Managers face a constant battle of fulfilling mission, fundraising and dealing with the day-to-day problems that can beset any human endeavor.
During a recent international conference on fundraising, Margaret Scott of Surfers Paradise, Australia, said that managers must be aware of the internal barriers that can thwart their efforts as much as those that exist outside it. Scott said that research conducted among CEOs helped to uncover five principles to help guide an organization so that it can overcome internal barriers.
Further, there was strong to unanimous agreement among the CEOs polled on the necessity of the five principles. Those principles are:
- It is mandatory to employ fundraising professionals;
- It is desirable to engage the whole organization in the fundraising effort;
- The CEO must be involved in fundraising. This principle received full support from CEOs;
- The person leading the fundraising should report to the CEO and take a place in the CEO’s management team; and,
- There is a relationship between fundraising and the organization structure. This also had full agreement from CEOs.
She also offered tips emerging from the same study:
- Understand the organization set up;
- Understand and make an investment in fundraising;
- Manage resources; and,
- Be able to complete the following: “The organization understands …”, “The organization is represented …”, “The organization says …”.
