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The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center |
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Librarian
or Fundraiser? How About Both! by Kim Minkus |
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When I was going to library school I never would have thought that one of the up and coming careers for librarians was to be a fundraiser. I thought being a librarian was about books and not about money. Yet, in this time of budget cuts, staff cuts and competition for donor dollars, the research skills that librarians possess are proving to be invaluable. Who better equipped than a librarian to dig up every last scrap of information about a company’s history and directors in preparation for that “big ask.” As a librarian you are an appealing candidate for fundraising positions for institutions such as colleges, hospitals, museums and art galleries. The Job The position most librarians gravitate to is called prospect research. This is the “research only” portion of the fundraising job. It carries a lot of responsibility because you are supplying the person who has to make “the ask,” as it is called in the fundraising world, with all of the information that will make them successful. For the most part you will be researching individuals, companies or foundations for donor potential and preparing a profile for the fundraisers in your organization. The profile usually contains essential financial and sometimes personal information that has been gleaned from annual reports, journal and newspaper articles, business databases and government databases. Often prospect researchers also manage the organization’s donor databases, and produce and maintain reports as needed for the fundraising department. More Information One of the best resources for information about the fundraising profession is the Association of Fundraising Professional (AFP). It has a very good website at www.afpnet.org. The website includes job postings, membership information, conference information and a resource centre that provides free research for its members. There is also the Association of Prospect Researchers for Advancement (APRA). This is another invaluable organization with a very good website at www.aprahome.org. Be sure to read the Advancement Research Standards section including: the Statement of Ethics, Donor Bill of Rights, Skills Sets and Position Papers. You can also sign up for a number of discussion lists from this website. This is an ideal way to familiarize yourself with current issues and trends. Preparing for the Job Hunt So now that you are sure you want to be a fundraiser or prospect researcher, there are a number of things you can do to prepare for the first interview, aside from becoming a member of the two organizations listed above, such as:
The Resources Here is a list of some of other resources you can use to educate yourself about the fundraising or prospect research profession and associated resources for both United States and Canada: CASE Currents – www.case.org Charity Village- www.charityvillage.com Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance - www.cfda.gov Fundsnet - www.fundsnetservices.com Canadian Centre for Philanthropy - www.ccp.ca Foundations Online - www.foundations.org/page2.html Conclusion It may not be the job you pictured when you entered library school but fundraising is both a rewarding and challenging job that is well suited to a librarian’s skill set. Fundraising and prospect research positions open a whole new series of doors to you as a job seeker, take up the call. Kim Minkus is the Communication Services and English Liaison Librarian for Simon Fraser University Library in Burnaby, British Columbia. Article published August 2003 Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the LIScareer editors.
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Page last updated
10/03/2005
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