Summary: I was surprised to learn that Joan and I began our fundraising careers in very similar places. Joan happened upon fundraising at a children’s home in eastern Kentucky where it was discovered that her strengths aligned with the task. I too began my fundraising career at a children’s home in southwest Virginia. Much of my conversation with Joan was about whether consultants and their clients were in the right roles and for the right reasons. It reminded me of the wisdom many of us have read in Jim Collins’ Good to Great. First, fundraising counsel can help ensure that an organization has the right people on the bus (First Who... Then What), and fundraising counsel should always conclude the engagement with the organization at a higher place than where it started (Level 5 Leadership). We conclude our conversation with honest yet difficult questions of whether some consultants maintain an arms-length posture with their clients in large part because they discovered that fundraising really wasn't for them. It’s unfortunate that some consultants have hung their shingle in an attempt to remedy a poor career decision. If you'd like to connect with Joan, she suggested visiting her website at www.baumgartnerbrown.com or email her at joan@baumgartnerbrown.com. She would be delighted to hear from you. As a reminder, today's broadcast is the fourth in a series of six where we are taking a closer look at the role of fundraising counsel.
