Some of the UK’s most successful major donors fundraisers share an interest in popular psychology, Kent University’s Beth Breeze told delegates to a conference presenting the latest academic research in fundraising last week.

Dr Breeze presented preliminary findings from her three-year study exploring the personality traits of successful major donor fundraisers: The Formation of Fundraisers: The Role of Personal Skills in Asking for Money.

This found that major donor fundraisers were “avid readers” of books on popular psychology, such as Malcolm Gladwell’s  Tipping Point and Richard Thaler’s Nudge.

They also have a “hinterland beyond their day job”.

The study also suggests that fundraisers:

• Are emotionally intelligent: self-aware, self-confident with good social skills and the ability to ‘read’ people
• Have had formative experiences that mean they are not afraid to speak up for and ask for what they want and don’t have taboos about money
• Work behind the scenes as enablers and scene-setters rather than craving recognition for themselves (“I hate to break it to you, but there are no famous fundraisers,” Dr Breeze said).

However, even though her research looks at individual personality traits, Breeze warned against a “damaging myth” that great fundraising is embodied in individuals rather than across whole organisations.

“Perfect fundraising organisations are those where the ceo is committed,  most people in the organisation are ambassadors and relationship builders, and fundraising is seen as being “message aligned”, Breeze told delegates. “But there is a damaging myth that you can embody fundraising in a person rather than an organisation.”

She said that fundraising textbooks often “buy into this myth” and presented examples from fundraising books from the 60s and 70s that gave lists of attributes that great fundraisers should have.

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About Ian MacQuillin

Ian MacQuillin is a communications consultant and manager of Rogare, the fundraising think tank at Plymouth University's Centre for Sustainable Philanthropy. He has worked in fundraising since 2001 as editor of Professional Fundraising (2001-2006), account director at TurnerPR (2006-2009) and head of communications at the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (2009-2013). Before that he was a journalist editing magazines for the police service, and waste management and music industries. He blogs and writes news for UK Fundraising.