New gift officers typically have many questions.
Perhaps the question that dominates the thinking of new gift officers the most is some version of the following:
“Do I know enough about my new organization/the program I’m assigned to/the campaign/etc., to answer questions from donors?”
Framing the question this way puts the new gift officer at the center of their own thoughts. It suggests that individual study and learning is the first piece of work to do.
When, in fact, a far better way to frame a very similar question looks like this:
“What can I learn about my new organization/the program I’m assigned to/the campaign/etc. from the donors I meet?”
This framing puts the donors at the the center of the gift officers thoughts. It also suggests that interacting with donors is the first piece of work to do.
We are led to believe that individual study and analysis is the best way to learn. As if there is only one version of reality and/or truth to discover.
But effective advancement folk know that learning about the experiences and viewpoints of others is where the deeper, more helpful and actionable learning happens.
Perspective matters.
