Several of our recent conversations have been about what fundraisers should expect of the organizations they work for and how they can discern whether the boss has an accurate understanding of how fundraising actually works. Sarah has taken this inquiry and made it the focus of her research. Among the various questions she asks, perhaps the most relevant for fundraisers in transition is whether they should expect the boss to have invested in their own professional development in fundraising.
In summarizing her work, Sarah was quick to give credit to those who have traversed this terroirty ahead of her, the most noteworthy perhaps being the 2013 underdeveloped study that has raised made us all much more aware of the challenges organizations face in terms of hiring and retaining fundraising talent. It was particularly interesting to hear what Sarah describes as a perception gap between how CEOs and Chief Development Officers understand their challenges and opportunities.
Sarah also asks some key questions about whether the CEO takes fundraising seriously which then raises the question of why one would sign on to work with a boss who doesn’t. Talk about a distaster waiting to happen! Sarah found that those CEOs who made deliberate investments in their own professional development were more inclined to communicate about fundraising, contributed positively a culture of philanthropy, and fostered positive relationships with their fundraising employees. Sarah’s findings would support the conclusion that a CEO’s professional development reflects positively on its fundraising outcomes.
As always, we are grateful to our friends at CueBack for sponsoring the Fundraising Talent Podcast. And, if you’d like to learn more about hosting the Responsive Fundraising Roadshow in your community, email me at jason@responsivefundraising.com
Reminder, you can download Responsive’s latest edition of Carefully & Critically here.
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