5 Soft Skills for Nonprofit Executive Directors Without Prior Fundraising Experience

by Paul Gemeinhardt, M.S.W.
Senior Search Advisor, The Moran Company
“We Find Great Nonprofit Executives”

When I became a nonprofit Executive Director at the age of 28 and began my career serving as a nonprofit CEO for the next 34 years, I didn’t know anything about fundraising and had to learn very quickly. I had the naïve idea that I could sit in my office and people would just drop off gifts that would allow us to continue our great work. Yet after a month of no one delivering a gift, I realized something had to change.

Fortunately, I reached out to others in the field who understood fundraising and could help me learn. They took me under their wing and provided intense paid consultation over the course of three years, although the learning process continued well beyond that time. The first appeal letter I wrote would have gotten an ‘F’ in an academic setting, but eventually I learned how to write a strong donor solicitation letter, as well as grants, and how to talk to donors who were important stakeholders in our mission. The point is, I did not know anything about fundraising initially, but I had a personal desire to learn – and the agency made a commitment to give me the training I needed.

In my previous blog, “Does Your Nonprofit Executive Director Need Fundraising Skills,” we discussed the benefits of having a leader with prior fundraising experience – or a leader who is willing to learn. As part of our recruiting efforts at The Moran Company, we often seek applicants who – even if they lack formal fundraising training or experience – possess certain soft skills that can translate to future fundraising success. For example, below is a short list of attributes that can help reveal natural talent in Executive Director candidates with no formal fundraising experience:

1. They believe in the mission and can communicate it well. This is first and foremost. A nonprofit Executive Director must be able express the organization’s vision and inspire support in its cause.
2. They enjoy being in the community and getting to know people. This does not mean they have to be extroverts. In fact, listening skills are sometimes more important. A good Executive Director needs to connect with a variety of diverse audiences in a genuine way.
3. They must be able to build and maintain strong relationships. This involves being trustworthy and transparent, touching base with people to show you care about them (and not just what you want from them), and then following through on commitments or partnerships made together.
4. They like to collaborate. They know who has the relationship with a donor or key stakeholder, whether it is a board member or staff member, and support them. At the same time, they recognize when someone wants to hear directly from the Executive Director. They work as a team without the need for individual recognition. A ‘win’ in fundraising is a ‘win’ for the organization and for the clients served.
5. They can identify opportunities, create consensus, and convey hope. The Executive Director should understand the agency’s day-to-day operations, as well as its long-term goals and needs. This knowledge allows him or her to prioritize projects, recognize opportunities for funding, and connect the dots to key resources. Ultimately, the Executive Director must lead the entire agency and its stakeholders into the future with confidence and a sense of calm – especially during times of significant challenges or change.

Whether a nonprofit Executive Director has fundraising skills in advance or learns them on the job through training, she or he must participate in fundraising and relationship-building for any public-benefit organization because community support is simply necessary to a nonprofit’s ability to carry out its mission. The fact is, a lot of people do not feel comfortable asking for money. However, if an Executive Director possesses the soft skills needed to be successful and understands the basic principles of fundraising best practices while focusing wholeheartedly on the agency’s mission, he or she will learn to enjoy the impact philanthropy can have on the lives of others. In the end, it is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

At The Moran Company, we understand firsthand the skills needed to be successful nonprofit leaders because we have personally served as Executive Directors and senior-level fundraising professionals. Now as recruiters, our reward is identifying the right staff members who can make an impact on your mission. Contact us for a free 30-minute consultation to see how we can help your nonprofit with its hiring needs – or how we can simply offer our advice when it comes to recruiting and succession planning for key leadership positions.

© 2020  The Moran Company, “We find great nonprofit executives.” We specialize in searches for nonprofit executive directors, directors of development/fundraising staff, and other top nonprofit leadership. www.morancompany.com