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6 Ways To Lead A Fundraising Staff

Nonprofit leaders are aware of the need for effective leadership, but one area in which they can overlook that need is fundraising. Speaking at the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International Fundraising Conference in Boston, Nigel Harris, chief executive officer of the Mater Foundation in Australia, said that there are six R’s of fundraising leadership.

Those R’s are:

  • Relevance. It is about the need to stand for something, and define who you are and what you do. It also emphasizes difference, influence and making things happen.
  • Relationships. This is talking about, as leaders, connecting with people and bringing people along. It includes themes such as awareness, empathy, political savvy, finding a way.
  • Results. This is moving the conversation from how leaders need to operate to what they need to accomplish. A leader’s job is to get things done.
    Actually, Harris said, he has three more:
  • Resilience. Things will go wrong. This is an inevitable reality for leaders who are trying rather than playing it safe. When things go wrong, it is important that leaders do not take that adversity personally.
  • Respect. Harris said this is evident in its presence or its omission, and the difference is often stark.
  • Reflection. This includes self-reflection, mindfulness and critical thinking.