Fundraisers

QUALIFICATIONS

A certificate, high school or General Educational Development (GED) diploma, or Associate’s degree or a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (BBA) in finance, business administration, marketing, media, or a related field, or a Bachelor’s degree in engineering accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); A Master’s degree – MBA Finance would be an added plus; along with Fundraising study programs or related certifications like the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive (ACFRE), etc.; encompassing at least a 6-month requisite study and practice credit hours in the area or field of fundraising, donation and philanthropy; combined with – On the Job Training (OJT) programs, Apprenticeships, Fundraisers Workforce Job Training or Experience; covering work topics including Not-for-Profit Organizations, Fundraising, Donation and Philanthropy fundamentals, concepts, and principles, monetary and non-monetary donation dimensions, fundraising plan & strategies, donor prospect research and profiling, management and convincing techniques; donor messaging & motivation, donation & grants solicitation, commitments, obligations and documentation, non-profit campaigns; fundraising practices and leadership, statutory rules & regulations, policies, processes, procedures, requirements; fundraising processes and regulatory compliance, risk mitigation and management, business analytics, MIS & Fundraising Computer applications, analytical & statistical reporting, etc.

AVERAGE ANNUAL PAY
(Credits: www.payscale.com)

PROJECTED GROWTH
(Credits: www.bls.gov)

Fundraisers are an exciting career pathway, in which employment is expected to grow at a wholesome 14 percent from 2019 to 2029.

SKILLS/ TRAITS NEEDED

Fundraisers need to be ingrained with collaborative and good listening skills, adaptability, motivation and convincing abilities, and impeccable integrity. They need to be high energy “always switched on” result-oriented “go-getters”, who have empathy, concern for people & love their work; they also need to be compassionate, ethical, proactive individuals, people-centric & research-oriented, with a cool temperament, resilience, imagination, trust, strong conviction, planning and execution skills; coupled with strong decision-making, business computation, with excellent verbal & written communication and interpersonal/ soft skills; self-learning abilities, ability to influence donor decisions & follow-up, people & stakeholder management, networking skills, time management, prioritization, presence of mind, creativity, memory, imagination, enthusiasm and innovation; an open mind with an aptitude for research and tracking the emerging philanthropy trends, patience, persuasiveness, perseverance, persistence & presence; and must be detail-oriented & self-organized with a “can-do attitude” and strong passion towards their work. Meeting people, being sales-oriented and an avid, effective and influential presenter; convincing donor payouts, meeting the organization’s fundraising targets, and knowing the “who’s who” in the donor fraternity is pivotal to this profession.

WORK FUNCTIONS

Fundraising is the act of raising money by asking altruistic individuals or corporate donors to chip in or fund for a cause. The money raised may be specific to complete a certain work or acquire a targeted infrastructure eg. Sponsor education or buy wheelchairs, or may defray the organization’s general costs of delivering services e.g. rent, salaries, etc. Fundraisers present a compelling case and justification, for raising funds or donations for a cause; they mostly are involved with organizations, mostly Non-Government organizations (NGOs) and Charities like the Children Relief & You (CRY), and are assigned with the duty of raising funds for supporting the cause. A typical day of a Fundraiser may involve, planning, preparing agendas, writing fund-raising proposals, presentations, documentation; and pitches, marketing & promotion, striking winning conversations with donors, philanthropists, etc. through phone calls, emails, chats, meetings, seminars, webinars, follow-ups, and presentations. They give fundraising pitches to market and highlight the fund-raising cause and objectives; overseeing fundraising campaigns, and events to raise money and other non-monetary donations for the organization; they also are involved in risk mitigation and management, soliciting donor loyalty & donation commitments, and payment follow-ups. They ensure that fundraising campaigns are effective by researching and profiling potential donors and examining records; and building & maintaining contacts and relationships, and creating a high and positive motivational impact on them, especially with those who have donated in the past; to achieve the organizational fundraising targets.