5 ways to get your non-fundraising colleagues on board with fundraising

One of the great challenges most organizations face is the two very different cultures it takes to succeed:

• Fundraisers, who are donor-facing and well-trained in the messy and emotional world of communicating with non-experts.
• Program people, who are technical experts in your cause.

To succeed, these two groups need to think in radically different ways. That is often a source of conflict: Members of each group think the others are weirdos who don’t make sense.

But it’s a culture clash. Once you know that, you can start to bridge the gap for better understanding and better results.

Here are some great ways to bridge the gap, from Fundraising Everywhere, at 5 Ways Fundraisers Can Get Their Co-Workers Interested In Fundraising:

1. Send Updates To Staff. Your non-fundraising colleagues need and deserve to know what’s going on in fundraising. And they’ll understand it better when they do. Like donors, they need to know what’s relevant to them. They need to care and see their stake in your fundraising. This can go a long way to making them into allies.
2. Feedback Successes. If the only time your colleagues see your fundraising is when they’re asked to comment — and they don’t like what they see — well, how can things go well? Let them know when things go well. And, just maybe point out the strong correlation between “we don’t like it” and donors responding. Also, thank and recognize them for their part in all successes.
3. Work With Them … Not Against. Give them fundraising tasks that they want to do. Like thanking donors. Or participating in events. This is a great way to get them to believe in fundraising.
4. Humanise Your Donors. You think of your donors as fully-formed and amazing human beings. Your colleagues don’t have the contact, so they struggle with that understanding. Share notes from donors. Invite donors to meetings. Make it clear that donors are real people — and part of the team.
5. Meet Your Staff and Board One-on-One. It’s really hard to fight against a group. You lose pretty much every time when it’s you against group-think. So meet with them one at a time. Be warm, direct, and helpful. It really makes a difference!