Ver­i­ty 16: all of the great fundrais­ers have cer­tain suc­cess fac­tors in common.

Written by
Jerold Panas
Added
August 05, 2014

It is the thread woven through their entire fabric.

There is high ambition, a drive to achieve and immense inner-motivation.

I find there are high aspirations. They keep raising the bar for themselves. They are always on tiptoes reaching high, still higher, higher yet.

They are audacious – faith and action – their credo is: decide, dare, do.

For the great ones, their life’s philosophy, professionally and personally, is: ‘I can do it’. They understand if you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right.

For them, there’s no such thing as a casual attempt. Try? here is no try. There is only do or not do. And in truth, there is simply no ‘not do’.

There is brazen belief and fiery faith in the possible. The great fundraisers understand that if you can conceive it, you can achieve it. To them, anything can be done.

They truly believe they can do it. And even more divine – they understand they must. The unaccomplished and the undone fester like a bad boil.

There is also a very high level of optimism. They are the kind of people who go after a whale with a harpoon and a jar of tartar sauce.

I find among the great ones I work with, there is medium to medium-high intelligence. But in terms of those who cope and, as they say, street-smarts – they are off the chart. What’s the old saying: A students become professors, B students become professionals like doctors and attorneys andC students rule the world.

(One of the most fascinating scholarships I’ve run into is when we worked at the University of Tennessee. There was a scholarship for C+ students. It was given by someone who was a C+ student who felt those are the ones who achieve the most in life.)

Another common factor is willingness to work long and hard. When they asked Thomas Edison what was the secret of his success, he responded he was successful because he only worked half a day. And he didn’t care whether it was the first 12 hours or the second 12 hours.

The great fundraisers respond to hard work . . . by piling on more.

And finally, the great ones are self-confident. That doesn’t mean they have a huge ego. It’s simply that they understand there is a job to be done, they are working for a noble cause and they are confident they can do the job.

Bruce Heilman, former President of Richmond University in Virginia, told me he considers this the most important attribute he looks for in a fundraiser. He looks for men and women who have in place the self-confidence they need.

About the author: Jerold Panas

Jerold Panas has been professionally involved in fundraising for over 40 years. He combines his understanding and experience with a special talent for strategic planning, major gifts and volunteer development.

He is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars and a regular contributor to professional journals. Dr Panas is regarded as an author of particular note and his books are considered amongst the most significant in the field.

In 2013, he received the coveted lifetime achievement award for his contribution to philanthropy and fundraising. In 2011, the Cultural Office of Mexico cited him for his contribution to the nation’s philanthropy.

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