{"id":4402231130234,"date":"2025-10-02T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/fwxhvuntdixd\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T23:47:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T03:47:43","slug":"what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/opinion\/what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line\/","title":{"rendered":"What Nonprofits Get Wrong About Fundraisers Is Harming Their Missions and Bottom Line"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ArticlePage-articleContainer\">\n<div class=\"ArticlePage-articleBody contentBody\">\n<!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-9b04-d3dc-a59d-9b3e28540000\",\"typeLabel\":\"Rich Text\"}--><\/p>\n<div class=\"RichTextArticleBody\">\n<div class=\"RichTextArticleBody-body RichTextBody\">\n<p>In many ways, I was born to fundraise. Not because I had an inherent knack for asking people for money, but because from a young age I learned how to adeptly move between different worlds. Growing up in an immigrant family, I code-switched before learning how to tie my shoes. I mastered the art of shifting tone and mannerisms to make myself intelligible to institutions and in social contexts that weren\u2019t designed for families like mine.<\/p>\n<p><!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-9b0e-d3dc-a59d-9b3e33a40000\",\"typeLabel\":\"Module\"}--><\/p>\n<div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-right=\"\">\n<div class=\"Enhancement-item\"><!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-9b0e-d3dc-a59d-9b3e33a40000\",\"typeLabel\":\"Module\"}--><br \/>\n<!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-9b0e-d3dc-a59d-9b3e33ba000d\",\"typeLabel\":\"List\"}--><\/p>\n<div class=\"ListB\">\n<div class=\"ListB-header\">\n<h2 class=\"ListB-header-title\">Fundraising<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ListB-items-first\">\n<div class=\"PromoC\" data-content-type=\"article\">\n<div class=\"PromoC-media\">\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/article\/luciana-bonifacio-the-fundraiser\"><!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000197-cc7d-daed-a5f7-cefd90bc0000\",\"typeLabel\":\"Image\"}--><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Save the Children US Chief Development Officer Luciana Bonifacio\" class=\"Image\" data-src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/news-beasleysavethechildren-0708-04.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/news-beasleysavethechildren-0708-04.jpg\" \/><br \/>\n<!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd--><br \/>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"PromoC-content\">\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ol class=\"ListB-items\">\n<li class=\"ListB-items-item\">\n<div class=\"PromoC\" data-content-type=\"article\" data-no-media=\"\">\n<div class=\"PromoC-content\">\n<div class=\"PromoC-kicker\">\n                Leadership\n            <\/div>\n<h3 class=\"PromoC-title\">\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/article\/luciana-bonifacio-the-fundraiser\">Luciana Bonifacio: A Fundraiser Working With Other Nonprofits to Seek Private Gifts<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ListB-items-item\">\n<div class=\"PromoC\" data-content-type=\"article\" data-no-media=\"\">\n<div class=\"PromoC-content\">\n<div class=\"PromoC-kicker\">\n                Work and Careers\n            <\/div>\n<h3 class=\"PromoC-title\">\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/article\/fundraiser-burnout-is-hurting-charities-new-report-explains-why-offers-fixes\">Fundraiser Burnout Is Hurting Charities. New Report Explains Why, Offers Fixes<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ListB-items-item\">\n<div class=\"PromoC\" data-content-type=\"article\" data-no-media=\"\">\n<div class=\"PromoC-content\">\n<div class=\"PromoC-kicker\">\n                Opinion\n            <\/div>\n<h3 class=\"PromoC-title\">\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/commons\/what-fundraisers-can-learn-from-jerry-falwell-and-the-conservative-movement\">What Fundraisers Can Learn From Jerry Falwell and the Conservative Movement<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ListB-items-item\">\n<div class=\"PromoC\" data-content-type=\"article\" data-no-media=\"\">\n<div class=\"PromoC-content\">\n<div class=\"PromoC-kicker\">\n                Opinion\n            <\/div>\n<h3 class=\"PromoC-title\">\n<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/article\/fundraisers-need-to-speak-up-about-their-challenges-and-funders-need-to-listen\">Fundraisers Need to Speak Up About Their Challenges \u2014 and Funders Need to Listen<\/a><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd--><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd-->\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd--><\/p>\n<p>I was six years old when my family emigrated from the Philippines to Guam. Almost overnight, I shed my Filipino accent, trading a core part of my identity for a sense of belonging. In my first week at school, an administrator sent me to the ESL coordinator, who quickly realized I didn\u2019t need remedial English instruction. Our sessions instead turned into one-on-one creative-writing tutorials that helped me navigate my new life abroad through storytelling.<\/p>\n<p>That experience stuck with me because it demonstrated how easily outsiders can be underestimated and how self-advocacy through code-switching can flip a narrative on its head. In the years that followed, life\u2019s lessons in translation became less about language and more about survival.<\/p>\n<p>Fundraising, at its best, draws on a similar skillset. Fundamentally, nonprofit development isn\u2019t just about bringing in dollars \u2014 it\u2019s the act of translating from the liminal space between community and capital. Every day, fundraisers frame policy debates, bridge the different ways communities and funders speak, and help people on both sides of a gift see each other more clearly.<\/p>\n<p>We surface uncomfortable truths when we show donors that a flashy new building is less urgent than fixing a broken housing-voucher system. We challenge assumptions when we reframe so-called at-risk youth as young leaders with big dreams and untapped potential. And we center constituent voices when we discuss client case studies in boardrooms, not as sob stories, but as narrative evidence that shapes program strategy and educates donors about why their investment matters.<\/p>\n<p>Too often, however, nonprofits underutilize fundraisers\u2019 unique code-switching ability. Many of us find ourselves siloed as tacticians rather than engaged as strategists. We\u2019re routinely asked to write a case for support of a particular program after strategy for that program is already finalized \u2014 limiting our ability to translate community insights into narratives that appeal to donors.<\/p>\n<p>This represents a missed opportunity at a time when the ability to translate across divides is critical. In a funding landscape marked by federal government cuts, depressed giving, and widening inequality, it\u2019s also a form of self-sabotage that nonprofits can ill-afford. Fully 36 percent of nonprofits ended 2024 with an operating deficit \u2014 the highest share in a decade \u2014 and 52 percent had three or fewer months\u2019 cash reserves on hand, according to Nonprofit Finance Fund\u2019s <!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-fa94-d0a8-adff-fb961bd10000\",\"typeLabel\":\"Link\"}--><!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-fa94-d0a8-adff-fb961bd10000\",\"typeLabel\":\"Link\"}--><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/nff.org\/learn\/survey#key-findings-results\" target=\"_blank\">2025 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey<\/a><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd--><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd-->.<\/p>\n<p>The disempowerment of fundraisers is also likely a primary driver of burnout and turnover. The median job tenure for fundraising professionals is just <!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-fa94-d0a8-adff-fb961bd10001\",\"typeLabel\":\"Link\"}--><!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-fa94-d0a8-adff-fb961bd10001\",\"typeLabel\":\"Link\"}--><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/scholarworks.indianapolis.iu.edu\/server\/api\/core\/bitstreams\/63f7ff88-99b3-477b-961a-74a1cc2d6b78\/content\" target=\"_blank\">two years<\/a><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd--><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd-->, well below the national average.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"cms-Styles-h2\">Why Translation Matters<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Fundraisers\u2019 code-switching skills can make a difference in many contexts. In my own career they have proven especially useful in convincing donors to support advocacy campaigns that often struggle to get funded.<\/p>\n<p>I saw this firsthand while working as the director of development and communications at the <!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-fa94-d0a8-adff-fb961bd10002\",\"typeLabel\":\"Link\"}--><!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-fa94-d0a8-adff-fb961bd10002\",\"typeLabel\":\"Link\"}--><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dpcma.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Disability Policy Consortium<\/a><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd--><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd-->. We were seeking to significantly expand appropriations for a housing-voucher program in Massachusetts, but funders were concerned about the risks of supporting an effort that could look partisan and might be considered lobbying.<\/p>\n<p>Community members, on the other hand, spoke in the language of lived experience: waiting lists, inaccessible rentals, and the grind of relocating from one temporary housing situation to another.<\/p>\n<p><!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-fa94-d0a8-adff-fb961bc40001\",\"typeLabel\":\"Module\"}--><\/p>\n<div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<div class=\"Enhancement-item\"><!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000199-fa94-d0a8-adff-fb961bc40001\",\"typeLabel\":\"Module\"}--><br \/>\n<!--BrightspotCmsObjectBegin {\"id\":\"00000171-beba-d66a-a177-bffb161f0000\",\"typeLabel\":\"DFP Ad\"}--><\/p>\n<div class=\"GoogleDfpAd-container\">\n<div class=\"GoogleDfpAd-label\">ADVERTISEMENT<\/div>\n<div class=\"GoogleDfpAd\" data-lazy-load=\"\" data-slot-adsizemap=\"[[[992, 0], [728, 90], [300, 250]], [[0, 0], [300, 250]]]\" data-slot-pagetype=\"article\" data-slot-sizes=\"[[728, 90], [300, 250]]\" data-slot-tile=\"1\" data-timed-refresh=\"true\" id=\"googleAdc4fd10a6-2a11-4d47-9f40-48a24efddeb1\">\n<span class=\"GoogleDfpAd-placeholder\"><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd--><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd-->\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd--><\/p>\n<p>My role was to bridge those worlds by translating what community members said they needed to secure more housing into budget priorities and policy goals funders would recognize. I also clarified IRS rules for donors and educated them on why supporting advocacy did not necessarily open them up to political exposure. The result: More donors backed the campaign, and the state voted to expand annual funding for its accessible housing-voucher program.<\/p>\n<p>Translation of this kind is intrinsic to all forms of effective fundraising, which frequently requires developing messages that turn even the most entrenched social problems into opportunities for funding tangible solutions. Our pitch to donors isn\u2019t \u201cthis client is two months behind on her rent and will be kicked out of her apartment without your help.\u201d It\u2019s \u201c$1,200 closes payments in arrears, while $3,600 stabilizes a family of four\u2019s living situation and prevents shelter entry for a quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"cms-Styles-h2\">More Than Overhead<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>What then would it take to fully embrace fundraisers\u2019 code-switching abilities? Below are three places to start. These steps don\u2019t necessitate new departments, committees, or task forces. They simply require that the translational role of fundraisers is recognized as critical to a nonprofits\u2019 mission \u2014 not just more overhead.<\/p>\n<p><b>Invite fundraisers to participate in strategic discussions.<\/b> That means allowing them to help shape program design, taking advantage early in the process of their skills in messaging, narrative, and outreach strategies. Those skills, based on their understanding of funder psychology and community perspectives, will help nonprofits frame their programs more effectively from the start.<\/p>\n<p><b>Name and reward code-switching skills. <\/b>Performance evaluations should assess how capable a fundraiser is at navigating across class, race, and professional cultures and framing complex issues in plain, actionable language.<\/p>\n<p>Employers should also seek to identify those skills when filling fundraising positions. In interviews, for example, they might ask job candidates to describe a time when they had to make the same fundraising pitch to two very different audiences. How did they adjust their approach? Or they could ask how they ensure community perspectives are authentically represented when speaking to donors. Questions like these can reveal whether a candidate has the cultural fluency, narrative agility, and ethical grounding needed for strong fundraising practices.<\/p>\n<p><b>Invest in professional development. <\/b>Train fundraisers in cultural translation, advocacy communication, and narrative framing. Make these skills standard, supported, and universally understood, instead of relying on employees\u2019 innate skills. Such efforts should include creating a narrative style guide that focuses on peoples\u2019 strengths and aspirations rather than their struggles, and running fundraising campaign language by community members and donors \u2014 a practice that helps build trust and buy-in.<\/p>\n<p>If nonprofits are serious about advancing equity and building community power, they can\u2019t keep treating fundraising as an afterthought. Fundraisers are highly skilled translators who relay truths across divides so money can move to where it matters.<\/p>\n<p>As a child I knew instinctively how to translate someone\u2019s preconceived notions into a clearer picture of reality \u2014 turning ESL remediation into a creative-writing mentorship. Fundraisers do that work every day. We just need the support and tools to keep doing it successfully.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--BrightspotCmsObjectEnd-->\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ArticlePage-questionsConcerns\">\n<span><i>We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please <a aria-labelledby=\"email the editors\" href=\"mailto:editormail@philanthropy.com\" role=\"link\">email the editors<\/a> or <a aria-labelledby=\"submit a letter to the editor\" href=\"mailto:letters@philanthropy.com\" role=\"link\">submit a letter<\/a> for publication.<\/i><\/span>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even as more nonprofits struggle to survive, many fail to utilize one of their greatest assets: their fundraisers\u2019 translation skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580762,"featured_media":4402231130236,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","cop_editorial_slug":"","cop_asana_id":"","editorial_asana_id":"","editorial_doc_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[82013],"issue":[],"profile":[],"role":[191050],"series":[],"topic":[],"coauthors":[191942],"class_list":{"0":"post-4402231130234","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-opinion","8":"role-fundraising","10":"has-featured-image"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Nonprofits Get Wrong About Fundraisers Is Harming Their Missions and Bottom Line &#8211; Chronicle of Philanthropy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/opinion\/what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Nonprofits Get Wrong About Fundraisers Is Harming Their Missions and Bottom Line\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Even as more nonprofits struggle to survive, many fail to utilize one of their greatest assets: their fundraisers\u2019 translation skills.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/opinion\/what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Chronicle of Philanthropy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ChronicleOfPhilanthropy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T11:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-19T03:47:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/opinion-rubiocodeswitchers-1308892172-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Noel Martin Rubio\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Philanthropy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Philanthropy\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/opinion\/what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/opinion\/what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Noel Martin Rubio\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1498f898a8f1cd09017042b907bd320c\"},\"headline\":\"What Nonprofits Get Wrong About Fundraisers Is Harming Their Missions and Bottom Line\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-02T11:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-19T03:47:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/opinion\/what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line\/\"},\"wordCount\":1217,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/opinion\/what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/opinion-rubiocodeswitchers-1308892172-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/opinion\/what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/opinion\/what-nonprofits-get-wrong-about-fundraisers-is-harming-their-missions-and-bottom-line\/\",\"name\":\"What Nonprofits Get Wrong About Fundraisers Is Harming Their Missions and Bottom Line &#8211; 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