by Susan Ross, Founding Partner
As I reflect on 50 years in the profession, the through line of my fundraising career has been an enduring sense of purpose and a belief that great nonprofits in partnership with philanthropists really can make the world better.
Many things have changed since I started my first professional job as an intern at the UNC News Bureau, not realizing that advancement would become my career. Here are a few thoughts:
- Personal Touch. Fundraising was different in my early decades. For starters, most of the professionals were men. My days in university fundraising were spent managing mailing lists and writing compelling letters, and we started phonathon programs to personalize our outreach. We deployed hundreds of alumni class agents and worked the name tag table at dozens of events. These practices evolved over my 29 years in university fundraising and 18 years in consulting, and yet the basic tenets remain: I have an unshakeable belief that unrestricted operating support and great donor relationships are the bedrocks of every good development program.
- Relationships. Technology has certainly reshaped communications and data management, and AI will continue to change the field. But most donors (74%) are individuals, and we should always keep that in mind. Nonprofit fundraising succeeds because these good folks really want to help, even when the IRS changes their tax deductions. New tools emerge all the time and development professionals need to prioritize building trust and positive relationships with their donors.
- Donor-Centric Fundraising. Campaigns are not just about what is needed, but what donors want to support. I remember hearing about Donor Advised Funds for the first time and fearing them as competition for philanthropy, but I now know they are a great opportunity. The DAF donor took step one (deciding to give that money to charity), and our job is to show them the merit of OUR cause. Last year, almost a third of gifts were made through Donor Advised Funds.
- Listening and Adapting. The work development professionals do has become both more strategic and more creative over the years, but the human elements remain: listening, understanding, and connecting. We worked hard to engage women as donors in the ‘90s, because of demographic and societal shifts. Women and younger donors wanted to understand the full story, and they were unlikely to give just out of habit. Today, we have learned to pair storytelling with analytics and intuition with insight to show the tangible results that inspire participation.
- Proof Points. Nonprofits are being asked to demonstrate not just outcomes but systemic impact. What does the data tell us? Are we measuring the right things? As consultants, we have been challenged to help clients think bigger and work more strategically within their communities. This nearly always means collaboration with other nonprofits, and sometimes even mergers.
What a privilege it has been to impact literally hundreds of North Carolina nonprofits through our firm’s work since moss+ross started in 2009. Seeing what people can accomplish when they work together toward a larger mission has been both fun and meaningful, and a big gift for a good cause still makes me jump up and do a “happy dance.”
This spring marks a big change in my career, as I will step away from most client work as of April 30. But Mary and I will both remain Founding Partners and Of Counsel members of moss+ross, and we look forward to serving as strategic advisers to our wonderful colleagues for many years to come!