Kathleen Crowley

I would say a combination of self-confidence and perseverance. In fundraising, you experience a lot of rejection - it's just part of the thing, you're going to hear a million no's, kind of like sales. So you have to continue to believe in yourself and look to be creative and find ways to connect with people. In this hyper-competitive field, establishing a connection with someone, whether virtually or in person, is more important than ever. The most likely way you're going to be successful in securing a grant is if you have a real conversation first with the grant officer or the president of the foundation. Persistence really pays off in this work.

I learned from someone who was actually an intern that she always looks for jobs and careers that would fit her life, so kind of building your career around the life that you want to live. I thought that was really smart - being able to find something that ideally you're well qualified for and you're interested in, but at the same time, if you seek that, I feel like you naturally have that work-life balance that you want. Prioritizing your own personal well-being ultimately makes you a better worker as well. It wasn't direct advice to me, but when she said that in an interview question, I thought, oh, that's very insightful.

I would say you're going to experience a lot of rejection in fundraising - that's just part of it, you're going to hear a million no's, it's kind of like sales. So continue to believe in yourself, and look to be creative and find a way to connect with someone, because in this field that is hyper-competitive, establishing a connection with someone, whether virtually or in person, is more important than ever. The most likely way you're going to be successful in securing a grant is if you have a conversation, a real conversation first, with the grant officer or the president of the foundation. So I would suggest to persevere and be persistent - persistence really pays off. I also think a lot of women struggle with confidence and imposter syndrome, and kind of feeling like they're good enough and aiming to please because of that insecurity. I would really want to encourage women to stick to their guns and seek that validation from inside yourself for what you really want to do and what you want to achieve. It's within you to make that happen, and it's not going to come from some outside approval or some other outside person giving you that validation. It can only come from within. I think it's important for women to really, truly believe in themselves. It's very easy to look to others to give you that guidance or direction, but ultimately women really should trust themselves, trust their instincts, and that usually leads them to the right path and the right outcome for their life and professional career.

One of the biggest challenges I'm learning about is actually AI. It's making seeking grants a lot more competitive, and this is what I've heard directly from grant officers - they are receiving hundreds to thousands of grant applications from more nonprofits because AI is helping other fundraisers find these foundations. So there are more applications, and on top of that, a lot of these applications are really sounding the same. It's really hard for a grant officer to really learn and feel authentically connected and know who is really aligned with the work that they want to support. There have always been more nonprofits competing for a small amount of funding, but AI has essentially supercharged that problem in the field.

Quality time and real human connection are most important to me, and that goes across being a fundraiser. Oftentimes you're in a small group or one-on-one with people, and that's how I love spending time with my friends and family - in small groups or one-on-one. Having real experiences and real conversations with people about causes that you care about is what matters most to me.