Fundraising is a sales job
I’m thinking about sales skills today. I’m ashamed to tell you why. My head is hanging in shame. This week on The Apprentice (Martha Stewart version) Matchstick lost again because of their pathetic sales skills. They were selling wedding cakes at a wedding fair. The cake was pretty. There were lots of happy couples around. But they didn’t sell a thing, because they were appalling salespeople. It was a crushing defeat. Goodbye preppy Shawn.
Some fundraising professionals cringe at the notion that fundraisers are salespeople. But we are! We’re just selling good things (hopefully).
William Sturtevant, in his excellent book The Artful Journey: Cultivating and Soliciting the Major Gift
- You don’t take “no” personally. You may be disappointed with a “no,” but you are never devastated. You have high enough levels of self-esteem to compensate for disappointments.
- You accept responsibility for results achieved. As a corollary to this, you make negatives work to your advantage.
- You display above average ambition and desire to succeed.
- You display a high level of empathy.
- You are intensely goal-oriented.
- You have above average determination and self-discipline.
- You are impeccably honest.
- You have the ability to approach strangers, even when uncomfortable.
I agree that if you have these things, you’ll do well in fundraising. I often meet people who are thinking about making a career change into this field. They wonder whether their skills are transferable. I tell
them that these things are most valuable:
- Being organized and goal-oriented.
- Excellent written and oral communications abilities.
- Sales skills.
- Being passionate about the cause.
If you don’t possess these things… pack your bags and leave the loft immediately!
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