Assessing educational fundraisers for competence and fit rather than experience: A challenge to conventional hiring practices

Abstract

This article challenges current recruitment and hiring practices in educational advancement organizations, while proposing a paradigm shift in addressing the talent shortage of fundraising professionals. A case is presented that competence and fit is more important than experience for successful and productive fundraising outcomes. The paper concludes with a prescriptive solution for hiring fundraisers based on a three-step model: recruiting for competence, hiring for organizational fit and training for technical skills. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.