6 Questions to Ask Nonprofits Before Starting a New Fundraising Job

If you’re an experienced fundraiser with a solid resume, you are in high demand. Every nonprofit needs good fundraisers. But you’ll want to do your homework before you consider leaving your current fundraising job for another.

6 Questions to Ask When Interviewing for a New Fundraising Job

The next big opportunity in your fundraising career could be right around the corner. But make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. Here are six questions you should ask during the interview process BEFORE accepting any new fundraising job.

1. How much did the organization raise in philanthropic (non-government) dollars last year?

This is so fundamental and yet, many fundraisers forget (or are afraid) to ask this basic question. This indicates what type of program you’re walking into.

Follow up with questions about how they raised the funds and the sources. Did they raise $50,000 from a few events and grant writing, or did they raise $1 Million or more from an established major gift program?

2. How much do you expect me to raise in the first year?

A good follow-up question is how much do they expect you to raise in the first year? Is it close to the amount they raised last year?

If they expect you to raise significantly more (possibly because you are their first full-time fundraiser), ask how they arrived at that amount. Is it reasonable and realistic? Is it simply the gap in their budget or is the amount based on potential donors and possible funding opportunities?

3. How will I be evaluated?

You’ll want to be evaluated on more than just dollars raised. What metrics will they use in addition to funds raised? One good metric is the number of individual donor meetings. Others include things like:

• An increase in average gift size
• An increase in donor retention rate
• The number of thank you calls

4. Can I generate reports from your donor management system?

Before you start any new fundraising job, you’ll want to know about the quality and accessibility of the data you’ll be working with:

• Do they use a donor CRM that you’re familiar with?
• Is it user-friendly?
• Will they provide you with training on the system?
• Can you generate reports on day one of their largest and most loyal donors? If not, what’s the plan for improving their systems?

5. Do I have permission to call board members?

This is especially important if you’re the chief development officer or only development staff member. If you’re at a large organization, with a bigger fundraising team, it’s unlikely that anyone below the top fundraiser or two would have access to board members. At most organizations, you should have permission to call board members and attend board meetings.

6. Who else is on the fundraising team?

Before you jump in, find out precisely who is responsible for fundraising. Ask questions like:

• Am I alone responsible for fundraising?
• If others are on the team, who are they and what is the reporting structure?
• Does the CEO/ED participate in fundraising and in what ways?

And if there are others on the team, did you have a chance to meet them during the interview process?

Remember — the Grass isn’t Always Greener

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. You should assume that the organization you’re moving to will be a mess in some way or another. That’s why I’ve often advocated that if you can afford to stay in your current nonprofit job, you probably should.

After working and consulting in this field for over two decades, I can tell you that there is no perfect fundraising job. The real question is whether there’s a more perfect fundraising job for you. And armed with these six questions, you’ll have a much better chance of finding out.