Nonprofit leaders: I’m going to be very frank. Fundraising as a profession is in a deep crisis.

And you might be part of the problem.

Obviously, I don’t know you, so I can’t say that for sure. But across our profession, leadership is one of the top problems for professional fundraisers. It costs organizations literally billions in lost revenue every year. And we lose many of our best people as they decide they can’t make a career in fundraising work for them.

The typical turnover time for fundraising people is 16-18 months on the job. That’s barely enough time to learn all the ropes and master a job. And you are stuck replacing them, at an internal cost of at least a full year of salary. But the bigger cost is the loss of institutional memory. It’s devastating. And it keeps on happening.

Our own Moceanic polling has confirmed this problem several times. Professional fundraisers are frustrated with their leaders, who don’t understand fundraising, and create all kinds of barriers to success.

I’ll be frank: Nonprofit leadership is strangling fundraising – and fundraisers.

Even if you aren’t the problem, you are almost certainly part of the solution. That’s why I hope you will read this with an open heart and mind.

Because if you can beat the odds by supporting your fundraising people and their work. The rewards will be huge and lasting.

Here are some of the issues that are really hurting a lot of organizations:

Lack of respect for fundraisers’ professionalism

This is the big one. My boss won’t listen to me! I know how to fundraise, but because they don’t like the strategy and tactics, they won’t let me do the work.

This is distressingly common in our profession. Honestly, how long would you stay at a job where your boss was preventing you from doing your job?

Listen: Fundraising is a profession. It has a body of professional knowledge. Well-understood principles, strategies, and tactics. There are quality books, conferences, blogs – even professional certifications and university degrees. This is not neighborhood bake sale stuff. It is high-level enterprise.

And we have leaders relying on their personal preference or gut instinct – ignoring the hard-won knowledge their fundraisers long to put into practice. If this is happening at your organization, the cost is staggering. First in revenue that is not coming in because of the lack of professionalism. Second, because chances are you are repeatedly losing your best people every 16-18 months.

To be fair, a lot of fundraising knowledge is counterintuitive. One example: Longer fundraising messages usually outperform shorter ones. That’s just weird, right? But it’s a dependable truth. And your fundraising professionals know it. (I hope.)

As a leader, when you see something that strikes you as odd from your fundraisers, just ask them about it. Let them enlighten you. That’s what strong leaders do.

If you aren’t trained in fundraising, that’s okay. You have a wider remit that may include fundraising. But good leaders hire, promote, and listen to people with expertise and experience they don’t themselves have.

That’s the recipe for success for any leader.

It may be that this destructive approach is happening at your organization, but you aren’t the one doing it. In that case, you may have a complex and difficult task ahead of you. But that’s what you are here to do!

If you’re not sure where to start, you’re not alone. That’s exactly why we created The Fundraisingology Lab – a year-round professional learning community designed to support fundraisers and nonprofit leaders alike.

Inside the Lab, you’ll find the tools, coaching, and connection that help fundraising thrive – not just for a season, but for the long term.

And now, with our new Team Membership, your whole fundraising team can learn, grow, and succeed together – all in one place, with one affordable plan.

Book a free demo to see what’s possible for your team.

It might be the most important step you take toward building the kind of fundraising – and leadership – your mission deserves.

Related Blog Posts:

• For Fundraising Excellence, Rely on Expertise, Not Opinions
• 4 Steps to Make Your Boss Your Fundraising Ally
• 7 Ways to Make Yourself a Better Fundraiser