What inspires you?
When you think about hiring a new fundraiser, what probably comes to mind is a desk full of resumes and a series of lackluster interviews.
Yawn. No wonder you've put it off!
One way to get moving to think about what inspires you. Is it your mission? Is it raising money for your mission--personal acheivement?
Now think about the people who inspire you. Most likely it's those people who are passionate about what they do. They can be overtly passionate, like Martin Luther King Jr., or they can be quietly and steadily passionate, like our public servants, such as school teachers, fire fighters, and police officers. Either way, it's energizing to work with people like that.
Having a team who is inspired makes you want to get up and come to work. Now think about what inspires these types of people. If you want people like that for your organization, you've got to provide a vision for them to buy into, like the one you provide to your top donors.
Imagine the difference in the candidate's interest level after hearing the following statements:
1--We just finished a $11 million capital campaign. It went really well but now our staff, donors and volunteers are burned out. We just want to stabilize and maintain the status quo for a while until everyone can catch their breath and move on to the next campaign in a few years or so.
OR
2--We have grown over the past 5 years and we'll probably grow twice that much in the next 5 years. We are looking for people who are energetic and passionate about our mission to join us and work together to better the plight of those we serve. Skill and experience are important to us, but mostly we want someone who is looking to make a difference with us here as part of our team.
Wow, that's inspiring! Think about the types of people you want to work with and then BE that type of person. You'll attract the best people to your organization just that way.
Written by Rebecca Worters