Key Career Lesson From A Senior Vice President At A Fundraising Consulting Firm
Polly, a Senior Vice President at a Fundraising Consulting Company, emphasizes two crucial career lessons: meticulous preparation— "having the time and doing the work on the front end"—and the importance of "taking risks" by thinking big to inspire significant philanthropy; the latter proving that "the bigger your vision...the more attractive that is to philanthropists".
Executive/Leadership, Preparation, Risk-Taking, Fundraising, Philanthropy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Polly Breit
Senior Vice President
Fundraising Consulting Company
University of Wisconsin, Madison
N/A
Classics, Spanish Literature
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Consulting
Honors Student
Video Highlights
1. Thorough preparation is crucial for success, including advance work for presentations, reports, and meetings with clear objectives.
2. Taking risks and having a big vision when working with clients can inspire greater philanthropy.
3. Thinking big and setting ambitious goals often leads to more significant results in fundraising.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
This is so hard to narrow it down to one lesson. On a monthly basis, there's probably one lesson that has been significant for me. But two things really come to mind.
One is preparation. This means having the time and doing the work on the front end so that by the time you're presenting to the board or creating your final report, you're prepped for all your meetings.
Ensure you have strong agendas with clear objectives for all the meetings you lead. Setting aside time and prioritizing preparation is significant.
The second one, I'm going to cheat and include two, would be around taking risks. This means being aspirational and inspirational.
Oftentimes, we're helping clients shape the size of their campaign. I've learned that the bigger your vision and dreams, the more attractive that is to philanthropists. When you think big, you inspire and attract truly inspirational philanthropy. When you think small, giving is typically proportional to that dream or vision.