A fated fundraiser?
February 28, 2012 6:51 AM Subscribe
I have lost my faith in full-time fundraising and would like to transition out of it. Here are some ways I have figured out doing this. Help me pick one?
I worked in full-time fundraising for three years straight before getting a management position in sales that I enjoyed but it paid no money. I am now in a full-time fundraising role and absolutely hate the daily amount of shit I get from staff in terms of expectations of funds raised by this point (just at the end of month five of a six-month contract). I have raised about a fifth of their ludicrous goal in a very short time and have decided I am not going to continue working at this charity.
I would like to transition to online fundraising and work on new and interesting ways to raise money online. I have some research experience and a raft of voluntary experience.
The problem is that people see I am good at major gift fundraising and want me to do that. Getting employers interested in someone for a dual-purpose role is difficult. I am at the point where I feel like I would need to write a book to get attention. I am sick of going through agencies.
I am looking steadily at academia for the answer. I have started contacting dozens of departments and talking with professors about researching fundraising methods in the media. It presents an interesting opportunity but I also know that I may not have the opportunity to teach until after I do my PhD.
The third option is to teach now. I am thinking of directly seeking clients who want to learn fundraising in an environment where they are coached to implement alongside an experienced professional. I think this would entail some kind of Tony Robbins moment.
Anyway what do you think? My e-mail is sku195384@gmail.com if you would like to suggest anything privately.
I worked in full-time fundraising for three years straight before getting a management position in sales that I enjoyed but it paid no money. I am now in a full-time fundraising role and absolutely hate the daily amount of shit I get from staff in terms of expectations of funds raised by this point (just at the end of month five of a six-month contract). I have raised about a fifth of their ludicrous goal in a very short time and have decided I am not going to continue working at this charity.
I would like to transition to online fundraising and work on new and interesting ways to raise money online. I have some research experience and a raft of voluntary experience.
The problem is that people see I am good at major gift fundraising and want me to do that. Getting employers interested in someone for a dual-purpose role is difficult. I am at the point where I feel like I would need to write a book to get attention. I am sick of going through agencies.
I am looking steadily at academia for the answer. I have started contacting dozens of departments and talking with professors about researching fundraising methods in the media. It presents an interesting opportunity but I also know that I may not have the opportunity to teach until after I do my PhD.
The third option is to teach now. I am thinking of directly seeking clients who want to learn fundraising in an environment where they are coached to implement alongside an experienced professional. I think this would entail some kind of Tony Robbins moment.
Anyway what do you think? My e-mail is sku195384@gmail.com if you would like to suggest anything privately.
This thread is closed to new comments.
I was also in a somewhat similar position to you before I started this part of my career, and it's personally been a great move for me. If you are able to think creatively and flexibly, I think the online sphere can be a great place for someone who has a solid foundation in their field.
Do you have any experience with online outreach or fundraising at all through your volunteer work? If not, you will want to get some however you can.
Feel free to memail me if you'd like - we just went through a round of hiring and I can give you some insight into what kinds of skills and experience we were looking for.
posted by lunasol at 7:15 AM on February 28, 2012