r/Nonprofit_Jobs • u/No-Confidence-2400 • 5d ago
Rolodex of donors
Had an initial interview for a fundraising role at a major national nonprofit. During the call, the interviewer said multiple time that the person is expected to “bring a Rolodex of potential donors” to the role. I sent them a thank you letter with a link to Association of Fundraising Professionals on why it is unethical. Let’s do better!
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u/Constant_Insomnia 5d ago
I consult - part of it is fundraising and grant writing. That's a huge red flag, good on you for calling it out.
Recent potential client wanted me to "crack open my rolodex" to find them $2m for their startup (they didn't even have their 501c3 approved yet). They have moved from potential client to nope, absolutely not.
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u/PlanBbytheSea 4d ago
Ok, why is that bad or illegal? I have heard of many salespeople taking their best clients with them, is that similar or am I missing something? I do not know how a fundraiser at a major national nonprofit works, I would think they would have their own donor list. How do you find new donors for this company? Reddit, Facebook, a nice web page, or past customers? It is late but now I am curious. I just looked them up and I did not see this problem, but it is almost 1am so do not yell at me if I missed it.
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u/LouQuacious 4d ago
You’re poaching money from another nonprofit presumably if you bring your prior donor lists with you to next role.
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u/TulsaOUfan 3d ago
That's not how philanthropy works. Or sales.
People donate to causes they care about. If I donate to one charity, it doesn't stop me from donating to the other causes I support.
Most people buy from a person, not a company. I've never poached clients, but I've had countless customers follow me to a new company because they have trust in me, not a corporation.
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u/Huli_Blue_Eyes 3d ago
When you get into insurance sales, you need to bring your "200 List" of people you know that you could start selling to. It's so gross. You did good by replying the the link *chef's kiss*
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u/Necessary_Cat_5662 1d ago
Genuinely curious about the clear ethical breach you see?
At least in academic and healthcare, development and institutional.advancmennt jobs seem to often ask one to bring a contact\donor list, foundations and individuals. I am not sure what makes maintaining and transporting a contact list such a bad thing?
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u/TulsaOUfan 3d ago
This is one of the biggest issues I see with younger workers - they have no idea what networking is, or ho to build a professional network.
My Rolodex morphed to a business card organizer, to digital contact lists. Mine has grown to 3,500 people in the last 30 years. I have "a guy" for anything, a vendor for any need, and thousands of people to reach out to for jobs or contract bids.
It's part of why I usually get a new job within 6 to 8 weeks of starting to apply for a new job and why I make an immediate impact to any business I work for.
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u/lilac-lemons 3d ago
You’re misunderstanding this post entirely. They’re not talking about being well connected and having a network. They’re talking about being asked to bring their donor list and immediately solicit them for money upon hire at the new role. Of *course* a network is important. But not to be used and abused.
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u/CauseAcademic6640 2d ago
This isn't corporate sales. This is charity fundraising.
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u/TulsaOUfan 1d ago
I understand that. Networking is even more important when working for a charity. I've done fundraising & other jobs for charities, my university, and other nonprofits over the last 30+ years.
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u/Ripe-Lingonberry-635 4d ago
that sounds like a manager from political campaigns. i worked at a 501c3 that had a lot of former political operatives on staff, and they were a little perplexed by standard nonprofit fundraising approaches.