Joanne Bath

I think a lot of us in this sector have been there. You hire a great fundraiser, hand them a portfolio, give them their targets, and say: go get 'em. And then you wonder why they're struggling six months later. That's how you learn the hard way that teaching people how to fundraise is not the same as coaching them to be great at it. And that difference really, really matters. Fundraising is deeply personal work. You are inviting someone into a relationship — asking them to be part of...

In Major Gift fundraising, one of the biggest fears is hearing no. We've hosted several sessions lately about major gift fundraising, and every time we talk about fears, the top one is rejection. And I get it. No matter what type of no — there are nine by the way — it’s hard to hear. So, that’s one of the things we train fundraisers to practice hearing. The more you practice, the better you are at identifying the no, responding, and keeping the relationship moving forward. In fact, at...

Leadership can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. As leaders in fundraising, I think we should see ourselves as part of a collective, as part of a group of passionate individuals who are all working toward the same cause, in our own way: The cause of making the world and our communities a little bit better, each day. So, a few weeks ago, when someone told me I’d been named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Business by Atlantic Business Magazine, my first thought wasn’t about power, it...