Why I Will Never Compromise Myself for My Development Job
by Elisabeth Zarnoti
Being a young professional of color is challenging in many ways. We are expected to be the jack of all trades and know exactly how to do what we need to do with minimal instruction. We are the bottom of the food chain in the organizational hierarchy. Add on the layer of working in development at a nonprofit and all of a sudden there are multiple intersections of issues that we face on a daily basis while trying to perform our jobs, in addition working through general “duties as assigned.”
As a young professional, I learned that it’s my responsibility to anticipate the next move, the next project “ask.” It’s my responsibility to go along with the status quo. It’s my responsibility to do my best work, keep my voice down, and as long as I don't experience the issues that my white, experienced colleagues face, I will be just fine.
Be a sheep, and dare not stray from the flock. I am to stay seen, but not heard.
Though I am not a development coordinator anymore, I have an adjacent role where I experience frustration in large part due to the limitations of my job (not to mention the staff hierarchy, but that is for another blog piece by itself!). As I have continued to explore my professional growth, I have realized now, more than ever, how important it is to be authentic, share genuine care and concern for my colleagues, and never stop fighting for myself.
The average time a development coordinator stays in that role is around two years, which is, to no one’s surprise, right in line with that of a major gift officer (Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2021). This wide reaching low retention rate shows that there is so much work that still needs to be done to better support development staff in general and prevent burnout. Especially in a field where many folks are mid- or late- career professionals, extra support is warranted for young professionals so that they are well-equipped to become future fundraising leaders.
We need greater investment in IDEA trainings, with dedicated follow-up and integration of these principles throughout all organizational areas.
From treating all BIPOC fundraisers as equal in what they bring to the table as your average white fundraiser, to implementing mandatory staff trainings on workplace issues related to diversity and inclusion, nonprofit leadership needs to invest in resources to educate themselves and the employees underneath them on these issues. More importantly, leadership and staff need to be willing to call each other out on instances of harmful bias, harassment, and discrimination displayed in the workplace. It should be a priority for development leaders to fully support their staff and take rightful action when they face instances of racism and prejudice, especially when working with donors.
The 2021 Assessment of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access For Fundraising Professionals from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) states that an average of one-third of professionals experienced at least one instance of bias from co-workers in the prior year with issues regarding age, race,appearance, and/or disability. Furthermore, it reported that these individuals experienced microaggressions or harassment as a result of these identity factors.
A 2019 Cause Effective Study likewise found that the rate at which fundraisers of color interact with donors, other colleagues, board members, and other organizational contacts increases proximity and occurrence of racial issues in the field. It’s not really fun to share that though I have worked at a variety of organizations in my short career, many of which are white-dominant workplaces, I have faced the greatest number of microaggressions related to race just in the last 16 months of this role.
We need the ability and the allowance of space from others to hold onto our principles as fundraisers and as people. As a fundraiser who believes in Community-Centric Fundraising principles and ideas, I have experienced disagreements with coworkers regarding how we can and should be approaching our organization’s fundraising from a community-focused lens, rather than being so donor- or so organization-centric in messaging and strategy.
When I speak to other development professionals in the field, we share similar stories of being the black sheep in the room because of our different approaches to and overall mindset about fundraising as a method to move money into the pockets of those who need it most, rather than a transactional method of sales that wastes time with excess adornment of the donor’s savior complex. Making young professionals feel disrespected or unheard will result in their tenure being devastatingly short at your organization. Do not make them comprise their own values as a person or a professional in order to meet the greater goals of the organization. That is excruciatingly harmful and will not result in overall team or organizational success.
I ask those who seek to actively practice more ethical fundraising, many who I know are young fundraising professionals like me, to learn and try to implement Community-Centric principles in your work. Acknowledge that you can hold beliefs of both methodologies while still working together with your team to ethically realize the goals of the organization. Be open to making necessary changes, even if it’s as insignificant as adjusting the wording in a donor acknowledgment letter template, and be comfortable and transparent and sharing the rationale for decision making. Know that every move you make towards collaborating and understanding together will mean more success for your organization. After all, isn’t that what everyone wants?
As a Swiftie since age 10, I have applied a few topics and messages from Taylor Swift’s songs and work into my own personal, and now more professional life. One of the poems she wrote in 2018, reprinted in this Vogue article, includes a line that I deeply resonate with as a crossover to my own self at this point in my life:
“Hold on to childlike whims and moonlight swims and your blazing self-respect”
Even though the work is hard, I will still do it, and do it well. Even when I am the black sheep in the room, I will continue to forge my path in spite of the challenges that tumble towards me. I will use my abilities and passion to make an impact on the communities these missions serve. I will never compromise my values, or my blazing self respect, over the success of someone or something else, and I hope others like me do the same.
