a donor can be built, but we neglect to foster that in young and junior staff.
We also position asking for major donor money as if it were gearing up to meet the school bully, sending in the biggest friend we've got to do the work. If we positioned it as a door-opener to one of the best experiences of a donor’s life, the way Disneyland is offered up to a child, then perhaps we would intimidate our fundraisers a little less too.
Neelam Makhijani is chief executive of the Resource Alliance
Major donor fundraisers are required to lead and inspire giving. This means having meaningful conversations with philanthropists who are likely to be leaders in their own field. Quite simply, if those building the relationships and making the ask have strong leadership abilities, it will make for more successful major donor fundraising.
Yet research by the Resource Alliance into the professional development requirements of fundraisers found that very few organisations provide leadership training to their middle managers, despite these skills being critical to success. This needs to be addressed as a matter of priority if we are to realise the full potential of major donor fundraising.
The Resource Alliance runs the Future Leaders Programme, aimed at specifically addressed the leadership skills gap.
Jhumar Johnson MInstF (Cert) is an executive coach, mentor and trainer
Major donor fundraisers require confidence, creativity, charisma and passion to negotiate with and influence individuals to dig deep and invest in (often intangible) long-term interventions. They need those same qualities to help their organisations prepare to share space with a philanthropist.
Providing coaching and/or mentoring opportunities to enhance and hone those qualities to achieve and outperform is one way of nurturing our talent. This means we need to get better at having open conversations about ambition, beliefs and needs to enable a response which is bespoke, commission interventions that are effective and create opportunities internally that aid development and therefore retention.
Rob Woods (@woods_rob) is an award-winning fundraising trainer and coach
Once upon a time there was a goose that laid golden eggs. Some charities looked after her, and she delivered extraordinary results. UNICEF UK’s growth recently has been phenomenal. Many small charities are succeeding too.
Unfortunately, though, many geese were prevented from laying. Many directors failed to do the key two things to ensure golden results:
a) Help your fundraisers get the knowledge, skills and above all confidence – why wouldn’t you get them decent training? If you think you have no budget, cut corners off an event budget (for example). Or don’t do major gifts at all.
b) Create a culture in your organisation that helps them succeed.
