Time to Throw Out Your Fundraising Job Description

Every time I see a nonprofit looking to hire new fundraising staff, the job description they post seems to be even longer than the last.

It features a never-ending list of qualifications, credentials, responsibilities, and other requirements. Considering what most nonprofits are paying, they would be lucky to get half of the requirements listed.

If you want your fundraising job description to stand out, make it different than the rest.

If I were to believe every job description I’ve ever read, I’d believe professional fundraisers need to have degrees and credentials, be exceptional writers and communicators, be engaging and personable, and have the latest computer skills.

Not only that, but they also need to have supervised staff, worked with board members, raised millions of dollars at their last job, and so much more.

Your Elaborate Job Description is Alienating Women Applicants

Here’s the thing — most men apply for jobs when they believe have a few of the credentials necessary. In stark contrast, women only apply for jobs when they believe they meet most of the requirements.

I was reminded of this unfortunate truth recently when talking to a colleague.

To put it another way, a man and a woman with the exact same skill set and experience level will never apply for the same job. This is because a man generally believes he’s more qualified than he is and that that he can learn on the job, and a woman believes she’s not qualified enough to be hired in the first place.

This means your laundry list of qualifications deters qualified women fundraising professionals from applying for your development job.

Less is More — A New Kind of Job Description

Whether you are ready to hire a new development director (less likely these days) or work on keeping your existing one, it’s time to rethink their (your) job description.

Here’s what your job description should look like.

Chief Fundraising Officer

Must be:

• Passionate about our mission
• A good communicator
• Easy to work with
• Competent and organized
• Smart enough
• Willing to ask

Salary Range – $100K plus benefits

That’s it.

Honestly, has anyone ever applied for a job and said, “You know, I’m really glad the job description included “hard worker” and “team player.” Heck, your job description probably doesn’t even need to say as much as I listed above.

Do you think anyone is looking for someone who is a bad communicator? Or someone who’s incompetent and disorganized?

See how short of a job description you can come up with, and feel free to post your example in the comments below.