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Fundraising is a Profession and Coaching Should be Considered

In the movie Rocky, Burgess Meredith plays Mickey—Rocky’s coach/trainer. He was a grumpy guy and even Rocky was somewhat afraid of him. Anyone familiar with the film would remember both Rocky and Mickey. Muhammad Ali is perhaps the most famous non-fictional boxer of all times and most have heard of him, but many have not heard of Angelo Dundee. Angelo was Muhammad’s coach. Angelo also coached Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman. 

You may have heard of Anna Sophia Robb or Carrie Underwood, but perhaps not New Zealander Miranda Harcourt, their coach. Helen Hunt 1997 Oscar winner for her role in As Good as It Gets thanked Larry Moss during her acceptance speech. Who is Larry Moss? Her acting coach. It would be hard to name a successful world class athlete, actor, or singer who wasn’t influenced by a coach. 

The professional at the top of his or her profession, or seeking to reach the top, has a coach. Members of the senior management team at universities and leading corporations often are assigned a professional coach to help them with skills in the areas of leadership, communications, or interpersonal development. 

It is time that the fundraising profession embrace the notion of the professional fundraising coach to support fundraisers seeking to enhance performance outcomes.

Coaching is not Mentoring

When commencing a job people often suggest securing a mentor. A mentor, however, is distinct from coaching. Unlike mentoring, which is reactive and serves more as a type of a sounding board relationship, coaching is proactive—hands on. Coaching is focused on bringing about effective change in the professional for the purpose of higher performance. Further, after receiving candid advice from a quality coach the coach will follow up on that advice to see if the coachee is acting on it, i.e., seeking a demonstrated and sustainable behavioral change. Coaching and mentoring are not mutually exclusive, but the objectives and outcomes can be dramatically different for the individual. Finally, there are plethora of fundraising workshops and these workshops can be greatly enhanced with follow up coaching sessions.

Get coached to improve performance, stay motivated, overcome challenges, and bring more joy to the job while raising more money!