When Was the Last Time You Reflected?

Like professionals in most fields, having significant experience as a fundraiser is an asset in our work.

At the same time, there is something we tend to lose with the experience we gain.

Think about your earliest work as a gift officer. Without experience and the confidence that experience brings, you likely reflected on your work constantly. Were you outreaching in the best way? Did you manage your donor visit well? Do you enjoy the process and work overall?

As we move forward our careers, it’s time to bring back that early sense of reflection.

Reflection is an exceptionally powerful tool. It supports our professional growth, but even more importantly it supports our wellbeing.

For example, would it help us refine our skills if, after every donor visit, we identified and celebrated what went well, what we would do differently next time and what we learned that will assist the relationship in the future?

Or, we might reflect on how we use metrics as a manager, not just implementing them because we know we should, but rather using them to incentivize the right activity and reward effort along the way.

We can reflect in partnership too. After a solicitation, we might reflect with a leadership partner about what went well in the donor strategy and with their participation in the strategy, and how we might strengthen the partnership and our approach moving forward.

Most importantly, think about how it would support our motivation and satisfaction if we reflected more regularly on the impact of our institution and the joy our donors feel when giving generously.

But we’re not new anymore, and so it’s easy for reflection to be taken over by routine. We know the path and, perhaps, we sleepwalk it sometimes.

That’s why reflection must be intentional. Consider how you can routinize reflection: Adding time blocks to your calendar. Creating a simple contact report form that asks you to reflect at the end of writing your summary. Adding it as a standing item on the agenda for your meetings with leadership.

The opportunities are wide open and as unique as every one of us. But what is universal is the power of reflection. How are you using reflection to support your success?