Skills of the fundraiser

Fundraising is one of the most multi-skilled and multi-varied jobs around. It is exciting and it is hard work, regardless of what the majority of outsiders to this industry think. It is also a profession which increasingly demands serious contenders to ensure that the industry survives.

Here are a few comments on the fundraisers and what he or she needs to develop to be successful.

Commitment to the cause.

It is important to believe in what you are fundraising for. This will come across in the work that you do and your ability to persuade funders and donors of the importance of funding your organisations rasion d'etre.

This enthusiasm will show itself and encourage other to be equally committed.

Asking For Money

This is rather an obvious statement to make, however as a fundraiser this will need to come naturally to you. Anyone who is finds this difficult will find fundraising hard. This is especially hard in the UK where there is still a distain for asking for money. It is important to see what courses are available to see what techniques can help you to overcome this, or get better at it (having commitment to the cause will be very important).

Being Truthful

People expect those working for charities to be impeccable when it comes to the truth. Promises should not be made if they cannot be kept and telling funders something which is only partially true can lead to enormous stress for the organisation least of all the funder. Honesty is the best policy!

Taking Rejection

There are so many good causes around that more often than not fundraising can be a very negative job. It is important that you do take rejection personally as it is part of the course.

Motivation.

A fundraiser needs to be self-motivated as often there is little structure set up to help the fundraiser.

Confidence and Perseverance

Fundraising requires the ability to see opportunities and persevere to get to the goal. Lacking confidence or giving up too easily will be no good to a fundraiser!

Imagination and Creativity

As fundraisers need to be as creative as possible because they need to capture the imagination of the donor.

Calculated Risks

A fundraiser will be someone who can take calculated risks. This means seeing opportunities and using them but not without some clear idea of what the risks are and what the opportunities are. This calls for a combination of rational and intuition.

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