Caring for fundraisers in isolation
If you’ve spent any amount of time with a successful frontline fundraiser, you know: they are a rare breed.
Most fundraisers skew toward an energetic, enthusiastic, and collaborative personality type—the ‘I-type’ in the DISC model. They thrive on constant motion and interaction with people.
And that means they’re fish-out-of-water in our new reality of indefinite confinement and isolation.
Plucked out of their normal social context, I-type fundraisers are unmoored. They may be struggling to focus on work, especially the strategic aspects of their roles. They are not the ones using this national ‘pause time’ to learn new hobbies, read through their backlog of books, or find inner peace. They are the ones feeling a sense of hopelessness—or even potentially sinking into a silent depression They are the ones sinking into a silent depression under the façade of a happy-go-lucky extrovert.
As leaders, our most important role right now is caring for the people around us. Everyone needs special support in this time.
For fundraisers, that support needs to be extra intentional and intensive. As this crisis drags on, it’s not only important, but imperative—from a compassion perspective and from a business continuity perspective.
Generic care and team ice breakers won’t cut it anymore. It’s time to provide special care. Here’s how to get started…
Check in 1:1 daily—and make space for honesty.
The default mode for fundraising types is positivity. In a team meeting, they are likely to share inspiring anecdotes, cheer on colleagues, and provide a little comic relief.
But when the Zoom call ends, they’re going back to disrupted routines, an onslaught of terrifying headlines, and a little too much time alone with their feelings. The ‘bright side’ feels like a mirage and no amount of cheerleading can make it appear.
What these team members need from leaders (and colleagues and friends right now) is permission to worry—to release that ingrained sense of responsibility to bring cheer.
A daily check-in can create the space they need to talk about what they are really experiencing. A phone call is ideal, but any personal communication will do. When you check in, don’t bring solutions. Make it okay to feel discouraged about the present and worried about the future. Make it okay to feel a little unproductive and disorganized. Those are natural feelings right now.
Listen emphatically and care genuinely. An I-type’s comfort comes from an audience and the warm embrace of community that it represents.
Create a clear and specific goal for each week—a way to be a ‘hero’.
An inspiring, achievable ‘mission’ is a great antidote to worry and listlessness. Frontline fundraisers are especially hungry for a way to help right now. They crave a way to lead their communities and colleagues out of this mess.
But they are likely not in a headspace to create strategic plans to guide their actions. In the current environment, their default fundraising playbook has been erased. And many organizations are telling frontline fundraisers to stop asking for gifts all together (a mistake, in our opinion, in case we haven’t made that clear enough).
That’s where you come in.
Every week, give your fundraisers a new tangible, measurable goal. Give them one thing to do that helps advance your program and simultaneously gives them a sense of purpose. Be sure that it really is one thing. Talk about it in all of your meetings that week, and don’t let other things sneak onto the agenda. Sample goals include:
A target number of phone calls to donors in their portfolio
A target number of thank you calls to recent non-portfolio donors (past 6-12 months / provide a list)
A target number of moves management plans to complete
An easy and important portfolio clean-up task
Watch your fundraisers rally and thrive in pursuit of that goal. They’re wired to not only achieve goals but exceed them—and to be extremely happy clams when they do.
Mix it up each week to accommodate a natural need for excitement. People-facing goals will be more fulfilling, but planning tasks are okay too if they have a meaningful outcome that can be seen and celebrated.
Lean into their people skills.
We’re starting to sound like a broken record on the call-your-donors theme, but seriously: call your donors. More accurately, inspire and lead your fundraisers in calling as many donors as possible in the coming weeks.
As we’ve shared, the only agenda of these calls is to care. Your goal-oriented fundraisers may find it unnatural to release their own agendas in making these calls—since that is counter to all fundraising training. But once they’ve made a few calls, you’ll see a new light in their eyes.
Donors are so appreciative of genuinely caring calls. And it’s the organizations who take the time to care that stand out now as people assess where to donate in this time of response and that will thrive going forward as charities of choice.
Beyond calling donors, your fundraiser’s people skills can also come in handy for bucking up your entire team. Have them lead team meetings, team-building activities, or taskforces to make sure staff needs are met.
Take a break from meetings.
Three weeks ago, your fundraisers were energized by the creativity of socializing in this crazy new reality. They thought virtual happy hours and watercooler Zooms were the answer to all of their extroverted prayers. They filled up their calendars and reconnected with everyone they’ve known since junior high.
Now, they are tired.
Maybe it’s the cognitive dissonance of socializing with out being physically present with people. Maybe it’s the dramatic changes to social structure. Maybe it’s the sheer number of hours spent on Zoom—pretending to be okay when they’re not.
Whatever the reason, even your fundraisers need a break from meetings. Get some ‘pause days’ on your team’s calendar to all take a break from meetings at the same time.
Bring back the joy.
No one stays in a frontline fundraising role unless they genuinely enjoy it. As foreign as it can seem, fundraisers genuinely enjoy hitting financial targets that enable their organizations to thrive.
Too many leaders today are taking their foot off the gas on fundraising—communicating to staff that financial goals for the year can’t and won’t be met. That may be the most likely scenario, but it’s not the only scenario. We are seeing an unprecedented outpouring of generosity, which your organization could benefit from. And all those relationships your fundraisers have built have created loyalty to your cause that can endure.
By saying your goal is no longer your goal, you are taking the wind out of your fundraisers’ sails. Let them have the joy of striving for what your organization needs—even if it’s challenging and requires new ways of thinking. The world is a dark and scary place right now. Let your fundraisers step in as the heroes they strive to be.
And create bursts of joy along the way. Bring levity to meetings, share funny stories and memes, mail a handwritten note of thanks, exchange ‘mission moments’, and most importantly share your personal appreciation for the unique contributions of your funny fundraiser types.