How can we, as a field, retain fundraising talent and increase their average tenure in our organizations?


According to a recent article published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, fundraising professionals experience tremendous stress and burnout. This year, the market for fundraisers is hot which according to a Chronicle interview with Lori Kipnis, from Nonprofit HR, a talent management firm “There’s a high risk that top talent will be poached or will voluntarily exit.”

In past years the Association of Fundraising Professionals surveys found that 75% of fundraisers express that they want to quit their jobs in any given year. This year, with the pandemic, it has been about 50%, a more conservative figure reflecting uncertainties about the future.
So the big question for our field is to figure out how to retain high-level fundraising professionals and to cultivate a pipeline of young diverse talent.

The reasons for fundraising attrition have consistently included: “ stress of punishing fundraising metrics, poor pay, and toxic workplaces.”

Add to this the challenge of raising money by building donor relationships remotely. With the pandemic and the racial reckoning, many people have re-visited their values, and their desire for their work and life balance.

The article suggests the following retention strategies:
· 📌Managers should have the “Stay” conversation. Much like an exit interview, these conversations are designed to uncover the barriers and challenges in the work and come up with creative solutions to them.
· 📌Embrace remote work, take the friction out of it, and provide frequent feedback.
· 📌 Value time, don’t fill your fundraiser’s schedule with management meetings etc. Instead, block strategic time.
· 📌Take meaningful action in your workplace to embrace diversity and inclusion. Embed it in everything you do not just a program or initiative. Value diversity of thought and voice in your processes.
· 📌Clarify and sharpen your mission and how it is expressed in your work.

Now You: How do you deal with burnout for yourself or your employees?

#fundraising #fundraisingstrategy #fundraisingprofessionals #retention #DEI #agilefundraising
#fundraisingmetrics #fundraiserpay