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association of fundraising professionals: toronto chapter

Mide Akerewusi is a member of the board of the Greater Toronto chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals

Balancing the needs of beneficiaries and the necessity to retain professional fundraising staff is becoming an increasing challenge for Canadian non-profits, particularly those with limited resources, says Mide Akerewusi, a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Toronto Chapter board of directors.

"One of the main causes of high turnover is the inherent absence of clear reward strategies, such as career progression," he says.

The non-profit sector is leading and developing cutting-edge solutions to societal challenges on a local and global scale, but its continued success hinges on its capacity to attract and retain skilled, experienced and competent staff whose creativity and passion can support positive transformation, adds Mr. Akerewusi.

While professionalized fundraising has grown as an attractive career option over the past decade, the growth in the number of non-profits has created demand for qualified fundraising talent that now outstrips supply, leading to high staff turnover, and leaving some charities with no option but to hire leaders who may have limited or no fundraising skills, he says.

"A more sustainable practice would be for non-profits to retain talent by creating a work environment that is conducive to building loyalty and by openly providing opportunities for career advancement," says Mr. Akerewusi.

He points out that in government and the corporate world, professional development is generally viewed as an important and necessary investment in staff. However, non-profits are restricted in the way they can use donor dollars to train and develop staff.

"The CRA's fundraising expense ratio ensures that beneficiaries rather than fundraising staff or other 'administrative' roles are prioritized when it comes to using donor dollars. Donors also keep a watchful eye on the ratio and generally do not appreciate how training and development are an important facet of providing specialized help and support to the charity – even for fundraising roles," says Mr. Akerewusi, who is also founder and CEO of Toronto-based fundraising firm AGENTSC.

However, he believes there are solutions to the challenge. He points to the need for a national conversation about non-profit sustainability. In the meantime, if managers of non-profits can't justify individual training and development costs for all staff, they could consider in-house team training as a solution.

"For example, through our work at AGENTSC, we have seen the benefits of team training on how to build effective donor relationships. Not only is this approach more financially viable and combines the opportunity for team building and skills development, it also helps to cultivate and retain talent," says Mr. Akerewusi.

Scott Decksheimer, chair of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Canada (AFP Canada), says staff retention is an issue. Smaller non-profit organizations often hire people in the earlier years of their careers who are willing to be trained, but keeping them can be a challenge.

"It's a problem for many smaller organizations, not just non-profits. People come in, get trained, learn the business and then a larger organization recruits them," he adds. "The challenge is to find a way to foster an environment where a person can be successful and build a career. Professional development opportunities are part of that, but internal support is equally important."

He points out that in some smaller non-profits the professional fundraiser is the only person responsible for making sure that the organization's revenue targets are met, but they need strong support from volunteers, the board and the CEO or executive director.

Organizations like AFP Canada are looking at how they can grow more leadership and fundraising for what Mr. Decksheimer describes as "the social good.

"We are looking at how we can better support CEOs and boards rather than just a professional fundraiser. We want to help create the literacy in an organization that will support its growth and success," he says.


This content was produced by Randall Anthony Communications, in partnership with The Globe and Mail's advertising department. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.

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