Episode 23: How to Excel in Fundraising as an Introvert

August 15, 2019

By: Sheela Nimishakavi

When I first started out in my fundraising career, I was writing grants. Talk about an introvert’s dream job, right? I got to huddle in my corner, read and write, while attending the occasional meeting.

But, I soon found out that in order to grow in my career and eventually achieve my goal of becoming a director, I had to put myself out there and learn how to fundraise on the front lines.

When I became a director, I really struggled with managing my energy. Between donor meets and events, it felt like I was expending all of my energy. It wasn’t until I began to understand how I could tap into my strengths as an introvert and bring my best self forth that I really began to excel in fundraising.

On today’s episode, I’m sharing with you my tips for succeeding in fundraising, even as an unapologetic introvert.

Some highlights include:

  • [3:50] An introvert is defined as someone who gets their energy from their alone time
  • [7:17] Biological theory of introversion/extroversion indicates that introverts have a naturally high cortical arousal, so process more information per second
  • [9:59] Introverts tend to be really good listeners so we actually take in more information about our donors
  • [11:57] Schedule your one on one donor meetings when your energy is at its peak
  • [15:37] When in small talk settings, steer the conversation toward something you are passionate about
  • [17:52] Get to donor meetings and events early- the idea of being fashionably late to networking events is not true

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