Have you ever watched another fundraising organisation go from strength to strength, and asked yourself ‘how do they do it’? In this article, we’ll share the secrets and habits of successful fundraisers. There’s sure to be something here to help you!When an organisation in the United States surveyed fundraising professionals and volunteers about the traits of a successful fundraiser, the results produced some down to earth, common sense (but not always common practice!) advice that will be of interest to Australian fundraisers too.

1. Be proactive. Don’t wait to be invited, get straight in and have a go. If you see where fundraising could produce a benefit for your organisation make it your business to advocate and take action.
2. Start with the end in mind. The first thing any project should do, including fundraising projects, is establish your goals. With clear goals in place you will always know where you are headed, and when you get there you will know. Projects without goals lose focus and can become difficult to manage.
3. Get all your ducks in a row. Effective fundraisers have strong organisational skills, and can set and manage priorities without compromising goals.
4. Seek first to understand. Your fundraising program will encounter problems. Count on it. And when problems arise, the person at the helm must show personal leadership skills. Stay cool, listen carefully to all sides before making a decision, keep the lines of communication open, and be a problem solver.
5. Synergise.   The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Make it your business to know the capacity of your committee members, and strive to put their various strengths to best use. Think about how to combine new and experienced volunteers. How can one volunteer’s strengths offset another’s weaknesses?
6. Stay fresh. Fundraising can be exhausting, volunteers can suffer burnout. Try and put the interests of your people first. Make sure they (and you!) maintain a healthy work-life balance.
7. Don’t be a gatekeeper. In management theory, a ‘gatekeeper’ is someone who hoards information and keeps it to themselves in order to feel important and powerful. This practice does is not in the interests of your goals. Share information. Make sure you have someone who knows their way around the whole effort in case you are not able to finish the task.

This article draws on a survey of fundraising professionals and volunteers by the US Association of Fundraising Distributors and Suppliers, and Stephen R Covey’s best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Fireside, 1990).

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