The fundraising turnover epidemic: An evaluative holistic model

Demand for fundraising professionals across the advancement sector globally is increasing, leading to a war for talent. This is fuelled by the great resignation, where people are reassessing their priorities (work—life balance), and post-pandemic reflection (current job alignment with long-term goals and values). In addition, opportunities for career development, remote working and location flexibility are increasing. Burnout, stress and cultural and generational influences also impact the need to reassess the attraction and retention of fundraising professionals. It is widely known that the turnover rate in the sector is high, with the average tenure of a fundraiser being between 18 and 24 months. Other research suggests even less at 16 months, citing that ‘fundraising turnover is an epidemic’.1 This paper shares research findings from a survey conducted globally with 52 fundraising/advancement professionals, seeking to answer two questions:• What are the key motivational factors that both attract and retain fundraisers?• Do these motivational factors change through the career life cycle?The paper was inspired following a session at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, European Annual Conference in August 2023, where the co-authors presented on the topic ‘Unleashing the power of your people: attracting, retaining and maximising the potential of your diverse talent pool’. This paper also shares reflections from two of the other panellists from the conference, both fundraising professionals, on their experiences in retaining fundraisers in their teams: Liz Reilly, former Director of Philanthropy & Donor Relations, University of Edinburgh, and Juan-Pablo Garrido, Director of Development, UIC Barcelona. The paper includes supporting insights from research undertaken by the co-authors on motivational theories and their application to the survey results. The paper provides insights on taking a different approach to retention, presenting a framework model that can be applied and one that seeks to be more transformational for the individual and organisation. Although this research is specifically focused on one of the advancement professions — fundraising — it could be applied to talent management within broader advancement and further tested to see if the hypothesis in the model has a broader application.