Fundraising Tip: My First Few Months in Nonprofit Fundraising

When I was new to fundraising, learning was my key objective.

When I began my position as the new director of development for a small HIV/AIDS organization in Boulder, Colorado, I walked into my new office filled with excitement.

And a little fear.

I had been in hotel catering sales and had done some very small grassroots fundraising, but never had been accountable for all of the fundraising for an organization. Nonetheless, the excitement was more powerful than the fear.

One of my strengths is that I am good at saying when I don’t know. And with asking for help. There was a lot I didn’t know. I had purchased Ken Burnett’s “The Zen of Fundraising” as my first of many fundraising books and was on my new journey of learning everything I could while also jumping into all things fundraising.

Soon I was introduced to Kim Klein, someone who would become the person for me to learn about social justice and grassroots fundraising. I purchased her “Fundraising for Social Change” and began reading a bit of it daily.

The first things I wanted were documents. I wanted a budget and the year-to-date numbers. I wanted to know where we were at regarding fundraising. I also wanted a list of donors, including one that had donors who had given before but not in the last year. This report is called a SYBUNT report.

In my first week, I spent hours with the program staff. Being a storyteller, I needed stories.

Soon I was meeting with board members. And then donors.

Most supporters lived in or near the community. It was easy to meet for a coffee or lunch.

The main idea to take from all of this is when you’re new, the possibilities are endless. Jump in, listen, learn, ask for help, and you’ll be just fine.

And buy a book or two!

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Take a risk. Be of service. Support your friends and colleagues. Be kind.