Making a jump from a fundraising job at a university to one at another kind of nonprofit can mean working with a smaller team, a tighter budget, and little or no endowment. And you can say goodbye to that built-in base of donors: alumni.
But despite these seeming negatives, fundraisers who have successfully made such a switch say it has many positive aspects. Here are some pros and cons to consider when weighing a move out of university fundraising.
Small groups communicate and collaborate better.
While many university development teams are huge, the smaller size of most other nonprofits’ fundraising operations can translate into more opportunities to collaborate, says Anthony Escobar, who worked at New York University for about 10 years and at Cornell University for five. Today he is the executive director of development at WNET, New York’s public-television station.
At a smaller organization it’s easier to communicate with the marketing and communications staffs than at a university, where those offices don’t always work in tandem, says Kay O’Dwyer, a senior major-gifts officer at the Boston Ballet who worked in development for 10 years at Boston University and six at Emmanuel College.
Fundraisers typically must choose whether to work at a large or small nonprofit. How they make that decision is changing, with consequences for philanthropy.
Improved communication can also lead to a much more nimble fundraising environment where things can happen a lot faster, she says.
“The shift to a [smaller] nonprofit is really great for someone who wants to run their own shop,” says Martha Bahamon, vice president for development at the Hispanic Federation. “You set your own goals with your board and the organization, and there’s more of a team effort of where you want to go and what are your priorities.”
Ms. Bahamon worked for nearly a decade at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and briefly at Rutgers University when it absorbed the medical and denistry institution. When the two universities merged, she went from working with 35 fundraisers to 300. “You had to make sure there was no overlap with calls to donors and asking for money,” she says.
Fundraisers at small nonprofits have better access to leaders.
All three fundraisers say a key to their success at a smaller nonprofit has been their access to the group’s top leaders.
“I wasn’t sitting down with the president of Boston University or Emmanuel College on a regular basis,” says Ms. O’Dwyer.
At the Boston Ballet, she says, artistic director Mikko Nissinen makes sure everyone at the organization grasps the importance of fundraisers’ work.
“Sometimes other people at universities don’t understand. They think we’re out throwing parties or something,” Ms. O’Dwyer adds. “The leadership here often rolls up their sleeves and helps.”
University development offices have bigger budgets.
University budgets and endowments can provide a cushion during lean times. At WNET at least half of what fundraisers bring in goes toward the station’s operating budget.
“There’s no real safety net,” Mr. Escobar says. “At a university, if the team doesn’t make a goal, you don’t feel as pressured.”
University alumni are a built-in source of donors.
With a huge corps of former students, institutions of higher education have the kind of built-in donor base most other nonprofits lack.
But that’s not necessarily a cause for alarm, according to Ms. O’Dwyer. There may not be as many donors to the Boston Ballet as to Boston College, she says, but the ballet’s backers are fervent.
“The people don’t just like the ballet, they love it. It’s in the top three places where they direct their support,” she says. And because they are so passionate, her job has less to do with persuading donors to give and more to do with connecting with them.
“With higher education, I can’t impact something they did at college when they were 18,” says Ms. O’Dwyer. “But if we’re in the theater and seeing the same ballet, we can talk about the choreography or that performance.”
On the other hand, as Ms. Bahamon notes, a smaller donor base means a fundraiser must always think three steps ahead: “I have to pick up the phone every day and constantly look for the next funding opportunity and be very proactive in finding the next big gift.”
Mr. Escobar addresses the difference by doing more research into potential donors and using the many documentaries WNET produces as examples when making a case for a donor’s support.
Before You Decide, Do Research
If you’re thinking about making a switch, Ms. Bahamon suggests doing due diligence on a prospective new employer’s mission, services, track record, and leadership, both board and executive. If you get an interview, ask about the organization’s infrastructure and strategic plan to give you a sense of where it’s headed and whether it will be a good fit for you.
“The key for me was understanding where the organization was going,” Mr. Escobar says. “Looking for opportunities for growth was really important.”
Note: This article has been corrected to say that Martha Bahamon worked for nearly a decade at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and briefly at Rutgers when it absorbed the medical and dentistry institution. It has also been corrected to say that Kay O’Dwyer worked in development at Boston University for 10 years, not four.