Earlier this month at the Institute of Fundraising’s National Convention, Beth Breeze, director of the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent, presented early findings from her three-year project, The Formation of Fundraisers: the Role of Personal Skills in Asking for Money. They included a list of 11 personal characteristics and traits that she has discovered so far in the kind of people who make a career out of asking for money.
As we took part in Beth’s study we were intrigued to see what these were!
- A high emotional intelligence, including being self-aware and aware of how others are feeling.
- Formative experiences which mean they are comfortable asking – Breeze said fundraisers tended to come from backgrounds where it was completely natural to ask for help or to borrow a cup of sugar.
- A tendency to engage with people and communities outside the day job
- A love of reading – the study found fundraisers were particularly likely to enjoy popular psychology books
- An ability to read people and situations, and to understand body language
- An enjoyment of giving – 87 per cent of fundraisers said they love to give gifts, and 32 per cent donate blood, compared to 5 per cent in the general population
- A great memory for faces, names and personal details
- An ability to be “Janus-faced” – fundraisers are charming, laid back and fun in front of donors, but ruthlessly well organised behind the scenes
- A focus on organisational rather than personal success – fundraisers saw themselves as enablers and scene setters rather than visible leaders seeking recognition
- A lack of egotism – Breeze said fundraisers understood that “the plaques are for donors, not askers”
- A tendency not to describe themselves as fundraisers – Breeze said fundraisers rarely described themselves as fundraisers.
What do you think?
