 “Jobs Where I Don’t Go to Bed Anxious”: The Search History of a Burnt-Out FundraiserLet's pretend the TikTok comment section is a search history. This was a meme engagement prompt circulating around Tiktok, so I adapted it for nonprofit fundraisers. And the results were funny but also a bit depressing.
I’ve written about burnout. But this felt different. These aren't just punchlines. They're quiet cries for help disguised as jokes. And they struck a nerve. The comments rolled in: funny, raw, painful, *real*. This wasn’t just a social media prompt. It was a mirror for the nonprofit fundraising sector. Why We Laugh So We Don’t CrY Fundraisers turn burnout into memes because humor is safer than honesty. Because saying "I'm not okay" feels like a risk. Because the system rewards silence and penalizes boundaries. Gallows humor isn't just venting – it's a way our nervous systems regulate under pressure. When enough people laugh at the same joke, it signals: you're not the only one. You're not imagining it. This job is breaking people. Quiet cracking, indeed. The Real Punchline? That the expectations of nonprofit fundraising are structurally absurd:
We joke because naming it plainly would require everything to change. What To Do Instead of Just Laugh
You're not alone. And you're not crazy. We need more honest conversations on LinkedIn and in the workplace. We need to acknowledge that burnout isn’t a personal failure. It’s an occupational hazard. So, if you're a fundraiser trying to find your way back to sanity, find me over on Tiktok or subscribe here to my weekly newsletter. Let’s keep this conversation going! Cheers! Jessica  P.S. Like this kind of insight? Subscribe to Real Deal Fundraising and get my best articles, tools, and curated resources every week – including webinars, videos, and free downloads. If you liked this…
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 Breaking into Fundraising: Real Talk for New Grads (and Anyone Starting Fresh)I had a long conversation a few days ago with a brand-new college grad who’s hoping to land her first job in fundraising. We covered a lot of ground. Some of what I shared was the usual advice. Some of it was the stuff you only hear when someone’s willing to tell you the truth. So here’s my actual advice for those who want to break into fundraising but feel stuck because they don’t have the experience yet. 1. Know where you’re headed – or you won’t know what direction to take. To paraphrase the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” If your long-term goal is Executive Director, Chief Development Officer, or Major Gifts Officer, don’t apply for back-office roles like gift processing. Those positions matter (I’m on record as saying that partnership with these important roles is paramount to fundraising success) but they rarely lead to donor-facing roles, no matter how good you are. The leap from behind-the-scenes to front-line is a hard one, even if you’re in the same department. If your dream job is out front with donors, start out front with donors – even if it’s entry-level. A Leadership Annual Giving or Donor Relations role might not sound flashy, but it will get you in the room with donors and decision-makers. Think long. Think strategically. Your first job should point in the same direction as your dream job. 2. Network like it’s your job – because it kind of is.Front-line fundraising roles have a personal element that doesn’t always come across on a resume. You’re selling your communication skills, your presence, your ability to connect. To put it bluntly, great fundraisers are at least in part personality hires. But, as with many things, if you have to say that you are a personality hire, you probably aren’t one. The best way around that? Don’t rely only on paper. Talk to people. Tell everyone you know that you want to work in nonprofit fundraising. Your neighbor might be on the board of a food bank. Your friend’s aunt might chair the development committee at a local theater. Ask for informational interviews (which is exactly how this new grad got to talk with me for an hour). Join your local AFP chapter. Volunteer at events. These conversations open doors. Sometimes wide. 3. This one is for the girls. Apply like a man. Research shows that women tend to apply for jobs only when they meet all the required and preferred qualifications. Men? They'll throw their hat in the ring even if they don’t check all the boxes. Stop waiting until you’re 100% qualified. There is no one keeping score for jobs you don’t get a callback on (except maybe you). As they say, you can’t win it, if you ain’t in it. Read the job description. If you’re even halfway there, and it aligns with your long-term goals? Apply. Don’t self-select out. You can learn the rest. That’s what I told her. And if I were talking to you, I’d tell you the same. Your career in fundraising won’t be built in a day. But if you start with intention, talk to the right people, and stop waiting for perfect – you’re already ahead of the game. Cheers! Jessica  P.S. Like this kind of insight? Subscribe to Real Deal Fundraising and get my best articles, tools, and curated resources every week – including webinars, videos, and free downloads. If you liked this…
 Take Your PTO: Why I’m Logging Off – and Why You Might Need To, TooIn a few days, I’m heading out of the country with my family. No laptop. No inbox. No quick peeks at work in the evenings. Just real, present time with the people I love most. (Peep the picture above of my kids in their first Uber ride last week.) 😊 We recently had one of those “now or never” conversations. Our kids are growing up fast, and we realized that if we didn’t start making international travel part of our family story, we might miss the chance. I want them to see the world – to experience other ways of being, other values, other rhythms of life. I want them to be citizens of the world, not just the United States. So we’re going. And I’m letting myself go all in. Here’s the truth: I’m not stepping away from work despite being a fundraiser. I’m doing it because I am. Fundraising is heart work. It’s personal, demanding, often overwhelming. That passion can make rest feel like a luxury – something we have to earn or squeeze in around the edges. That shows up across the sector: data from January 2025 show that nonprofit workers leave more unused PTO than all industries except government. But rest isn’t a luxury. It’s part of the job. I’ve shared before why self-care for nonprofit fundraisers matters – and not just for bubble baths, but for building real boundaries and intention. I’ve also explored burnout in our profession and how it quietly silences the best of us. Taking breaks gives us perspective. It reconnects us with our “why.” It lets us return creative, grounded, and ready. When leaders model this, they build a culture that values people – not just productivity. If you’ve delayed that vacation or pushed through burnout thinking your mission can’t wait: the work will be here when you get back. And you’ll be better for having stepped away. I’ll be off until mid-July. I hope you find your own window to rest, recharge, and remember who you are outside the job. You deserve it. And the people you serve deserve the best version of you – not someone running on fumes. Cheers!  P.S. Don’t worry – while I’m away, I’ve scheduled fresh content to post on my TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Bluesky. So if you need encouragement or inspiration, it’ll be waiting for you.
PPS - I hope you’ll continue the conversation by subscribing to Real Deal Fundraising. When you subscribe, you’ll get my e-newsletter, which includes the best articles on fundraising, productivity, and cool stuff every week. The whole thing is curated awesomeness as well as freebies like webinars, instructional videos, and whatever else I can put together to be helpful to you!  The CFRE Credential: What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong, and Why It Was Worth ItOf all my blog posts and TikTok videos, some of the most popular have been when I’ve talked about becoming a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE). Every time I share about it, I get a flood of DMs and emails with questions like:
So I decided it was time to pull everything together – my real-world experience applying, what I learned the hard way when I took the exam (spoiler: I failed the first time), and why I still believe the CFRE is one of the most valuable credentials in our profession. Here’s what I got right, what I got wrong, and why I’m so glad I did it. Step One: The Application Process is (Actually) User FriendlY Here’s the good news: applying for the CFRE is easier than you think. You just go to www.cfre.org, create a login, and begin your application. Even if you don’t plan to apply right away, you can start tracking your experience and education in the system. It’s like a running professional development journal. Pro tip: You don’t need those little CFRE credit certificates from every session. If the program was hosted by a reputable organization (AFP, CASE, Academic Impressions, etc.), just record the title, sponsor, and date. Bonus – recent changes mean that all your volunteer and service work now counts under “Education.” You’ll also track:
For example, I received credit for a building campaign I directed – even though I didn’t personally ask every donor – because I managed the campaign from the ground up. For my management project, I submitted a policy document I drafted that improved how naming opportunities were documented and proposals were generated. It counted. Once you’ve entered enough qualifying experience, the system will literally give you a green light in each section. That’s when you can pay the exam fee and move forward. Step Two: Don’t Make My Mistake with the ExaM Here’s where I blew it. I decided to take the CFRE exam cold. No prep. No studying. And even though I had 10+ years of experience… I failed by just a few points. The CFRE exam isn’t just a knowledge test – it’s a judgment test. It won’t ask: “Why should you start a donor relations program?” It’ll ask: “What is the first step you should take to build a donor relations program?” And several answers will be technically correct. You have to pick the best one, in the right sequence, based on what a seasoned, ethical professional should do. After my initial disappointment (and, okay, a little self-pity), I registered again for the next testing window. I bought the AFP CFRE Review Guide (worth every penny), and I practiced with sample questions to get a feel for the exam’s structure. If you’re preparing, my advice is this:
Why the CFRE Was Worth IT Earning my CFRE made me a better advancement professional. Period. But it also gave me something more – credibility, confidence, and clarity about what kind of fundraiser I want to be. Here’s why I believe the CFRE is a valuable credential: 1. It signals real expertise. Fundraising isn’t (yet) an academic discipline. The CFRE is shorthand that you know your stuff. It’s like a degree that speaks directly to your skillset and experience. 2. It shows your commitment to ethics. The CFRE requires – and enforces – a high standard of fundraising ethics. That matters. It matters to your employer, to your donors, and to the reputation of the entire nonprofit sector. 3. It demonstrates your dedication to continual growth. In a field that’s always evolving, this credential shows you’re serious about your craft. That you’re not just working hard – you’re working smart and staying sharp. Want to Earn CFRE Credits Right Now? My new course, The Smart Start Fundraising System, offers 5 CFRE continuing education credits and gives you a complete, strategic system to build your annual fundraising plan. Whether you’re already certified and need credits, or you’re planning to apply soon, this course is a great way to invest in your professional development and build a plan you’ll actually follow. And if you have questions about the CFRE process or exam – hit reply or leave a comment. I’d love to hear your story. Are you thinking about applying? What’s holding you back? Let’s talk about it. 💬 Cheers!  PS - I hope you’ll continue the conversation by subscribing to Real Deal Fundraising. When you subscribe, you’ll get my e-newsletter, which includes the best articles on fundraising, productivity, and cool stuff every week. The whole thing is curated awesomeness as well as freebies like webinars, instructional videos, and whatever else I can put together to be helpful to you!
 Who’s Afraid of Burnout & Turnover? You Should Be.I couldn’t stop crying. A holiday party hosted by a colleague was starting in about an hour. I’d love to say that I hadn’t felt like this before, but I had. But, this time, it wasn’t postpartum depression or difficulty dealing with isolation during COVID. This time, I knew I had careened directly into a wall called burnout. My introvert husband volunteered to go alone in my stead. I was so grateful. He would say I had a headache, which after all the tears was true. I retreated to my bed. I was so embarrassed that I could not pull myself together, especially since my expertise was relationships. I had sold a house, bought a house in a new town, began going into an actual office again after being a remote employee for 8 years, hired an entire team, and was juggling what seemed like 18,000 competing demands of fundraising for an institution that needed much more than they had in the donor pipeline. I had no friends outside of work in my new town and I had high blood pressure (literally). Even after many months, my house still looked like a storage unit and we lived in the rabbit trails between stacks of boxes that I had neither the time nor energy to unpack. At the time, did I think that something needed to change about my new life? No, I blamed myself for not adjusting well, for not keeping up, for what I perceived as the gap between my public performance and my real life. I’m now back to my previous remote fundraising position, mixing travel with Zoom meetings. And my energy and zeal for work has made a dramatic comeback. I have a broader network locally than I did before, with time to take walks with a friend most mornings, teach poetry and dance, write this blog and make TikTok videos, and go to yoga classes. My house is a comfortable place to be most days. And I’m raising more money than ever! Burnout is more than a buzzword. It is a genuine crisis, not just for the individuals experiencing it, but for the organizations that depend on their energy, creativity, and dedication. And when burnout leads to turnover, it’s more than just a human resource issue; it’s a threat to your nonprofit's ability to build lasting relationships with donors and, ultimately, to its financial sustainability. The Elephant in the RooM Burnout is that creeping exhaustion that makes you dread the next meeting, the next phone call, the next donor visit. According to a report by the Center for Effective Philanthropy, 69% of nonprofit leaders are worried about burnout among their staff. And why wouldn’t they be? Nonprofit work environments are often high-stress, resource-strapped, and emotionally taxing – conditions ripe for burnout. What’s alarming is that this isn’t just a leadership problem. Across the board, from entry-level staff to executive directors, burnout is taking its toll. A survey by Nonprofit Hive found that 77% of respondents reported feeling completely burned out, with 20% admitting they were "crispy" – right on the edge of burnout. This isn’t just a bad day at the office; it’s a systemic issue that’s been brewing for years. More Than Just a VacancY Burnout doesn’t just lead to unhappy employees; it leads to turnover. And in fundraising, turnover is more than just a logistical headache – it’s a financial disaster waiting to happen. When your fundraiser leaves, they don’t just take their expertise with them; their leaving disrupts and derails the relationships they’ve spent months or even years cultivating. Consider this: A Council for the Advancement and Support of Education study on principal gifts at colleges and universities found that more than half of $1 million+ donors had relationships with the institution lasting between 11 and 40 years. On average, it takes nearly 20 months from the initial conversation to the moment a principal gift is booked. Now, imagine the damage that occurs when a key fundraiser – who’s only been around for 16-18 months – leaves before they can seal the deal. The impact on your bottom line is clear, but the real loss is the relationship that never had the chance to fully develop. A 2022 analysis by Ruffalo Noel Levitz of over 3,000 major givers further underscores this point. Before making their first $25,000 gift, donors typically spent an average of 11.9 years as supporters, made 13.8 gifts, and had been giving for over 7 years. These numbers tell us one thing: major gifts and especially principal gifts don’t happen overnight. They’re the result of long-term relationships built on trust, mutual respect, and consistency. Old Leadership Models Aren’t WorkinG In far too many organizations, the response to turnover is to double down on goals, increase oversight, lean on metrics, and push employees even harder. In my opinion, this is the death knell of the 20th-century leadership model – a model built on command and control, where employees are expected to follow orders and meet targets, no matter the cost to their well-being. But here’s the thing: That approach doesn’t work anymore. In fact, it’s going to bite these organizations hard. High turnover rates disrupt the donor pipeline, making it nearly impossible to cultivate the kind of long-term relationships necessary for securing major and principal gifts. When fundraisers are constantly churning through roles, your organization is left in a perpetual state of starting over – losing momentum, missing opportunities, and ultimately, falling short of its mission. The Need for Trust, Flexibility, and AutonomY It’s time for a change. The 21st-century workplace must be built on a foundation of trust, flexibility, and autonomy. This isn’t just the humane thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do for the health and viability of your fundraising efforts. Treat your fundraisers like the professionals they are. Give them the autonomy to manage their work, the flexibility to find balance, and the trust to build relationships with donors in a way that’s authentic and sustainable. When you create a workplace that supports people as people, you don’t just prevent burnout; you enhance your organization’s ability to thrive. Long-term relationships with donors are the bedrock of sustainable fundraising. By fostering a supportive, empowering work environment, you’re investing in those relationships – and in the future of your nonprofit. Moving ForwarD So, how do we move forward? Here are a few strategies to consider:
It’s time to leave behind the outdated command-and-control leadership model and embrace a new approach that recognizes the value of your people and the critical role they play in your mission. Let’s build a future where nonprofits aren’t just surviving but thriving – where fundraisers are supported, donors are engaged, and our communities are better off because of it. QUESTIONS FOR YOU? Have you experienced burnout? Does your organization have high turnover? If so, why do you think that is? What else do you think can be done to keep good people in the fundraising and nonprofit sector (in a healthy way)? Let me know in the comments! [Updated for 2025] Cheers!  P.S. If you’re feeling the weight of constant fundraising pressure and the creeping burnout that comes with it, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to muscle through it alone either. Join me for Building Fundraising Confidence, a free live webinar on 5/28. It's designed to help you rediscover your voice, sharpen your message, and build a plan that actually works. It’s practical, supportive, and CFRE approved. Register now here! PPS - I hope you’ll continue the conversation by subscribing to Real Deal Fundraising. When you subscribe, you’ll get my monthly newsletter email, which includes the best articles on fundraising, productivity and cool stuff every week. The whole thing is curated awesomeness as well as freebies like webinars, instructional videos, and whatever else I can put together to be helpful to you! If you liked this post, you may also like these:
 Brace yourself. I'm going to use a buzz word. Maybe that’s two words. Anyway. Here’s a definition of self-care that I love from Psych Central: “Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory, it’s something we very often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. It’s also key to a good relationship with oneself and others.” Deliberately. You have to do it deliberately. Plan for it. Schedule it. Make it part of your routines. Also note, that it doesn’t just help you. It helps others because it makes us better partners and collaborators. You’ll be less stressed, healthier, more patient, and probably more kind. Taking good care of ourselves now is perhaps the most important thing we can do . It will prevent burn out and boredom and restlessness that will help us stay home and flatten that curve. But, I would argue that for non-profit pros, it's absolutely essential. Here's why: Non-Profit Professionals and Self-CareSurely you know, that non-profit and fundraising roles can be extremely stressful and that was true long before COVID-19. The Chronicle of Philanthropy ran an article in August of 2019 about new research showing that 30% of fundraisers plan to leave the field entirely in the next two years! There are many reasons for this startling statistics, here are a couple:
I can guarantee that the "tremendous pressure to succeed" will only increase as we move through the coronavirus crisis and into the recovery phase. What does all this have to do with self care? You might ask.Well, in order to be the absolutely All-Star Fundraiser I know you can be, you have to be your best self. You can’t succumb to nonprofit burnout. The industry needs folks like you to stay in fundraising. With 3 out of 10 fundraisers planning to depart the entire sector (before this crisis), nonprofits will need YOUR unique skills. So, I’m going to encourage you to take care of you. Shouldn't we be lobbying for a better budget, higher salaries, more cooperative leadership, and more reasonable goals? bsolutely! In order to do that, you have to be in top form. You will need even more resilience to raise amazing amounts of money while also changing an industry. I’m going to challenge you just to go just a bit further in taking excellent care of yourself. Self-care: it isn't (all) about crystals and bubble baths!Self-care has this modern connotation of it being something over-worked wine mommies do. They're looking for a "Calgon-Take-Me-Away" bubble bath. (I just totally dated myself with that commercial reference, didn't I?) While those sorts of indulgences and treats do have a place in a well-rounded self-care regimen, they are not the core of a self-care practice. It is not our grand gestures that keep us healthy in body, mind, and spirit, but the small things we do daily. You can quote me on that one. You need to identify small, sustaining daily habits that can be done on 80-90% of days to help you be in the best form for yourself and others. To help you build that practice, I've created the Self Care Mind Map and the 90 Day Habit Tracker. (To download both files in PDF format, as well as view my entire Self-Care for Non-Profit Pros webinar, click here.) The process starts with the Self-Care Mind Map. Self-Care Mind Map The Self-Care Mind Map is divided into eight areas of our life and I want you to stretch yourself and think of three things you could do in each category that would improve your quality of life. You are not committing to doing any of these things at this point. Just write whatever comes to mind. Mindset You need to fill your brain with a positive can-do attitude and your mind needs to just rest and be clear sometimes. For my Mind Map, I put that I could listen to positive podcasts, meditate for at least five minutes per day, or take periodic detox breaks from social media. Yours might include affirmations, visualization, reading self-help books, or audiobooks. There are so many options to build a healthy, resilient mindset. Intellect Generate some ideas about how you can feed your mind. For example, I love documentaries, about the British Royal Family and World War II (bonus if it’s about both)! I also like to read on many different topics and I like learning foreign languages using the Duolingo app. Saying “No” It might seem like we are having to give up too much these days. But think about what causes you unnecessary stress or takes away too much time. For me, I don’t consume news in excess and I’m working really hard to stop scrolling on my phone in the mornings. Feelings If we don’t acknowledge and process our feelings, they either appear in the body as illness or they manifest in destruction behaviors (like addiction) and interpersonal patterns (codependency). I wrote on my Mind Map that could set firm boundaries about my needs, practice focusing on what I can control, and I free-write in my journal three quick pages most mornings. (Morning pages is a practice from The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron and I highly recommend this book for any creative person.) Yours may be committing to attend 12-step meetings (yes, they have lots of these online and via phone these days), visiting a counselor (also available online), or writing a letter to express a long-held grudge (even if you don't send it). What, if you were deeply honest with yourself, do you need? Body There are endless options for this category: you could floss more regularly, lift weights, eat more vegetables, go for a daily walk, get 8 hours of sleep most nights, the list goes on and on. The challenge here is to narrow it down to what you most need and what will truly provide you with the most benefit. Oh yeah! And it has to be something that you can and will do! My two that make me feel amazing are daily yoga practice of at least 15 minutes and getting 10,000-15,000 steps on my Fitbit daily. Spirit Even if you are a hard-core atheist, you still need to attend to your spiritual side (even though the word “spirit” might make you bristle a little). Hear me out: Even if you don’t go to church, do you have a community, a strong friend group that you can rely on. Do you sing daily? Singing is a powerful kind of psychological medicine. I also like reading poetry (and writing it too). What other things can you think of to nourish your sense of wonder and awe at this whole being human thing? Play Play has a few particular characteristics. First, play is pleasurable. Sounds like “duh!” but things in this category should be fun. Second, we enter into play voluntarily and most often it is self-chosen and self-directed. So, no putting things you think you “should” do in this category. Play makes us feel like we can do it all day. There’s a feeling of time not moving when you play. My kids help me play. These days, we love having family game nights and family movie nights. Those are precious moments, yes. But I also enjoy them because they are fun for me. Not-so-guilty pleasures Now, we are really getting into the nitty-gritty. This is where you can let loose a bit. What are three things you might call “guilty pleasures”, the things you are a little embarrassed to admit to someone you respect that you enjoy. I love a good bath. But, that’s become like the stereotype of the harried mother trying to do self-care. Still, it’s a happy place for me. I also love showtunes! And I have an entire collection of vinyl records from Broadway and movie musicals because no one else wanted to buy them! I also love really giant (like Alice in Wonderland-style) ridiculous cups of hot tea. This list will be your go-to when you are ready to indulge. 90 Day Habit Tracker Ok, now that you’ve filled out your entire mind map, pick 3-5 that you know would improve your quality of life if you did them every day (or most days). If you do this with 80-90% adherence, I’m telling you it will completely change your life. Feel free to throw out a habit if it doesn’t work after a couple of weeks or a month, then replace it with something else. You can also change the duration that you do one practice. For instance, if you started off with 20 minutes of meditation and you find you cannot fit that in, drop the goal to only 5 minutes a day. Have fun figuring out what makes you feel the best. Back in 2017, I set myself a challenge like this. I wanted to do #yogaeverydamnday and get 10,000 steps every day for 30 days. At the end of that month, my mind was sharp and clear, I had lost a bit of weight without much strenuous effort (and while eating pasta and cannoli when traveling), and when I woke up in the morning I didn’t creak with aches and pains. It was nothing short of remarkable. When I described the amazing benefits I gleaned from this experiment to my aunt, she stared at me seriously and asked, “Well, why the hell did you stop?” I did not have any good reason. At that point I realized I needed to build this into my life in a sustainable way. There will be days that I twist my ankle and can’t achieve the 10,000 steps. There will be days that I'm too busy with meetings for yoga. That’s ok, too. But working toward 80-90% adherence to healthy habits bring tremendous results. ConclusionAlso, please remember to find beauty and practice gratitude. I have been snapping pictures of flowers every day, because I’m so genuinely grateful that I can get outside and walk. The weather has been beautiful here (whereas my brother and his family are stuck in late season snow in Colorado) and I have other friends who are stuck inside their homes for the foreseeable future. So, the best thing we can do for ourselves and others right now is to look inward and tend to ourselves like one would tend a garden, cultivating compassion for self and others. The result will be grace. Grace for ourselves, for our families, our kids, our elders, the healthcare workers, the UPS drivers, our neighbors, everyone we interact with. And please tip your cashiers and delivery drivers very generously, as you are able. To get through all of this, we will need to take this extra time at home with our family to cultivate our best habits of self-care, which will fortify our body, mind, and spirit. These practices will give us the resilience we need to get through this crisis successfully and come out the other side of stronger in many ways. If you already have a self-care practice, what does that look like for you? If you used the Self-Care Mind Map, what kinds of things did you come up with to try? Did any of them surprise you? In a couple of weeks, I want to know what benefits you've been able to garner from making some of those things habits? Please let me know in the comments below. And of course, if any of this stirred up questions, send me your question in the comments and I'll address it. Cheers,  Jessica Cloud
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PPS - If you found this article helpful, please comment and let me know. Also subscribe to Real Deal Fundraising so you don't miss a post! I feature a new blog post every Thursday and when you subscribe you’ll start to receive my FUNdraising Friday emails where I bring you curated information and super cool freebies exclusively for my subscribers! This sign hung in my various offices for over a decade.  I guess you could consider this a motivational poster of sorts, but I think it was actually a very early meme. These two sentences have become my fundraising mantra. Something I repeat to keep myself focused and to cope when things get rough. Because I’m both a nerd and a yogi, I looked up “mantra” in the Oxford English Dictionary. The term “mantra” comes from Sanskrit and the root words mean basically: "thought support" or device to support thought and action. This is exactly what this simple sign has been for me throughout my career. Even the repetitive rhythm of it helps in its function as thought support. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Raising money is the main thing. Let me tell you the story of this mantra: To give credit where it is due, the original sign was created for me by Mark Nelson, who was the Treasurer for the Libertarian National Committee (the Libertarian Party) in 2004-2005. So, he was a board officer for the organization I was working for at the time. I was the only full-time fundraiser for the national organization and I was only 23 years old. Their theory was to hire smart young people who would be “cheaper” salary-wise for the DC area. The exchange was that I would get a ton of valuable training and experience and they would get energetic labor. However, I was overwhelmed and I think Mark sensed it. I was managing a conversion from an antiquated custom donor database to Raiser’s Edge. I was producing a monthly newsletter for our recurring donors. I was helping to plan the national convention and scouting locations for the next convention. I was recruiting and training paid callers to renew memberships via phone and managing our intern program. With the help of a consultant, I was managing monthly direct mail campaigns and planning fundraising events. Then, because the LP was a political organization, staff frequently got pulled into controversies and political discussions. I’m tired and anxious just typing about everything I was called to do. As treasurer of course, Mark had a keen interest in keeping me motivated. On a trip to our DC office, he walked in and taped the sign to the wall above my computer monitor and explained what it meant. The “main thing” meme helped me to prioritize my work and keep my head on straight. It also reminded me that the officers of the organization supported me in my main role. My job as a fundraiser is revenue generation. Everything else must fade in comparison. When I left the LP, I took this simple sheet of copy paper with me and posted it in my new office at the University of South Carolina. This concept continued to keep me focused as I was hiring 110 student callers per semester to raise $1.47 million via phone annually. When I took a job as behind-the-scenes project manager with RuffaloCODY (now Ruffalo Noel Levitz), I would see the sign and feel sad. I knew then that I missed frontline fundraising. I missed chasing down a dollar goal. It helped me navigate my career back to raising money. At some point in changing offices, the original paper got ragged and I disposed of it. But, when I was at Southern Miss and we tripled our annual fund income in one year, I recreated the poster for some of our gift processors who were overwhelmed and wanted a reminder of how their work connected to the big picture. It became a bit of an office-wide mantra. Now that I’m back at a small shop, I think of this mantra often. I try hard to “stay in my lane” and keep the focus on fundraising. There is much to do, the need is great, and it is easy to feel like you are never doing quite enough. But, the main thing . . . is to keep . . . the main thing . . . the main thing. And, raising money . . . is the main thing. At any organization, you will be asked to do many mundane things (I collectively call them TPS reports). These include: expense reports, submission forms, demographic changes in database, meetings, etc. Do these things, but strive to automate those tasks as much as you can so that they don’t distract you from the main thing: raising money. At some organizations, especially those that are not organizationally mature, fundraisers will get pulled into political discussions and controversies. Continue to come back to mission and how the main thing (fundraising) supports that mission. When people around you go low, you go high. Keeping focused on raising money is the high road. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Raising money is the main thing. What’s your fundraising mantra? How do you keep yourself focused? Comments and questions are, as always, welcomed and encouraged! Cheers, Jessica Cloud PS – If you liked this post, you might also like these:
PPS - If you found this article helpful, please comment and let me know. Also subscribe to Real Deal Fundraising so you don't miss a post! You'll get my guide to Call Center Games for Free!   Part of my mission at Real Deal Fundraising is to support young fundraising professionals so that they stay in this industry and grow their careers. To that end, I’ve been thinking about which skills I would advise a new fundraising professional to cultivate in order to have the best chance of career success. Here’s my list in no particular order
Most of these are abstract skills and really more traits that you can cultivate. All of them can be developed and maintained. Of the eight, I believe “Integrity” is the most important because it is foundational. The rest simply don’t matter without it. Second most important, in my estimation, is curiosity because it is engine behind your growth in this industry. Even if you have all of the other skills, you won’t keep up with the changes and trends without the drive to continually learn. To that end, I’ll continue to provide information and resources here on Real Deal Fundraising so the professionally curious can get the ideas they need to succeed as fundraising professionals. Did I overlook an essential fundraising skill? What would you add to this list? Comments and questions are, as always, welcomed and encouraged! Cheers, Jessica Cloud PS - If you liked this post, you might also like these:
PPS - If you found this article helpful, please comment and let me know. Also subscribe to Real Deal Fundraising so you don't miss a post! You'll get my guide to Call Center Games for Free!   I know it's so superficial and perhaps shallow.
But nonetheless, it's true. One of the reasons that I love being a fundraiser is the FOOD. It's no secret to anyone in the industry that we fundraisers love to eat. We like to take donors to dinner, to lunch, to have breakfast, to have coffee, or to meet for dessert. We like to do anything that will help us break bread with people because it is such a primal way to build relationships. It's a core aspect of hospitality to provide food to someone we are grateful for. And it is just a nice perk of the position. Fundraising is tough work and you get told no an awful lot, so getting a yummy meal brings balance to the universe. And inevitably as a fundraiser, you'll end up involved in event planning. Attending a tasting session for an important event is so much fun. I hope for each of you that one day you have enough positive career karma to get to sample delicious menus including desserts and wine. It's bliss. Truly. Despite the fact that it's a superficial reason to love my career, the food is some small compensation for having to ask people to share their hard-earned funds with our organizations. Bon appetit!  When I was a young call center manager, I thought I would end up being a faculty member at a university. That was my career goal. I was totally opposed to making fundraising into a career rather than a job.
Then, one night I decided to mess with my callers just a bit. I had a cubicle in the corner of the call center. I shouted over the wall at around 8:00 PM that I had moved them ALL into credit card calling pools. Of course, since everyone they were talking with had both given before and given via credit card, they were excited. Sure enough, gifts picked up and in that last hour, the credit card rates were over 70%! The secret was that I hadn't done anything at all, except changed their expectations. At this point, I realized that I really liked the strategy and psychology in this field. I liked examining results and figuring out where things worked or didn't work and why. As I grew in my career, I loved the organizational challenges thrown at me. You have to have a strategy when you are trying to clean up a building project where naming opportunities might have been double-booked. Most of all, monitoring my own mindset is part of the strategy that keeps my mind stimulated. Smile when you dial is one of the most important lessons I ever learned. I never do the same thing day-to-day and there always a new challenge on the horizon, requiring a fresh strategy. If you are interested in the other reasons that I love being a fundraiser, check the posts out:
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Jessica Cloud, CFREI've been called the Tasmanian Devil of fundraising and I'm here to talk shop with you. Archives
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