Fundraisers; or The Modern Sisyphus

Fundraisers; or the Modern Sisyphus

Doomed to an impossible, never-ending cycle of futility and frustration. Stuck in a meaningless loop seemingly designed to make you fail. Is it a punishment or a noose of your own making?

A bit bleak I know, but bear with me. As a fundraiser, I can say I have felt like the above at several points in my career.

Sisyphus was a Greek King who wasn't too keen on the idea of dying. Naturally somewhat mischievous and rather quick-witted, he not only cheated death once, but twice! Naturally, this didn't go down well with the Gods, especially Hades who one might describe as a micromanager and very much a stickler for the rules. To cut the story short, although Sisyphus certainly had a good run, Hades eventually caught up with him.

As punishment for attempting to subvert the natural order, and cheat death, Sisyphus was tasked to roll an enormous rock up a steep hill. At the top, a light could be seen, a glow from the world of the living. Hades told the shade of Sisyphus that if he could push the rock to the top, in one go, he would be free and live again. It was, of course, a setup, as the task was impossible. None the less, so desperate was Sisyphus to live once again he kept trying to do the impossible, I imagine he still is trying to this day.

I relate to the myth of Sisyphus, and not because I want to live forever, although I can't deny there is some appeal to that. I relate to him because the task he was given very closely resembles the situation many fundraising professionals find themselves in at some point in their career.

Charities must hold fundraisers to account with clear KPI's and targets of course and income clearly must be a factor. However, in my experience both as a consultant and within organisations, is that huge targets plucked out of thin air, or rely purely on benchmarking, place tremendous stress upon individual fundraisers, I have watched time and time again examples of organisations and charities setting unachievable targets, without consulting the fundraisers. The impact is the reverse of what the charity would want. Given an impossible task, many would give up. Fundraisers though are a tenacious breed, and like Sisyphus, try we shall, even when we know it is impossible.

There is a worryingly common misconception in many organisations that fundraising is only the concern fundraising team. It makes sense when you say it, but the reality is that anyone and everyone, from the very top to the bottom have a role to play. When you work for a charity, you are ALL fundraisers. The burden cannot exist in a vacuum or be isolated to the team with job titles. Charities will blindly pour resources into appointing highly skilled workers and consider this to be “a job well done,” while the truth is, it has only just begun.

Yet, time and time again, I have seen how Fundraisers are often left isolated. They may be met with great applause when success is achieved, but if not, or if it's taking time, hostility and suspicion from colleagues all too often is the consequence. Within many organisations, especially here in the UK, there remains a worrying fundamental lack of understanding as to what a long term fundraising strategy involves and the time it takes to create a pipeline and culture of giving.

You would be forgiven for thinking this blog is, thus far, a tad one-sided and that I am attributing blame on organisations and charities who plunge into fundraising lacking knowledge and correct guidance. Whilst I do believe organisations should conduct due diligence and feasibility studies, I reserve my greatest ire for the fundraisers that fail in their critical duty to manage expectations.

I have sat through many interviews hearing a fundraiser who promises the earth, moon, and stars. As we are natural salespeople, we have an ability to speak with such confidence and sell our skillset to the extent that we can achieve any task or target set. It is only natural to we want to impress a prospective employer and discuss our fundraising prowess and record. Yet, as professional fundraisers, we must have the confidence to robustly push back, even in an interview,. When we are presented with targets which we know are simply the product of "magical thinking" it our duty to explain that fundraising is a marathon, not a sprint.

The solution is honesty, communication, and collaboration from both sides. Employers must invest in feasibility studies and research, and if they choose to invest in fundraisers, they must do so for the long term and commit to fundraising and supporting it across the organisation.

Fundraisers want to say yes to our CEO’s and Trustees, not to deceive but to please. We also like to think that with skill and fair wind, we can achieve targets which appear eye watering at first sight, however, this desire to please puts both the fundraiser and organisation in a dangerous position.

As fundraisers, one must always remember that when a charity invests in us, they must be able to rely upon our integrity, expertise, and above all, honesty to guide them. If you are not managing expectations from day one, much like our friend Sisyphus, you may dodge Thanatos (death) for a while, but sooner or later, it will catch up with you.

So as you are straining against the weight of that giant rock, the size of which is in part of your own design. As you struggle up a slope steepened by not pushing back from the start, you'll realise you've become the Modern Sisyphus, Was it really worth it?

Edward Romain

Director at Romain Fundraising