February is a month focused on love, which makes it the perfect month to blog about how to love your fundraisers – and have them love you back.

We’ve all been there: a fundraiser asks for a profile on a prospect, and we create a beautiful work of art. This profile has it all. Picture, career history, family overview showing generational wealth, connection to your organization, other philanthropic interests, favorite family vacation spots, stock value that was up-to-the second of profile submission, wealth details that could secure a loan (not that they need one), and so much more. In return, we get “Thanks!” … if we’re lucky.

This type of dynamic can lead to frustration and resentment toward our colleagues on the frontlines. So, how can you turn it around?

At their core, fundraisers are people people. They like talking to people so much, they found a career where they get paid to meet new people and ask them for money. If you are in prospect development, you likely just shuddered at that – and if you didn’t, you have a leg-up on many in the profession. At our core, we tend to be more inclined toward data and details. We get frustrated when we don’t see contact reports (they get frustrated when they have to put one in). We want the fundraiser to be blown away with everything we could uncover about a prospect (they wish we could cut-to-the-chase and highlight the answer to the question on their mind).

So, we’re different. As with all things, it’s on a spectrum. Some fundraisers are more data inclined and some in prospect development are more people focused. The problem in many shops is that the two teams are reliant on each other, but don’t always interact. To start loving each other, we need to know each other.

Side story: I do not like spiders. I also have a kid who (briefly) puts bugs in a jar and gives them a name, backstory, and aspirations. This is no longer a spider from my wall, this is Alexandra Rainbow Princess who came inside looking for her sister. They are traveling the world in search of adventure and bananas. Do I want that spider on me? No. Do I want that spider in my house? Also no. Am I angry with that spider? Shockingly … no. I got to “know” the spider. It has a story. It’s not so different from myself. The first step to loving a colleague is to share your stories.

Share your stories

Make it a point to get to know your fundraisers. Let your supervisor know that you want to schedule 30-minute meetings with each of your fundraisers. This is going to look different at each organization – department size, department dynamics, etc. – but this step is essential. To begin to love anything, you need to understand it. If you are on a larger team, supervisors may want you to do this as a group. Push back on this and remind them of the purpose of these meetings. The purpose is to get to know each other. Would a fundraiser meet with a group of prospects to build a relationship? No! If you set up meetings with a group, it becomes a meeting or, even worse, it may feel like an interview. The purpose behind this step is to establish a relationship.

Establish a relationship

To establish a relationship, you need to connect personally and professionally. If you are quiet or less outgoing, this can be very tough to do – especially in a group. Yes, it will take more time if each person in prospect development meets with each fundraiser one-on-one, but the quality of the feedback you receive and the strengthening of your relationship far surpasses anything that would be achieved via a more formalized meeting.

During these meetings, your objective is to get to know each other and learn how the fundraiser prefers to work. Remember – none of this is a personal affront on you or your job. It can be hard to hear that something you’ve taken pride in may be viewed as unnecessary. (I’ve been there.) Try to keep in mind, the purpose of this process is to create a symbiotic relationship. They have the chance to tell you more about what they need, which opens the door for you to ask for something in return.  

Why it works

Just like my spider friend, once you know someone’s story, it’s hard to dislike them. By establishing a personal connection, you open the lines of communication. It’s not Fundraiser calling Prospect Development, it’s Jim calling Pam. This also allows the fundraiser to be heard, which establishes connection to any process changes these conversations may ignite. It’s also a chance to educate the fundraiser about the work involved in their requests. By opening the lines of personal and professional connection, you create a relationship. By asking questions around needs, you create buy-in on change. Once you know each other better, you’ll feel more comfortable reaching out to them for clarification in the future – and since they know you, they are more likely to respond.

What you get

A partnership between prospect development and fundraisers. You get open lines of communication that you can use to clarify needs and simplify requests. You get insight into what you’re doing well and where you could improve. You may even be opening the door to streamlined work in the future. By looking at notes from all your conversations, you may find trends that lead to changes. By letting the fundraisers be a part of the process, you already have buy-in from that team. Think about the disruption of change. Imagine you hear a process is changing and now you must do things in a different way. Ugh, right? Another new process to learn? Now, imagine if a colleague sat down with you and asked you what you would like to see change and you provide feedback. Then you see that change come through – how likely are you to be excited about adopting that change? Being a part of the conversation is better than being informed of a new policy.

Suggested Outline

Below you will see a suggested outline for how this process can work. There are key points included in each section, but you should customize the questions and flow to your team and your organization. It is important to always keep your objective in mind with these meetings. What information do you want to take away from the meeting? What is something you would like the fundraiser to better understand about you and your work? Fundraisers are storytellers, so this meeting may last more than 30 minutes. It’s also a good idea to bring a notebook with you so you can make notes during the conversation. The suggested outline for the process is as follows:  

Meeting outline

Other tips

Have you embarked on a journey to better engage with frontline? Do you have any tips you’d like to add? Please share with us on social media or send us an email! Better yet – let us know if you would like to present!