#27 | Fundraisers, how about we get out from behind our desks and engage with real people?

Summary: I began my conversation with Nikki Bell by asking whether she might be an example of the rising generation of fundraising professionals who are less likely to describe themselves as coming through the back door or wrestling with their former identity as a PR or marketing professional. She concludes her response to my question by insisting that there’s no turning back and that she absolutely adores her work. Certainly not the sentiment we generally encounter with the generation of fundraisers ahead of her. A visit to Nikki’s blog will reveal just how real we’re talking about and how enthusiastic about her work she happens to be: Fundraising is a wonderful profession and I LOVE that our job makes a difference for others.  It allows us to put supporters first, gives us vibrance and variety, and I get to drink tea and have meaningful conversations with inspirational people – win! When we reached out to Nikki, our interest was in “community fundraising” – a concept that Sam Butler (Director of Communications and Fundraising at the Tibet Relief Fund) had referenced in a previous podcast. Community fundraisers in the UK describe themselves as real, authentic and personal.* Nikki describes community fundraising as encouraging fundraising professionals to get out from behind their desks and engage with real people rather than a data analysis. Nikki concludes with the notion that community fundraising is a way for charities to differentiate themselves from other organizations and increase the effectiveness of their other fundraising efforts. If you’d like to reach out to Nikki, she can be found on https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-bell/ or her *https://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/groups/sig-community-fundraising/our-manifesto/