You likely already know the basics of what to prepare for your job interview: examples of successes, how you handle set-backs and challenging people, and what to say when they ask you about your weaknesses.
But as a fundraiser there is some specific preparation you should do that will set you apart from other candidates and help the employer to understand what you could bring to the role.
Read on for some simple pre-interview homework and get ready to dazzle them with your analytical and creative smarts!
First, ask who will be in the interview and look up each person on LinkedIn. We’re talking about a full interview here, not the initial screening call with human resources.
- Do they have a fundraising background? Is it similar or different to yours? This can tell you whether you’re being brought in to maintain a set program or to instigate something new.
- Do you have any mutual connections? If you find out that a friend or colleague worked at the organization, call them to get inside information on workplace culture, leadership and challenges. In the interview, make sure to only bring up connections that are relevant. Random name-dropping might make them question whether you lack discretion.
Next up, start researching the organization by looking up their last three sets of audited financials (typically posted on their website).
- Look at their fundraising totals for the last three years and note whether they have gone up, down or stayed flat. Ask them about the results in a non-judgmental way. Example: “I saw in your annual reports that fundraising revenue has been fairly flat over the last three fiscal years. Has it been easy for your organization to maintain funding in this economy?” This should launch a healthy conversation on plans and goals, or at least provide an opportunity to share that you understand common challenges in the sector.
- Ask them how many donors they have in a given year, and what portion are individuals versus foundations, government, etc. Find out which donor pool they are most interested in growing or protecting and why. Don’t feel compelled to offer a “fix” but be ready with open-ended questions to get as much information as you can. Example: “So you’re looking to grow your number of monthly donors. What would the best-case scenario be for that portfolio over the next two years?”
- Ask them about their retention rate. (If it’s below 40%, or if they have no idea, there may be trouble.) In any case, be ready to discuss how you could help improve their success. Every position on a fundraising team can impact retention and your thoughts here will show them that you understand the importance of this critical issue.
- Ask them how they look after their donors. Most charities send regular updates like newsletters and have a thank you and recognition program of some kind. If they ask for your ideas, be ready with successful examples. Be sensitive to the fact that many charities wish they were doing more inventive stewardship, but can’t always justify the resources it takes. Again, this will work for any fundraising role – stewardship should be owned by the whole team.
As someone who has spent a lot of time interviewing fundraisers, I can safely say that I’ve never had a candidate who did this kind of work beforehand. You will definitely stand out from the competition with this little bit of effort. Good luck!
Siobhan Aspinall, CFRE