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So, how would one go about finding a job in fundraising—besides contacting PSI for additional guidance and information?

A most important technique to use in developing job leads is using your personal contacts. It’s been said that you’re never more than six people (some optimists reduce that number to four) away from the individual you want to reach. Some job search specialists state that as many as 40% of all jobs are obtained through personal contacts. There is general agreement that networking–the word-of-mouth approach–is more effective than seeking a position through newspaper ads or by making “cold calls” yourself.

Join professional groups. Increase your contacts. Be genuinely friendly and interested in wanting to get acquainted with peers and colleagues in your field.

Find a mentor. Mentors may be senior professionals and often can be found through professional associations. PSI also has a mentoring program—check out this website or call us. An inexperienced fundraiser can also seek out a mentor by making personal contacts. Most people are willing to assist colleagues, whether inexperienced or established professionals. Be sure you are specific about what you desire from the mentoring relationship, and don’t wear out your welcome!

Attend workshops, seminars, conventions and conferences. Determine to become acquainted with at least one person during the conference, and select this person carefully. College or university courses related to nonprofit management (which usually includes fundraising) will also bring a person in touch with established professionals. Students seeking information and contacts are often allowed access to organization and professionals to a greater degree than established professionals. Therefore students should be encouraged to do academic work in such a way that they draw on the community and professional resources.

Volunteer. Volunteering may provide valuable training for a new fundraising professional, although sometimes the experience does not reflect reality as much as it should. However, volunteering does provide visibility and contacts, and an overall view of at least some portion of the nonprofit sector. It can be included on a resume as credible experience. Sometimes organizations are highly dependent on volunteers, and these individuals can gain actual job experience that serves as a basis for their resume.

Become an intern. Internships may be the best solution for acquiring “on the job” experience. Internships are available at many nonprofit organizations, some foundations, and some corporations. A number of students can state that their internships landed them jobs at the same organizations, such as foundations, or they were more marketable as a result of this experience.

In short, perhaps Pablo Casals, the renowned cellist, said it best. “The capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest meaning and significance.” This sums up the reasons why fundraising is, and can be, an exciting and fulfilling career–it is focused on caring, and in doing so with excellence.

In progressing up the ladder of professionalism in fundraising, both in practice and positions held, the fundraising professional will find a constantly changing set of challenges and opportunities. Most organizations of the nonprofit sector, from small social service organizations to huge universities, employ fundraisers, and now there is trend to engage fundraisers in conferences and church-related organizations.

The positions also range widely, from prospect research to major gift acquisition to leadership of a fundraising department or foundation. A fundraising professional can choose to work in a setting that is congruent with his or her values and interests.

Preparation for a career has also progressed greatly in the last fifteen to twenty years. Most seasoned fundraisers talk about “falling into fundraising,” or finding themselves in the career by accident. Today there are many credible, accepted ways of preparing for fundraising as a profession. These include:

Academic programs
Schools such as The Fund Raising School
Centers and institutes, often housed at academic institutions
Associations which offer their own professional development
Continuing education programs
Affinity groups which provide a collegiality along with professional development
Consultants who often give workshops
Fellowships and internships, a great entry point for a first job
In-house training
Mentoring and on-the-job training
Self-study available through books and other media

Finding that important first job in fundraising can be a challenge for anyone entering the field, especially the young person. Most job ads state “three to five years experience,” but the perennial question nags at us–“How can I get experience if I can’t get a job?” Next time we’ll provide suggestions that may help you find the right fit.

It is the organizations of the nonprofit sector that touch the lives of ordinary and extraordinary citizens alike in ways that the other sectors aren’t obligated to affect or simply cannot. Nonprofit organizations aren’t in the business of making a profit; therefore they are often designated as not-for-profit.

While successful nonprofit organizations need to be profitable in order to survive, this is not their primary purpose. They provide for the interests and needs of all Americans–educational, social, artistic, cultural, physical, environmental, spiritual, and professional. Hospitals, schools and universities, museums, human service agencies, and others provide services and benefits for all citizens. It is a “sector of opportunity,” as described by Dennis Young.[1] It is a sector of organizations entrusted by donors and constituents to meet public needs and address causes.

A unique factor of fundraising as a career is that at the end of each day, the professional has engaged in a journey worth sharing because, whether or not the results of that day’s efforts are visible now or are long-term, the professional can take pride in the nature of the work. Fundraising or development or advancement, as some prefer to call it, is a fundamental part of the process that makes institutions successful. The genuinely committed professional feels a “calling” to the work of fundraising. The satisfaction is derived from results, often intangible as well as those that aren’t visible for some time in the future, not from recognition.

Job satisfaction is generally high among fundraising professionals. A 26-year-old Harvard University graduate who co-founded Peace Games believes that jobs in nonprofits can be as rewarding as those in the high-tech world. He is quoted as saying, “What I can offer folks is something they can’t get at Microsoft: the ability to help kids be peacemakers.” The satisfaction of working with human needs, interesting and worthwhile causes, and achieving results that go beyond the bottom line of financial gain has attracted many young people, among excellent professionals who have made the switch from other sectors.

Next time we’ll look at how to enter the field and achieve professional progress.

Fundraising, development or advancement, just a few of the designations for this practice and career, is a fundamental part of the process that makes institutions successful. The genuinely committed professional feels a “calling” to the work of fundraising. The satisfaction is derived from results, often intangible as well as those that aren’t visible for some time in the future, not from recognition. Idealism and enthusiasm are balanced with accountability, businesslike behavior, and practical action.

At the bottom of all is this reality–most of the work in the nonprofit sector, whether it is advocacy, healing, educating, entertaining, preserving and many other types, just will not happen unless someone brings in money. And the more fundraising is integrated into the entire organization, the more successful it will be.

The fundraising professional plays a significant role in the operation of healthy, viable nonprofits which can face the challenges of this decade and century. It requires the use of skills, abilities and personal traits that match various roles and responsibilities of the fundraising professional.

Fundraising doesn’t take place in a vacuum. It is an essential function in the entire scope of the nonprofit sector which is supported by philanthropy. And philanthropy is a highly significant part of the fabric of American society, providing opportunities for fulfillment, meeting needs, addressing crises and disasters, and building sustainability for the future. A fundraising professional is the manager of a process that brings together peoples’ sense of caring with needs that must be met.

Fundraising is a critical element in the preservation of values. These values, inherent in our civic spirit, are fostered by philanthropic action–giving and volunteering.

Fundraising is not a technical exercise. It takes place within the larger framework of an organization and its mission, and therefore is crucial for civil society and the development or perpetuation of democratic values. Fundraising, therefore, is for the thoughtful professional, and not a mere fulfillment of a “to do” list. Next time we’ll continue with more perspectives on the meaning and practice of fundraising as a career.