#11 | Taking a fresh look at some of the sector's most enduring fundraising challenges

Summary: I’m very grateful that before we wrapped up our work week, I was able to catch up with Jeanne Long, Senior Director of Advancement at Hope for the Warriors. Jeanne and her team of organizers for Philanthropy Day on Cape Cod have enlisted me to stir things up later this month. I have been charged with confronting arms-length fundraising and other patterns of organizational behavior that prevent us from accomplishing our goals.   After becoming an enthusiastic fan of my new book, Jeanne and I have enjoyed several conversations about how the sector should take a fresh look at some of the it’s most enduring fundraising challenges.   Arms-length fundraising assigns a name to the dysfunctional pattern of organizational behavior that is familiar to most experienced fundraisers.   The sector’s passion predicament, also known as the donative labor hypothesis, affords an explanation for how nonprofit leaders rationalize less than competitive wages for employees who derive intrinsic value from their work.   While organizations are often quick to point fingers at the board for their fundraising challenges, is it foreseeable that CEO’s will be increasingly expected to “manage up” and recognize that low expectations of the board can have negative ripple effects throughout the entire organization?   For those who would like to begin a conversation with Jeanne, she can be found at LinkedIn   And for those who are not familiar with the donative labor hypothesis, here's a good place to start. ​