The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently asked readers to tell them about the spaces in which they work, which sparked me to think about the offices I've worked in and how they inspired (or didn't) my fundraising efforts. One of my first offices was windowless and without character; however, it was right next to a main hub of activity where both clients and staff congregated. While I don't usually tout my eavesdropping as a positive quality, in this particular case the information I overheard kept me well informed on issues confronting the staff and clients, which inspired me to keep my eyes open for funding that could aid in resolving those issues. I was also visible to staff and clients, so they occasionally dropped in to talk or directly speak to me about funding needs. Later I got a much nicer office--it even had windows!--in a new building, but I felt disconnected and missed being closer to the action that inspired my work.
There may have been plenty of good reasons to move my office, but I'm not convinced any of them were good enough to warrant the loss of connection and inspiration. Fundraising staff are typically considered part of the administrative wing of a nonprofit and it's not always recognized just how crucial it is for them to be connected to and a witness of the mission-related work of the organization. Grant writing, event planning, and all the other tasks related to fundraising need inspiration to be done successfully and to go above and beyond expectations. The people making the decisions about office space may not realize just how crucial this is and development staff should speak up and educate them about what is needed to do the job best. If an office with close proximity to the mission-driven work of an agency isn't possible then one solution is allowing time in the schedule for development staff to participate in some aspect of mission-driven work, which could give them the inspiration and creative spark to find the next big grant. For me having windows was nice, but if I had to choose then a close connection to the mission was even better.
There may have been plenty of good reasons to move my office, but I'm not convinced any of them were good enough to warrant the loss of connection and inspiration. Fundraising staff are typically considered part of the administrative wing of a nonprofit and it's not always recognized just how crucial it is for them to be connected to and a witness of the mission-related work of the organization. Grant writing, event planning, and all the other tasks related to fundraising need inspiration to be done successfully and to go above and beyond expectations. The people making the decisions about office space may not realize just how crucial this is and development staff should speak up and educate them about what is needed to do the job best. If an office with close proximity to the mission-driven work of an agency isn't possible then one solution is allowing time in the schedule for development staff to participate in some aspect of mission-driven work, which could give them the inspiration and creative spark to find the next big grant. For me having windows was nice, but if I had to choose then a close connection to the mission was even better.
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