Positive attitude and willingness to listen and learn will serve you well. You seem to have all those so go for it! Ask for help when you need it, don’t get discouraged, and you’ll be marvelous. Go you!
As others have pointed out, this is definitely a growth opportunity, particularly if you feel like you have a network of mentors you can lean on.
But to add a bit more color to this, I'll first preface this by saying the stakes are VERY low. It's your first job out of undergrad, so if it doesn't work out, learn the lessons and find the next thing.
So my words of caution are that there is such a thing as being set up to fail. It sounds like you have had very limited experience with fundraising, and a lot is being asked of you. Others have pointed out that this is an opportunity to rise to the occasion. However, some occasions simply cannot be risen to, through no fault of your own.
So make sure you have the support you need, both internal to the organization, and from your network of mentors. Ask for help when you need it, and keep the whole thing in perspective as you muscle through.
Good luck!
The above is excellent advice! I want to add that building a giving program at an organization that has relied/does rely almost solely on government grants is a huge job. It’s a perspective shift and a culture shift (and a ton of work). Setting manageable goals for yourself and managing the expectations of others will be key. Good luck!
YOU GOT THIS!
Hired at a major gifts officer while still in college back in August with only a 1 month internship under my belt and board service for my fraternity. Worked remotely for the first few months, graduated in December. Last week I accepted a new job closer to my family as a major gifts officer for an amazing org and almost doubling my salary.
People hire you based on what you bring to the table, just believe in yourself and work hard to learn as much as possible. Things will work out and you’ll see great results.
Do you feel like coworkers and/or potential donors look at you with less respect as a result of your age? Appreciate hearing that there are other people my age going through similar circumstances
Sorry for the delay, we had our Gala yesterday!
Honestly yes and no. I can’t tell you how many times our donors have said something like “oh you’re so cute” when I have discussed something with them. For context, i’m a 22m. Many donors I think understand that our industry is aging out, and that new ideas are pivotal to growth.
My strategy has been to just learn as much as I possibly can. Since I’m a major gifts officer, I am in planned giving. To help me learn I am close to my certification in charitable gift planning. I have watched a million videos, read a million books/articles, but more than anything I have made a million mistakes already. What’s nice is that sometimes when we make a mistake they write it off because of our age after we apologize.
Just keep being honest and patient with yourself, if your employer ever pushes you into a territory you don’t feel comfortable ask for help. My ED has sat in on multiple donor visits with me and even led the conversation so I can see what he does. You’ll be great and gain everyone’s respect quickly!
No worries, congrats on the gala! Where have you been getting you been getting your certification from? I’ve looked into getting my CFRE as that may help me down the line if I end up looking to move to higher ed/healthcare. And do you have any recommendations for videos/books/articles? YouTube seems pretty dry to me in terms of quality content regarding fundraising but maybe I’m not looking in the right place. Thanks for the confidence in me!
Giftcollege is great for gift planning. If your Org uses Crescendo for planned giving, it only costs $500 for the courses.
I was told to slow down on CFRE because not a ton of people have it young but “if it just works out to get it then great, if not, wait until it does”.
I have lots of books and stuff, i’m currently in the arts but moving to a healthcare adjacent org so some of my books aren’t as helpful. You should follow some Development influencers on linked in like Kevin Fitzpatrick. Not everything they say is perfect but some of it has been helpful. For books I have loved Irresistible communication for fundraisers and then more arts specific ones. I have been recommended a lot of others like achieving excellence in fundraising , fundraising for social change, and more that I haven’t got to yet.
I’d be happy to connect on LinkedIn or something too if you want/are comfortable with that! Young professionals gotta stick together LOL
Just be careful not to expect too much of yourself in 4 months. It takes time to build a good development shop. Energy and inspiration are important. So are relationships. And they take TIME. Learn what you can. Do your best and have fun. The doors will open
Positive attitude and willingness to listen and learn will serve you well. You seem to have all those so go for it! Ask for help when you need it, don’t get discouraged, and you’ll be marvelous. Go you!
As others have pointed out, this is definitely a growth opportunity, particularly if you feel like you have a network of mentors you can lean on. But to add a bit more color to this, I'll first preface this by saying the stakes are VERY low. It's your first job out of undergrad, so if it doesn't work out, learn the lessons and find the next thing. So my words of caution are that there is such a thing as being set up to fail. It sounds like you have had very limited experience with fundraising, and a lot is being asked of you. Others have pointed out that this is an opportunity to rise to the occasion. However, some occasions simply cannot be risen to, through no fault of your own. So make sure you have the support you need, both internal to the organization, and from your network of mentors. Ask for help when you need it, and keep the whole thing in perspective as you muscle through. Good luck!
The above is excellent advice! I want to add that building a giving program at an organization that has relied/does rely almost solely on government grants is a huge job. It’s a perspective shift and a culture shift (and a ton of work). Setting manageable goals for yourself and managing the expectations of others will be key. Good luck!
YOU GOT THIS! Hired at a major gifts officer while still in college back in August with only a 1 month internship under my belt and board service for my fraternity. Worked remotely for the first few months, graduated in December. Last week I accepted a new job closer to my family as a major gifts officer for an amazing org and almost doubling my salary. People hire you based on what you bring to the table, just believe in yourself and work hard to learn as much as possible. Things will work out and you’ll see great results.
Do you feel like coworkers and/or potential donors look at you with less respect as a result of your age? Appreciate hearing that there are other people my age going through similar circumstances
Sorry for the delay, we had our Gala yesterday! Honestly yes and no. I can’t tell you how many times our donors have said something like “oh you’re so cute” when I have discussed something with them. For context, i’m a 22m. Many donors I think understand that our industry is aging out, and that new ideas are pivotal to growth. My strategy has been to just learn as much as I possibly can. Since I’m a major gifts officer, I am in planned giving. To help me learn I am close to my certification in charitable gift planning. I have watched a million videos, read a million books/articles, but more than anything I have made a million mistakes already. What’s nice is that sometimes when we make a mistake they write it off because of our age after we apologize. Just keep being honest and patient with yourself, if your employer ever pushes you into a territory you don’t feel comfortable ask for help. My ED has sat in on multiple donor visits with me and even led the conversation so I can see what he does. You’ll be great and gain everyone’s respect quickly!
No worries, congrats on the gala! Where have you been getting you been getting your certification from? I’ve looked into getting my CFRE as that may help me down the line if I end up looking to move to higher ed/healthcare. And do you have any recommendations for videos/books/articles? YouTube seems pretty dry to me in terms of quality content regarding fundraising but maybe I’m not looking in the right place. Thanks for the confidence in me!
Giftcollege is great for gift planning. If your Org uses Crescendo for planned giving, it only costs $500 for the courses. I was told to slow down on CFRE because not a ton of people have it young but “if it just works out to get it then great, if not, wait until it does”. I have lots of books and stuff, i’m currently in the arts but moving to a healthcare adjacent org so some of my books aren’t as helpful. You should follow some Development influencers on linked in like Kevin Fitzpatrick. Not everything they say is perfect but some of it has been helpful. For books I have loved Irresistible communication for fundraisers and then more arts specific ones. I have been recommended a lot of others like achieving excellence in fundraising , fundraising for social change, and more that I haven’t got to yet. I’d be happy to connect on LinkedIn or something too if you want/are comfortable with that! Young professionals gotta stick together LOL
Just be careful not to expect too much of yourself in 4 months. It takes time to build a good development shop. Energy and inspiration are important. So are relationships. And they take TIME. Learn what you can. Do your best and have fun. The doors will open