Career Track Profile— Melanie Frazier, CFRE

How many years have you been in fundraising?

I have been in fundraising for seven years.

What achievements are you most proud of in your career?

Obtaining the CFRE certification, serving on the board of the AFP Chicago Chapter and training new nonprofit professionals.

What have you enjoyed most about being a fundraiser?

What I most enjoy about fundraising is the interaction with committed volunteers.

What have you liked the least about being a fundraiser?

The thing I like least about being a fundraiser is the shift in major-gift solicitations from board members to fundraisers. The board member has the fiduciary responsibility to raise funds on behalf of the nonprofit organization.

The fundraiser should facilitate and educate board members in developing fundraising skills and techniques so they are comfortable raising money and play a strong role in identifying and cultivating donors. I enjoy this aspect and orient new board members at the start of a new term.

Although I do make major-gift solicitations, my initial attempt is to arrange peer-to-peer solicitations. This has proven satisfying for board members and it is an effective way to increase gift levels.

What is your motto?

I have many mottos. However, a print that offers professional inspiration is titled The Catch and it shows Willie Mays at the New York Giants Polo Grounds, Sept. 29, 1954. Here is the setting, “With the game tied during game one of the World Series, it was out of the question for Willie Mays to catch the ball while under pressure and with everyone else watching his every move, but he did it. He caught the ball.”

As fundraising professionals, our abilities are stretched and we are expected to respond under pressure and be successful. We are expected to bring to pass the impossible and, most often, with God’s help, while everyone is watching, we get it done.

What is the value of diversity to the profession?

Major donors, board members and fundraisers are no longer just European American. They come from every ethnic and social group and corner of the globe. As professionals, we need to set our sights beyond the wealth of the majority class (whom we are used to cultivating and soliciting) and begin to embrace donors of a variety of backgrounds, cultures and perspectives.

What do you think fundraisers can do to include more diversity in fundraising and the nonprofit sector?

Encourage ethnically diverse fundraising professionals to obtain the CFRE certification. Overall, less than 5 percent of those with certification are African American, Hispanic, Asian, multi-ethnic or indigenous. Certification provides greater earning potential, reflects achievement and recognition from peers, and increases knowledge and skill.

What is the key to a successful “ask”?

Preparation.

Ideal donors are …

The ones who give from the heart without being asked because they see the need.

What advice would you give to a new fundraiser?

The advice I would give to a new fundraiser is to be strong in the fundamentals. Refer to the resource reading list on the CFRE International website (www.cfre.org) for books that provide general and topical information. Be strong in the critical skills of writing, logical reasoning and public speaking. Take advantage of continuing education offerings. Above all, acquire a mentor who has the time to help with your professional development.

What are some of the essential qualities of a good fundraiser?

In my opinion, the following excerpt from a job description in The Chronicle of Higher Education reveals many of the qualities a fundraiser should have:

“A fundraiser must be able to work closely with senior management and staff to promote an open, inclusive environment that emphasizes cooperation and teamwork with a minimum of ego. He or she will be a hands-on manager, a strategic thinker and problem solver, and a highly effective communicator, both verbally and in writing. In addition, he or she will be intelligent, diplomatic, analytical, of the highest integrity and possess sound judgment and interpersonal skills, as well as a sense of humor.”

Melanie Frazier, CFRE, is director of development at the Winnetka Community House in Winnetka, Ill. She is chair of the AFP Chicago Chapter’s diversity committee.