You would be the medium responsible for providing ample funding for all the activities, pioneer novel and effective fundraising ideas and also coordinate them. A fundraising coordinator is a vital part of an organization and in the absence of such a professional; the organization would rather become stagnant. A fundraising coordinator has to undertake various responsibilities and duties, he or she precisely needs to be the master of all trades.
Responsibilities and Skills of a Fundraising Coordinator
As a fundraising coordinator, you have the sole responsibility to solicit all the sponsors, acquire advertisements, do volunteer coordination, sell tickets, cover events, and also aid in making profits. Such events assist in bringing profits and sometimes it takes a long duration in coordinating and planning profitable activities and events. Therefore, as a coordinator you have to be up for it as fundraisers are thrown by coordinators.
A fundraising coordinator has the responsibility of soliciting all the vital donors who are the major supporters of the organization by attending meetings from time to time. At times it takes months and years to get a vital donor for a huge pledge. This is a very stressful part of a coordinator's job. If as a coordinator you are able to get a big reputable supporter, then word would be out and this would bring in many others and also aid in the advertisement of the organization.
Writing grants is very intimidating and many coordinators find trouble to fulfill this part of their duties. But in spite of it all, to be successful as a fundraising coordinator, you must have the writing ability to write simple yet good grants.
For all fundraising coordinators, arranging annual campaigns for solicitation is a prior job. Calling individuals from the list of solicitors, or contacting them via some medium, and requesting them to provide donation, is all that is required to be done.
Fundraising coordinators have to lend support to the persuasive production of various proposals for getting donors, inclusive of specific and core funding projects. Assist the production and submit the reports of donors, on the basis of their requirements, inclusive of financial status and narrative drafts.
You have to send out mails and press releases for any events of your organization and also take care of the publicity. You must have the ability to sell your organization and also be able to communicate with the donors. As a fundraising coordinator, it is your duty to take care of the year round activities and prepare the budget citing profits
Requirements
Academic
All candidates must have at least a bachelor's degree and experience in this field from any organization. Most of the employers prefer a College degree while considering candidates for these positions.
Skill Set
- Possess the ability in the production of quality and good material within the deadlines.
- Have the ability to comprehend and also review all the financial reports and data.
- Candidates must possess fluency in the language with good verbal and written communication skills.
- Candidates also need to have knowledge about computer programs, like Word, Excel etc and must have the capability to work as an independent person within an environment of multi culture.
- He or she must be self-motivated with excellent interpersonal skills with persuasive capabilities.
Fundraiser Career Prospects
With the growing population, there is also a growth in various enterprises, and therefore growth in opportunities. Hence career prospects for fundraising coordinators is also on the high rise with possible openings cropping up in thousands in the coming decade. Apart from non-profit organizations, fundraisers are hired by schools, colleges, museums, and other institutions to gather grant funds and donations.
The salaries in this field depend largely on the size and funding of the employing company. The entry levels professionals do not in general earn much, while those working with large organizations can expect to get paid at similar scales with private sector designations. At the executive level, directors and fund managers salaries earn anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 per year which often climbs higher as well.
As already mentioned above, a fundraising coordinator is the voice of an organization, therefore as a coordinator you need to be a social with a number of contacts in the community.