When it comes to climbing the career ladder, young fundraisers often find themselves navigating a maze to figure out exactly where they want to go — and how to get there.
My colleague Rasheeda Childress recently asked early career fundraisers — alongside their more experienced colleagues — about what they need to know to embrace their roles and succeed in the field.
Their advice? Cast a wide net to build your skills, especially early in your career. By working at a larger organization, for example, a young fundraiser can try on a variety of hats — like grant writing, major gift fundraising, data analytics, or managing small donors — until they find the role they enjoy the most.
“Some people identify immediately what they are most interested in,” Sean McCarthy, associate director of institutional giving at the Center for American Progress, told Rasheeda. “And they may focus on that their entire career. But I experimented because fundraising is such a dynamic industry.”
Getting valuable experience and breaking into the field means leaning into colleagues’ wisdom, actively pursuing possible mentors, and speaking up about your goals, Rasheeda writes. After all, for a field that’s all about making the right asks, learning to ask your colleagues and mentors for help can be great — and essential — practice.
It’s important to “be vocal about what your goals are,” Caitie Deranek Stewart, senior director of development for the University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute, told Rasheeda. “In some ways our career path is difficult to advance in unless you are provided with extraordinary coaching and fantastic people to help you.”
For all of the tips, check out Rasheeda’s article:How Young Fundraisers Can Chart Their Careers. You may also want to check out her other coverage offering advice for new fundraisers, Lisa Schohl’s article on managing up, and more on thefuture of fundraising.
Have a lovely week,
Sara Herschander
Reporter
