Brian Saber dreaded attending big fundraising events when he was executive director of a human-services organization in New York some years ago. Saber is an introvert, so big events can seem overwhelming and zap his energy. But as head of a charity, he was expected to be front-and-center at galas and other occasions, often kicking off events with a speech and then going from table to table to talk to donors and potential supporters.
“I used to joke with my staff that I’d give $1,000 if I could just go home,” says Saber, president of Asking Matters, a training consultancy for fundraisers.
Instead of running for the hills, however, Saber developed a game plan for making the most of such events. For introverted fundraisers and nonprofit leaders to overcome their natural discomfort in such settings and succeed, planning ahead is vital.
Tips for Introverts
Here’s are some tips from Saber and other experts to help introverts embrace their roles as fundraisers.
- Ask your staff to tell you ahead of time which donors or other contacts will be attending an event so you can decide to whom you must talk.
- Get to the event early so you can settle into the environment and have a better sense of how to navigate the room.
- Spend about five minutes or so with each important contact to check in and tell each one about what is happening at the nonprofit, and then ask if you can follow-up with that person one-on-one in the following weeks.
- Be sure to have a staff member remind you to follow through the following week to schedule a meeting or call.
Paul Jolly, a fundraising consultant who spent more than 20 years in development offices, says the introverted head of a charity he once worked with used to get so overwhelmed at such events that Jolly made sure a staff member followed the leader around to take notes on each conversation that took place. Jolly also posted a staff member outside the event room whose job it was to text staff members inside the room, notifying them when a big donor arrived.
Extroverts Need Help, Too
“There is no question the extrovert will have a more natural proclivity to meet and ask, but the introvert’s tendency to watch and listen is just as important,” says Saber.
Many extroverts are exceptionally good at starting the conversation with a donor, says John Greenhoe, senior director of major gifts at Western Michigan University. But they may find it difficult to keep their natural ebullience in check and blend into the background when it comes time to listen to a donor.
This can be problematic, Greenhoe says, because taking time to listen and learn about a donor’s motivations is such an important factor when a fundraiser is trying to cultivate a relationship with a donor and learn as much as possible about who they are and how they think.
Balance Is Best
The ideal in any nonprofit is to have a healthy mix of introverted and extroverted fundraisers and leaders to work together, says Jolly. Such pairings can form a potent combination.
“It’s a matter of finding ways to play on everyone’s strengths and avoiding competition as much as possible,” Jolly says.
Assigning an introvert and an extrovert to team up to meet a donor creates a more comfortable setting for both the donor and the fundraisers and keeps the meeting manageable for everyone involved, he says.
An extrovert, for example, may have six good ideas to discuss with a donor. Having an introvert in the room who can rein in the extrovert’s many ideas and direct the flow of the conversation to center on only the best two or so is a smart way to ensure the donor isn’t overwhelmed, says Greenhoe.
Assign the extrovert to take the lead at the beginning of the conversation, says Saber. That way the extrovert can interact and talk with the donor to put her at ease and create a friendly environment. Meanwhile, the introverted team member can watch and listen, coming into the conversation after gaining a better understanding of the donor.
Regardless of a charity’s cause, experts stress that a mix of personality types is best and will suit donors of varied temperaments and give leaders the flexibility to match a staff member to a donor with whom he or she will have the best rapport .
“It’s good to have as many types of personalities as possible so you can have people who can do strategy and planning, and people who can get others fired up,” Greenhoe says.
Outdoor Cat or Indoor Cat?
Being mindful of staff members’ personality types can improve fundraiser retention, too, says Tamara Rummel, chief philanthropy officer at Albion College. “We do have a really good mix of introverts and extroverts on our team,” she says. “It’s important to be aware of social styles, not just when you go out to meet with donors, but also when we interact as teammates.”
Rummel takes personality into account from day one. “We use something in the interview process where we say outdoor cat/indoor cat?” Rummel explains. Asking job seekers which type of cat they are is a lighthearted way to learn whether the person is an introvert or an extrovert. She laughs and says one person who couldn’t quite decide responded with “porch cat.”
Last summer Albion’s advancement professionals delved into “DISC” personality profiles by participating in a training session led by Mark Stuart of San Diego Zoo Global, who happens to be an alumnus of Albion College. Stuart so believes in the connection between recognizing communication styles and improved fundraising results that he trains fundraisers when his schedule permits, including in a Chronicle of Philanthropy webinar.
Stuart’s approach is grounded in the principles of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and focuses on the ways that people send and receive information. He identifies four main personality types: driver (D), expressive (I), amiable (S), and analytical (C), each with varying degrees of assertiveness and responsiveness in sending and receiving information.
The main takeaway: If a fundraiser can identify her own “social style” as well as a donor’s, she can tailor information, and the way she presents it, to each donor, increasing the chances that it will resonate and foster a meaningful relationship.
Rummel says awareness of personalities helps improve outcomes among coworkers too. For example, when seeking input from a colleague who is introverted and analytical, one might say, “I’d like to share something with you, but I don’t need an answer until tomorrow,” Rummel says. This allows the individual time to gather his thoughts and might help someone who is less expressive share his best ideas.
Some of her colleagues confide that they’ve changed the way they express thanks or criticism after taking into account a recipient’s communication style, she says. For example, a “driver,” who shares information assertively and is not highly responsive, may need to hear appreciation expressed in a less “warm and fuzzy” way for it to seem genuine. Awareness of “social styles” can help coworkers take a step back and consider a colleague’s communication preferences before making a suggestion or judging their idea or actions, she says. In other words, people are more likely to give one another the benefit of the doubt.
As a supervisor, Rummel uses different tactics when advising introverts versus extroverts. For introverted fundraisers who need time alone, she sometimes recommends they schedule a “focus meeting with yourself” to recharge and prioritize. Extroverted fundraisers often find data entry after donor meetings onerous, she says, so she emphasizes the importance of sharing the donor’s story with others in the department, which helps make the task more engaging to them. And when planning team meetings, Rummel assesses the personality types who’ll be attending and ensures she shares different kinds of information to keep each person engaged.
Plus, the fundraisers often consult each other on strategy in preparing for donor meetings, which can be especially helpful when a colleague possesses a personality similar to a donor’s.
Rummel believes understanding personality differences has fostered trust and helped her colleagues play to each other’s strengths — all of which sparks collaboration, builds energy, and helps reduce turnover. Only one fundraiser on a team of 13 has departed in the past 2.5 years.
“We’re trying to go farther faster.” says Rummel. “I think it’s working.”
Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled Paul Jolly’s name.
