Whenever I’m at a loss to describe a problem I turn to the dog-eared volumes in my fundraising library for help.

Currently– like many others– I’m wrestling with the issues of turnover and the levels of skill in our trade. More and more nonprofits (47% more in the past decade) are in need of “fundraisers”. But fewer and fewer trained or experienced fundraisers are available. And a far-too-rapid exit from the field affects nearly half of those with even a modicum of experience.

Here’s how my dog-eared copy of A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh describes the situation we face:

“There are some people who begin the Zoo at the beginning, called WAYIN, and walk as quickly as they can past every cage until they get to the one called WAYOUT, but the nicest people go straight to the animal they love the most, and stay there.”

The Agitator and many of its readers have frequently dealt with this subject, assigning fault to an entire menagerie of the blame-worthy.   Terrible CEOs ( here and here).  Lousy boards ( here and here) and a general malaise as documented in some memorable studies ( here and here)

Enter the wisdom of The Pooh.   I wondered:   could it be this trade of ours is just plain lousy at dealing with folks who’ve just come through the WAYIN door of our zoo?  Do they “walk quickly past every cage” without knowing or appreciating what they’re seeing.   Do we leave it to chance, not demanding—or even offering– enough up-front training, orientation and mentoring?

After all, virtually every trade has some apprenticeship or training requirement–from bricklayers to security guards at shopping malls to welders.  Not us. “Yesterday I couldn’t even spell ‘fundraiser’ but today I am one.”

Sure, there are lots of great blogs, webinars, newsletters, conference programs and formal academic courses thanks to the work of many, many of the folks who are right now reading this. For all you do I’m more than grateful.

BUT…. in this super mall of technical, tactical and philosophic know-how how does the newcomer get started?  How does she/he  choose when time and budgets are limited?

Of course, there is no ready answer. , We all owe it to each other to work together to come up with flexible, quality solutions. (If I had my way everyone would serve a three-year apprenticeship with an experienced fundraiser before being turned loose on a nonprofit.  But these days that’s not practical.)

That’s why I was delighted when Ken Burnett’s post landed in my in-box. It’s titled:

Where do I start?  My first three weeks as a fundraiser and how I might have made more of them.

I urge you to read the  entire post,  and then put your thinking/suggestions cap on.

Ken notes that with today’s collection of knowledge and technology we could make the first weeks/months of a new “fundraiser” so much more rewarding, more productive.

“If I could have my first few weeks again (one day, when pigs fly) for sure I’d do things differently. If I were in charge of new recruits and some good fairy gave me enough wishes I’d make it my business to give them all a stunning first few weeks to remember

“I’d knock their socks off, make them sit up, dispel their misconceptions and open their eyes to endless possibilities. I’d fill their heads with all the good stuff they need to know, that’ll serve them superbly in the coming decades. Because their purpose is nothing less than to change the world. To have any chance of even denting that difficult task, they need the very best start possible. So…

• I’d summarize the indispensable basics in a digestible form.
  • I’d introduce them to some of the great figures and lessons of history.
  • I’d set them up with some of fundraising’s best books.
  • I’d immerse them in fundraising’s great writers, the power and potential of storytelling and wisely-chosen words.
  • I’d frame the culture and ethos that they need to engage and inspire donors.
  • I’d share profound sayings that’ll shape their fundraising day by day.
  • I’d spread before them the world’s biggest, best collection of fundraising case histories across the 20+ main areas of our profession.”

Of course, the “world’s biggest, best collection” not only of case histories but a lot of other incomparable goodies can be found at the  Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration (SOFII).  And Ken is suggesting – quite correctly in my opinion—that we all rally to help create a ‘My First Three Weeks as a Fundraiser’ program at SOFII.  Ken’s vision involves the creation of “a detailed plan for new fundraiser induction that all can share, designed by fundraisers for fundraisers to make the crucial early stages of starting out as appropriate, painless and as productive as possible.”

As a a starter for your thinking/suggesting cap are the major topics/sections that already exist on SOFII.  It is from these—and additions to these—that the “FIRST THREE WEEKS” materials could be drawn.

Here is Ken’s verbatim whistle-stop description highlighting the contents and links of the SOFII treasure trove:

Find your short-cuts, via fundraising’s great books 

See The Great Fundraiser’s Bookshelf and The (almost) Complete Fundraiser’s Reading List. These classic works are selected for fundraisers by fundraisers as the books that were most valuable to them, in their careers. If any new fundraiser wants to see further and more clearly than his or her peers, get them to stand on a pile of great books. [Agitator note:  The tireless Lisa Sargeant is compiling this list. Check it out and send her your suggestions at SOFII  ]

‘The difference between a good fundraiser and a great fundraiser is a great fundraiser simply knows more.’ David Ogilvy (paraphrased)

From a mountain of inspirational gems, assemble your ‘guiding moments of truth’

‘The market for something to believe in…
…is infinite.’

‘Value begins with emotion. The money comes later.’  Hugh MacLeod, The Gaping Void

Over the years I’ve [Ken] collected hundreds of such soundbites from dozens of inspirational writers. They consistently serve me well (sure, I know I’m lucky. And the harder I work, the luckier I get). The secret to success is to connect these strands of wisdom to what you observe. Here’s a mantra of my own.

‘We have to move from persistent asking to consistent inspiration. And storytelling is brilliant for doing that.’  Ken Burnett, from Advancing Philanthropy, 2016

A new feature coming soon on SOFII is called A Seminar in a Single Slide: a collection of the best of inspirational fundraising wisdom. While we work on that, have a look at these.

• The 34 foundations of fundraising. The best place to start, these are the most precious gems, the absolutely topmost important things every fundraiser everywhere really should know, from his or her first day.• The crucial importance of making rice plus, what is a donor?
• The 11 pillars of fundraising wisdom, plus the five assumptions that underpin effective fundraising. How Lawrence of Arabia’s tragic loss is fundraising’s gain.• Under ‘Inspiration and Effectiveness’, examples of fundraising success across the 23 main areas of fundraising, via SOFII’s Home page.
• The 6Ps – a blueprint for transforming fundraising.
• The ‘letter to the future’ and 32 lightbulb moments. Some shortcuts to transform fundraising, from the Commission on the Donor Experience.

Meet and spend time with some really smart people

First impressions count. At least, the new recruit should make sure they do. In your first week if not your first day you’ll meet the bosses, of course – CEO, FD, FRD, HR or their representatives. Hopefully, they’re smart and they will guide you. But you should also meet the heroes – sung and unsung – in your organisation. Find who’s famous for how they deal with donors and who can let you listen to the voices of donors and beneficiaries.

There are others you must meet, too, at least virtually.

• David Ogilvy, Bruce Barton, Simone Joyaux, Howard Luck Gossage, Kay Grace, George Orwell, Harold Sumption, George Smith, Roger Craver, Indra Sinha, Karin Weatherup, Mal Warwick, Lisa Sargent, Tom Ahern– and many more, way too many to mention. Dig around.• Jerry Huntsinger, and his 55 Tutorials for direct mail.
• Eihei Dogen, Japanese direct mail letter-writerfrom 1235 (and that’s not 25 minutes to 1.00).• The data gurus – Chuck Longfield and Steve MacLaughlin.• You should meet some lesser-known giants from the history of voluntary action too – Emmeline Pankhurst and Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, Dr Thomas Barnardo, William Quarrier, Peter Benenson, Cecil Jackson Cole, Eglantyne Jebb. Octavia Hill…to name but a tiny few. Not to mention Benjamin Waugh, Helen Bamber and David McTaggert (these links will take you to stories of how these folks founded the Suffragette movement, Dr Barnardo’s, Quarriers, Amnesty, Oxfam, ActionAid, Save the Children, National Trust, NSPCC, Freedom from Torture and Greenpeace).• Here you can meet the hundreds of leading contemporary fundraisers who in 2017 delivered the extraordinary outputs of the Commission on the Donor Experience.

Plus hundreds of instructive, effective campaigns you can study at leisure

First, spend some time with the best of the best. Choose your top 10 all-time great campaigns, then tell your boss why. There are 600+ case histories on SOFII, the biggest, best collection of fundraising case histories in the world. The oldest is here. And is this, the Botton Village story, the best fundraising case history of all time? Or is it this, meet Nana Murphy?

Judge for yourself. Then, check out these priceless swipe files going back more than 3,000 years 

SOFII stars is a special feature designed to help you quickly discover fundraising’s best treasures. They’re grouped by subject, so you can easily find what you need.

• The best of fundraising direct mail.
  • Great fundraising writers.
  • Treasures of legacy marketing.
  • A selection of fantastic events from around the world.
  • SOFII’s most read articles.
  • Fundraising’s golden opportunity. Why, how and when to say thank you, properly.

Fine writing and free guidance to help you master the issues that matter.

• From the talented Lisa Sargent, an annotated, instructive series of ‘before’ and ‘after’thank-you letters from around the world.
• Why should God have all the best ideas? How SOFII got started
• Plus more bright thoughts and lots, lots more rich content, of course, enough to make for a very productive first three weeks.

Agitator Readers Please Lend A Hand and Your Brain.

Wow!   I don’t know about you, but I’m convinced that what exists at SOFII  represents an amazing start at creating—“curating” is more accurate—a first-rate orientation resource for new fundraisers and an inspiring refresher for us older dogs.

I urge you to contact SOFII to find how you can help make this happen.

Roger

P.S.  You don’t have to be a newcomer to discover the treasures of SOFII.  Treat yourself.  Dig in.