Career Profile

Beverly L. Herbert, MCP, M.Div., CFRE, director of development and external communications, The Association For Community Living Inc., Springfield, Mass.

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How many years have you been in fundraising?

More than 35 years.

What achievements are you most proud of in your career?

My career has been varied and my proudest achievements reflect the diverse roles, from raising funds early on to establish a youth services /neighborhood services program—youth-gained employable skills—to neighborhood residents receiving needed home improvements. I also worked with a limited-income community to identify its needs and then helped provide the funds to meet those needs. Today I raise funds to provide critical services that enhance the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities.

What have you enjoyed most about being a fundraiser?

I have enjoyed having the distinct opportunity to match my work with my passion.

What have you liked the least about being a fundraiser?

Fundraising is continual and very demanding. As a result, it is extremely difficult to take time off—even when you are off.

What do you wish you could do better than you do now?

Secure major and planned gifts.

What are your mottos?

“Work Smarter, Not Harder”; “Ask Everyone” (assuming people cannot give is disrespectful to them and to yourself); and “New Faces—New Ways.”

Who or what has had the greatest influence on your life?

My mother. She believed in possibilities, being your best, giving to others, following your dreams and, above all else, she had a strong faith in God. She lived her beliefs and taught others through her life and her teachings. Until she suddenly died six years ago, she was still teaching students with developmental disabilities, teaching children in Sunday school and being a loving grandmother (she was called Nanny) to her 11 grandchildren.

If you could invite three people to dinner, whom would you invite and where would you go to eat?

I would invite my father and mother (who are deceased) and my sister. We would fly nonstop to Dakar, Senegal, for dinner and then invite others, once we arrived, to join us in a community-wide meal.

Name at least three things you like to do when you’re not fundraising.

Travel, walking, writing and going to the movies.

If you hadn’t been a fundraiser, what would you like to have been?

Before I was a professional fundraiser full time, I was a city planner and community developer, an educator and an entrepreneur—careers I have enjoyed. Presently I am also an ordained minister.

I would have liked to have become a professional singer or an international motivational speaker, while still being an ordained minister and a philanthropist.

About diversity:

In your own words, describe diversity.

I describe diversity as the ability to recognize, value and include the strengths, skills, experiences, talents and opinions of all human beings, especially those different from ourselves.

What are the barriers to deeper diversity within fundraising and the nonprofit sector?

I think the main barrier is speaking and/or embracing the truth and then being willing to take action to knock down those barriers because they impact the image of the entire industry. For instance, some fundraisers of color have not been able to develop professionally because of a belief that they cannot secure major gifts from Caucasians. It is believed that Caucasian fundraisers are more valuable because they can secure any type of gift, even from donors who are not Caucasian.

What do you think fundraisers can do to foster deeper inclusion in fundraising and the nonprofit sector?

The success of diversity and inclusion is all about people, and that is what we do best—interact with people. So let’s apply that. If you are in the hiring role, challenge yourself to consider diversity and hire differently, thus increasing the value of your team and your contribution to the industry. Then ensure all members of your team are successful and value one another’s differences.

In chapters, guarantee your board and all of your programs reflect diversity all year and not just for one workshop (e.g., the diversity day workshop). If you establish a goal for diversity and inclusion, make your programs easier for participants. Do not consider mentoring and diversity to be synonymous.

Attend meetings and network at events that do not represent historically Caucasian organizations. And if you are part of the Caucasian majority, take time to understand what it is like for a person of color or a person who is gay to be just one in a group of many that does not reflect them.

About fundraising:

What most concerns you about the profession?

The cultural divide among us fundraisers and the limited opportunities for persons of color.

What is the biggest challenge that fundraisers face today?

More competition and increasing fundraising goals with fewer available resources (both human and financial) to get the job done.

What is the key to a successful “ask”?

Compassion.

Is there anything about fundraising that still surprises you?

The generosity of others. I hope I never take that for granted. I have appealed to others for more than 35 years, starting when I wrote my first grant in college to a church—as a member and then as a pastor and now as a full-time fundraiser. People’s hearts are so big. They are willing to think of others and give, even in the midst of their own personal challenges. They give because a need was articulated and they determined that they could help—giving the most of what they have to help.

Ideal donors are …

Those who care about the people whom their organizations serve and want to help in whatever way they can.

What advice would you give to a new fundraiser?

Give yourself time, although your boss may want instant miracles. Make time for yourself personally, because the next fundraising event will always be there. Devote time for your professional development, for it provides you value and gives value to your organization. Let someone guide you and be willing to guide another; we always need to learn and we always know more than we think we do. Finally, laugh. Find something to laugh and smile about, no matter how overwhelmed you are feeling. It will keep you motivated, and you also will brighten someone else’s day.

What is the most essential quality of a good fundraiser?

Passion—passion for what you are doing and the value of that work. It is contagious.

Do you think that the paradigm of the fundraising industry will shift to be more diverse and inclusive?

Today I am not sure, but I hope so. I trust that internationally we all are embracing it, and, if we are, change will come.

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