-: So I think to prepare for a career
in the field of development and philanthropy
one has to probably be open to listening.
That's probably the biggest hurdle
that a lot of folks who are gift officers
usually don't come in knowing.
They have to start to practice that
and really master that art.
Because it's not about you.
It's about the prospect,
it's about the potential donor.
If you can listen to them and you pick up
on what they're saying and you get little clues
here and there of what their interests,
where their interest may lie as to where
they might be most likely to be giving,
then I think that that's probably the most important part.
Also, aside from that it's more so
just having people skills.
You can take all the classes in the world
and you can get any degree possible,
but this field of work is really understanding
and having a touch and concern for people.
And I tell people all the time who ask me about my work,
they're like, well what do you do all day?
And I say, I'm constantly talking to people.
I'm constantly going from meeting to meeting,
learning more about people,
trying to negotiate with people,
and trying to really make people
feel comfortable with giving to me.
And I think if you can do that
you can do just about anything.
So rejection is fine in the field of development.
In fact it's more common than actually getting a yes.
I remember my first gifts, my first few gifts
I was getting a yes left and right.
Whatever I asked for I was getting people to agree to it.
And then when I got my first no
I was stunned.
But then I had to remember,
it's their money and it doesn't mean, again, no forever.
It just means no at that moment.
And I circled back with that person a few months later,
kept them in the loop of all the work that we were doing
and the progress that we were making on the specific ask
that we had gone to them for,
and they came back and they supported us
later on down the road.
You have to be persistent and I think adamant
in a very PC way to really sell your point home.