Giving a Voice to Our Stories

Did you know that 54% of all fundraising professionals are women? Additionally, the ethnic demographic of the profession is as follows: White (77.0%), Hispanic or Latino (8.0%), Black or African American (5.3%), and Asian (5.2%). Even though more than half of fundraising professionals are women, they are still trying to find their sweet spot within the fundraising profession.

We spoke with four Houston-area women in fundraising with varying years of experience and different ethnic backgrounds to learn about their triumphs and struggles in the fundraising profession.

Our first woman in fundraising has been in the profession for 28 years. She says when she first began doing fundraising work, being a woman and person of color significantly impacted her journey. Once, when visiting with a donor to raise funds for her organization, she was told, "I'm glad you didn't bring your board member with you because it's easy to say no to you." This meeting prompted her to develop different strategies, depending on the donor, leverage connections, and solicit assistance from board members.

With more than 30 years as a fundraising professional, our next woman in fundraising says women have fewer challenges because we are more compassionate and can tell heartwarming stories, which makes them excellent fundraisers. She did admit there are times when men only want to do business with other men, which can be challenging. Historically, the woman of the house makes the donation decisions. Hence, as women, we have the advantage of doing business with our peers.

Our next woman in fundraising has been in the profession for more than 14 years and, as a black woman, has been ignored and undervalued. She states that when connecting with large corporations for significant donations, the higher-ups often look different from her, which can be very intimidating. She also said that being confident and knowing her stuff helps ease some anxiety, but there is always an underlying question: "Will they take me seriously?" One thing that has helped this mid-career fundraiser is relationship building. Building genuine relationships is vital in developing a sustainable donor base.

Finally, we spoke with a young woman who is very new to the profession. Having just graduated with a master's degree, she hasn't faced any challenges yet but anticipates some due to her age and preconceived notion about her abilities. She stated, "Too often, women's skills are underrecognized in the workplace, and combined with my age, I expect not to be taken seriously by donors at some point." However, like seasoned women in fundraising, this young woman knows that having a strategic plan and aligning herself with experienced fundraisers will help her succeed.

We all have stories to share. The fundraising profession often boils down to the art of storytelling. These women shared their stories to provide insight into their respective journeys and to help us move forward together in empathy so we can learn from each other's experiences. While sharing their stories, these incredible women offered a little advice: listen, connect, advocate, be patient, “no” only means “not right now,” and say THANK YOU!

Data Source: Professional Fundraiser Demographics and Statistics [2023]: Number Of Professional Fundraisers In The US, 9 Sept. 2022, https://www.zippia.com/professional-fundraiser-jobs/demographics/. Accessed 12 Apr. 2023.

Written by AFP Houston Board Member Nekia Robinson, M.Ed., Director of Advancement, SERJobs.  Connect with Nekia on LinkedIn.