That disturbingly high turnover rates and low morale plague fundraising professionals is nothing new. Research going back almost two decades shows this to be true.
One study in particular found that the “average fundraiser stays on a job only 16 months.”
In fact, just last year, author Rob Webb called on us to act on fundraising turnover right here in NonProfit Pro.
The past research on turnover was best summarized by our colleague Penelope Burke as follows:
By Laurence A. Pagnoni, MPA I met Dr. Paul Farmer at a conference 15 years ago. Unexpectedly, Paul recently passed away in his sleep from an acute cardiac event while in Rwanda, where he had been teaching. He was one of the founders of Partners in Health (PIH). As an international healthcare organization founded in 1987 PIH was, and remains, driven by its vision “to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair.” Partners in Health inspires me. That is why I keep giving to it
By Brooke Bryant, PhD Women’s philanthropy has long been undervalued. Yet, women are statistically more likely to give than men, and 70% of giving circles are populated by women. At a time when women have increased financial power, and are more actively involved in giving decisions than their male counterparts, your nonprofit cannot afford to overlook this important demographic. I once spoke with a women’s rights organization that wanted to grow its major gifts program, and they had a major concern: I just don’t think we can grow our major donor pool. Most of our donors are women — and
By Peter Panepento As the CEO, you write blogs, deliver speeches, and give media interviews because you believe it will help raise more revenue for your nonprofit. This is a worthy goal. Thought leadership content can be incredibly valuable in connecting with potential donors. I’d like to share with you my observations from my years in the field about creating thought leadership content that actually inspires individuals to take action. Mainly I encourage you to be less overt in your attempts to connect your thought leadership with your fundraising. Instead of making your message about yourself and your nonprofit, truly
