The Twelve Skills Fundraisers Need for Fundraising in the New Year

Over the last twelve days, instead of forecasting what fundraising might look like next year, this series focused on something more durable: skills fundraisers can actively develop, regardless of what the economy, technology, or donor behavior does next.

Predictions change. Skills compound.

This series was about strengthening the internal capacities that allow fundraisers to remain effective, ethical, human, and resilient — no matter what comes.

Here’s the full list, with brief descriptions and practical ways to develop each one.

1. Curiosity

The willingness to ask better questions instead of rushing to answers.

How to develop it:

Replace “What should we do?” with “What’s actually happening?” Read outside fundraising. Talk to donors without an agenda. Treat confusion as data, not failure.

2. Grounded Confidence

Trusting your judgment without needing certainty or perfection.

How to develop it:

Practice making informed decisions with incomplete data. Reflect on past choices that worked well enough. Learn to stand by your reasoning, even when outcomes vary.

3. Discernment

The ability to choose wisely among multiple “right” options — not just follow best practices.

How to develop it:

Deepen your knowledge before adapting it. Weigh context, ethics, and impact. Ask, “What’s right here, not in theory?”

4. Data & Tech Literacy

Understanding what data can — and can’t — tell you, without becoming enslaved by it.

How to develop it:

Learn what your metrics actually measure. Ask what decisions data is meant to inform. Focus on interpretation, not dashboards.

5. Systems Thinking

Seeing how fundraising components interact instead of treating tactics as standalone fixes.

How to develop it:

When a problem appears, trace it upstream. Ask what else is affected by a proposed solution. Look for patterns, not just symptoms.

Quick Aside: I'm super grateful to friends and colleagues at DonorPerfect for letting me go deeper into Systems Thinking for Fundraisers in this post on their blog. You might notice that I'm really, really big on Systems Thinking and the positive impact it can have on fundraising.

6. Thinking Upstream

Addressing root causes instead of endlessly responding to downstream consequences.

How to develop it:

Notice recurring problems. Ask what conditions allow them to keep happening. Shift effort earlier in the process where leverage is greater.

7. Downstream Planning

Preparing for likely challenges without pretending you can control outcomes.

How to develop it:

Name the rapids before you hit them. Plan responses, not predictions. Focus on readiness, not rigidity.

8. Strategic Stillness

Pausing long enough to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting reflexively.

How to develop it:

Insert small delays before decisions. Curate your inputs. Practice grounding exercises that bring you back to what’s actually true.

9. Adaptability

The capacity to pivot with integrity when conditions change.

How to develop it:

Integrate the other skills. Adaptability grows from curiosity, confidence, discernment, and learning from failure — not from constant motion.

10. Humor

The ability to lighten the emotional load and remember that this work is human work.

How to develop it:

Take the mission seriously, not yourself. Let joy coexist with gravity. Use levity to build connection, not deflection.

11. Humanity

Allowing yourself — and others — to be fully human at work.

How to develop it:

Drop unnecessary performative professionalism. Honor grief, stress, and joy. Make room for personality, not just productivity.

12. Mattering

The practiced experience of knowing your work and presence make a difference.

How to develop it:

Interpret your work before judging it. Name contributions beyond dollars. Tell truer stories to yourself. Create pathways for donors and communities to matter through participation.

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A Closing Reflection

In many faith traditions, epiphany marks a moment of recognition. Not something new arriving, but something essential finally being seen clearly. That’s what this series was about.

Not discovering a single right answer for fundraising’s future, but recognizing the inner capacities that allow fundraisers to remain capable, ethical, and whole, even when the path ahead is uncertain.

Whatever next year brings, these skills don’t expire. They travel with you. They strengthen with use. And they prepare you not just for one potential outcome, but for change itself.

Can I promise if you focus on developing these skills you'll raise more money? Maybe. Likely. But I'd also encourage you to focus less on raising money (except to the point that it makes your CEO, CFO, and Board happy and confident) and more on inviting others to participate with you in the vision and mission of your organization.

Happy New Year!