Fundraisers Are As Scarce As Hen’s Teeth

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 – 09:59

The increasing shortage of competent fundraisers in South Africa leaves many non-profit organisations struggling to sustain themselves. To address this problem there is a need for South African Qualification Authority accredited training programmes aimed at capacitating fundraisers to compete in the world of fundraising. The local non-profit sector might be under threat from overseas talent scouts looking for the best expertise in the business

Comments

By Anonymous

Fri 30 Aug, 2013 – 10:38

Hi were you successful in finding a fundraiser? If not please contact mr. Liz Linsell 0724826131 Linsell@absamail.co.za

By Anonymous

Tue 24 Jul, 2012 – 16:19

I URGENTLY NEED A FUNDRAISOR TO FUNDRAISE FOR THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS: SOLULEL’ISANDLA PRISON MINISTRY, REFORMED SCHOOL FOR CHRSTIAN EDUCATION, DEMOCRATIC SCOUTS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA. I NEED TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT URGENTLY & FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLZ CONTACT: REV DR JAMES V FATUSE – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT 079 137 3582, TEKEFAX: 041 462 3890 & EMAIL: drvjfatuse@gmail.com

By Anonymous

Wed 27 Jun, 2012 – 16:12

We are in need of a GOOd fundraiser, contact admin@writersguildsa.org urgently

By Anonymous

Sun 4 Mar, 2012 – 18:49

We urgently need a professional fundraiser for our NPO. We have been trying on our own to raise funds for almost a year and although we know that we have the potential to make it work, because of lack of skills we will have to close our doors soon if we do not receive help fast. Where do we find professional fundraisers like yourself and your partner with the skills and know how to help us. Can you please give us an indication? please mail crim.ba6@gmail.com

By Anonymous

Thu 21 Jul, 2011 – 08:10

I agree as a Fundraiser for the last 7 years some NGO’s are not held accountable and yet will still degrade, dismiss their Fundraiser! having experience in the field is no recipe for employment, I have raised millions with a nil budget and yet for a year could not find employment as previous NGO management do not want you to work for other NGO’s in case you render their slice of the pie smaller. They will rather employ someone with far less experience such as a 27 year old male and pay them more than the qualified female. No Fundraisers ask the question why and who you want to employ? someone who has been a “rain-maker” or someone who meets your fancy? Some NGO’s are sitting with millions in the bank and yet still receive the highest acreditation spending the money on non-essentials and deceiving the public and donors.

By Anonymous

Sun 19 Jun, 2011 – 15:52

Who is accountable when raising funds for a NGO? At the moment as it appears no one is accountable and organisations can do what they like with money given to them for a reason and then that reason is never reached. There is a ? over some organisations and the money given is not used for the what they claim it is for. Yes you are right it is an art and too often an art of deceipt.

By Anonymous

Wed 18 May, 2011 – 14:33

Fund raising is an art you don’t need accreditation for it bt rather a strong network system and convincing spectrum to life. In my own opinion the best in it are the old people over 50, why? They have accumulated a lot of friends over the years who know someone who have reached a selfless stage to give and advise. More importanntly white people are more good at it because of strong ties they have with people on the driving seat of this country’s economy. The upcoming conferences are good for networking but their input does not guarantee good and viable means of fund rasing. Ask the 69 yr old person who has whose comment is above and she will give the links of the affluent contacts available to give, thus adding value to fund raising. By the way I am a 28 yr old young man doing fund raising and I am cracking it in business, how I am connected because I studied with affluent white children.

By Anonymous

Mon 18 Apr, 2011 – 16:25

Hi there. I have just been appointed a Project Manager in and NPO dealing with poverty eradication, HIV/AIDS care and management as well as gender equality here in Lesotho. A big role for my position is to fund raise. I have few to no skills at all for fund raising, except my PR and Marketing experience, as well my Development Communication and Public Health Degrees. could you kindly give me access to your funding proposal documents that have secured you funding so that I can at least read how you do it. I would also appreciate more information or tutorial material on identifying donors, how to approach them, writing funding proposals and managing these relationships. My email is sets2ir@yahoo.com

By Anonymous

Fri 25 Mar, 2011 – 11:54

This is a very interesting topic. I am in the fundraisinG field for the last 11 years at an NPO. My view is that NPO’s have a conservative outlook on fundraising and does not view a fundraiser as a professional person. Mostly underpaid, fundraisers are expected to raise millions, sacrafice time, after hours and week-ends for a few thousand rand. Fundraisers are demotivated because salaries are not competitive and after a few years and hundreds of rejection letters, you become demotivated, stressed out, and you realise it is not worth the money. A further problem I experience is that no guideline is available to use when determining what a fundraiser should get paid – salary scales or frame of reference. I know your fundraising target playes a role, but many management boards want proof of what salary is seen as market relating. Because they can’t compare salaries,they decide what they think they can afford. Does any person have a guideline of what fundraisers should be paid, or what is the best way to determine remuneration? I am a SAIF member and support the idea of non commission fundraising. If you look at sales persons/reps working for commission, they earn huge salaries because companies are making millions due to their sales. Fundraisers bring in millions for the NPO, but earn poor salaries.

By Anonymous

Mon 20 Dec, 2010 – 14:26

BY Brightness Mangolothi An interesting read It is also important that NGO form partnerships with universities. One of the key vision of most SA university it to be involved in corpoate citizenship. Partnerships can go a long way. It should also be acknoweldged that the fundraiser is doing one part of the big picture. Communication and public relations practitioners play an important role in positioning and shaping the reputation of the organisation. Relationships with the community, government, business, media and other key role players in the surrounding area are key. You cannot easliy sell your cause if you are unkwon as an organisations hence tools such as web site and social media and networks, word of mouth and not forgeting the traditional media (newspapers, radios etc) plays an important role. Should one be uninformed about the above surely it will be a tedious journey. Issues such as a succession planning are imperative for the sustainability of the organisation. If your organisation is not managing talent surely it is on a route to brain drain. There is a high need to expose also our CBO leaders as they are the people on contact with the people on day to day basis. As a university we have inititated a drive to expose students by forming partnetships with a community chest and it has been an empowering exercise for both NGO’s and studends and for lecturers as they see the growth and development of the students. The challange we have is always thinking that money is the main driver, hence “fundraisers” true but it should not be neglected that poor relationships with the stakeholders of the organisation, poor management, poor working climate both for fulltime employees and the volunteers can break the organisations of the organisations. Its all about doing the basics “relationship management” brightness@webamil.co.za

Recruiting the right person for a top post as a fundraising manager or development director is challenging. Only a handful of fundraisers with the right level of abilities and experience to raise multiple millions exist in South Africa. There’s a perception that this is a local problem but in fact it is a global crisis!

The fundraising profession has a high turnover (around 30 percent per year) often linked to burnout and lack of job satisfaction. This is also exacerbated by ‘poaching’ from other non-profits. In addition, South Africa might be under threat from overseas talent scouts looking for the best in the business.

“The world is suffering from a scarcity of good fundraisers and international non-government organisations are flooding into South Africa on recruitment drives”, says Jenni McLeod, of Downes Murray International (DMI), a leading fundraising consultancy. McLeod further states, “Our clients often struggle to find competent people, many applicants will respond to an advertisement or are recommended by placement agencies, but few are able to really walk the talk.”

A well-known and respected children’s organisation advertised for a Fund Development Manager, received 52 applicants, compiled a shortlist of five good candidates, but not one person met their expectations. They tried head-hunting but without success. In desperation, a person with a marketing background was appointed, believing that transferable skills should work. Wrong, after eight months he resigned. Finally, they placed a competent and capable person ending a tortuous two year search.

Industry experts believe that some of the reasons for this shortage are:

There has been an explosion in the number of new non-profits and they all need fundraisers, so the demand out-numbers the supply.
This demand is also driven by an increased need for more Rands to cover higher costs of doing the work and a need to raise the quality of service.
Leadership, board members and management, should be focusing on professional development of all staff but even more so when it comes to individuals charged with securing sufficient income to sustain the organisation.
There is no serious interest in formal training for development officers/directors although SAQA qualifications and unit standards exist and are transferable international best practice, yet few practitioners attempt to gain this advantage.
Few fundraisers have worked with a broad-spectrum of fundraising methods and even less have the know-how for adaptation of digital tools and new technology.
NPO leaders won’t make the effort to understand fundraising and what it really entails with regards to resources and investment in setting up a fundraising team.
Low salaries are offered to competent people and professionals are asked to work on a commission-basis, which is universally frowned upon as unethical and historically a model for failure.
Lack of planning, budgets, strategies and systems are to blame – if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

The President of the Southern Africa Institute of Fundraising, Zai Miller, says “Many Board members expect their fundraisers to bring in substantial amounts but don’t realise that you have to spend money to make money, fundraisers should be supported, developed and nurtured – not bullied and burdened with unrealistic targets. This is why we are losing people with potential; this is part of the problem.”

This is a complex set of issues that requires the NPO sector to make efforts by increasing the talent pool and strengthening individual career-paths through professional development.

Encourage individuals to improve their qualifications and knowledge by attending accredited or endorsed training courses.
Keep up to date and attend informal workshops, seminars and conferences.
Network with peers in small groups or via Internet social networking.
Read books and search the Internet for fundraising ideas and insights.
Build support systems and seek out experienced people to be a coach or a mentor.
Make space for paid interns or learnerships to gain experience and skills.
Encourage staff to become members of a professional association such as the Southern Africa Institute of Fundraising (SAIF).
Change the mindset of top leaders to learn about fundraising and create a culture that it’s everyone’s job to get involved.

Fundraisers should also improve their skills and enhance their knowledge through attending:

SANGONeT’s “Fundraising in the Digital World” Conference, 1-2 September 2010 in Johannesburg, 3 September 2010 in Durban and 6 September 2010 in Cape Town
30th International Fundraising Conference in Amsterdam, Holland 19-22 October 2010
Association of Fundraising Professionals, Chicago, USA 20-23 March 2011, contact e-mail chicago2011@afpnet.org
SAIF 10th Biennial Convention “A New Dawn In Fundraising” 4-6 May 2011, Muldersdrift, Gauteng

If we are faced with a brain-drain of excellent fundraisers then we need to face-up to the reasons why so many new entrants drop-out, become disillusioned or drift from the profession. Few stay for more than five years whilst it can take at least ten years to be recognised as a veteran. It’s not a job for sissies and demands strength of character so we have to enrich the gene pool of this noble profession to avert the demise of hundreds of good causes.

– Ann Bown works for Charisma Communications. Bown is a fundraising and brandraising consultant to non-profit organisations. She is former president of the Southern Africa Institute of Fundraising.

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Remember to register for the 2010 SANGONeT Conference which will focus on "Fundraising in the Digital World". The conference will be held in three parts – the main event will be held from 1-2 September 2010 in Johannesburg, followed by one-day seminars in Durban on 3 September 2010 and Cape Town on 6 September 2010.