The Fundraising Talent Podcast
Business:Non-Profit
The pandemic has been a reminder that our world is not predictable; that most of what happens is beyond our control; and that, if you really want to accomplish your goals, the best you can do is remain self-aware and highly adaptable. For our team at Responsive, it’s been a challenging two years trying to keep a vision alive while managing the expectations of those who wanted to be a part of something new at one of the messiest times in human history. In today’s podcast conversation, I am pleased to introduce Mike Dixon, a long-time friend and now business partner, who genuinely believes in what we aim to achieve for the nonprofit sector and brings a number of strengths that I admittedly don’t have. Despite the myriad of challenges that we have encountered, Michael shares an appreciation for what has been accomplished in the last two years and looks forward to providing leadership to our consulting team in the years ahead.
In many ways, today’s podcast conversation follows the theme of managing our own expectations and those of others in order create environments where fundraising can thrive. We talked about whether employers are creating unreasonable expectations for their fundraisers that decrease the likelihood of genuine and authentic relationships. We suggest that a large number of today’s fundraisers are deliberately avoiding meaningful engagement, not out of fear of rejection or lack of experience, but because such interactions are often accompanied by expectations from boards and bosses that are beyond the fundraisers’ control. The oft-cited “culture of metrics” creates the illusion that one can control more than they actually can and compels fundraisers to rely on strategies that avoid rather than advance meaningful engagement.
As always, we are especially grateful to our friends at CueBack for sponsoring The Fundraising Talent Podcast. If you’d like to learn more about hosting the Responsive Fundraising roadshow in your local community, email me for more information. And, if you’d like to download Responsive’s latest edition of Carefully & Critically, just click here.
#186 | How can fundraisers ensure that donors aren’t zoning out at their virtual events?
#185 | How can men be allies with women in the fundraising profession?
#184 | Why can't fundraising professionals just learn how to get along?
#183 | How can fundraising professionals better navigate radical uncertainty?
#182 | Perhaps fundraising is more about story-listening rather than story-telling?
#181 | What does it mean to be a Black woman in fundraising today?
#180 | To ensure more diversity among our donors, can fundraising become more exploratory work?
#179 | Can a nonprofit with a historically homogeneous culture redeem itself in today's climate?
#178 | Perhaps more automation is not what fundraising needs right now?
#177 | What are fundraising professionals thinking about the future of special events?
#176 | How can fundraising be a place where we show up as our best self?
#175 | How might the expectations for fundraising professionals be evolving?
#174 | Can the annual fund deliver on more than efficiency, predictability and control?
#173 | How do WOC show up authentically in their fundraising roles?
#172 | Will Zoom ultimately enhance or impede our productivity as fundraisers?
#171 | Have we got our approach to developing fundraising talent all wrong?
#170 | What if we’ve got the essence of fundraising all wrong?
#169 | Does fundraising really have to be mechanical and resemble an assembly line?
#168 | Is another pivot really what fundraising professionals needs to be talking about right now?
#167 | When are fundraising professionals going to get back on the road?
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