The Art and Science of Being a Midlevel Fundraiser

Are you tired of having revenue goals without being asked what resources you need to hit them? Does your organization ever talk about how to bring joy to your donors along with hitting financial metrics? 

If you answered “no” to that second question, you're not alone. 

Here’s the truth: being a broker of joy should be the top priority for every fundraiser. The most successful fundraisers I know aren’t the ones who work the hardest, they’re the ones who deeply understand the inspiration behind each donor's gift and connect that emotion to the donor’s impact. They understand this art of being a midlevel fundraiser. 

Then, they also understand great fundraising isn’t just art - it’s also science. And that science lives in the data. In the systems. In the CRM.  

Good fundraisers build relationships and deliver joy. Great fundraisers do all of that and make sure it’s tracked, measured, and mapped in a CRM. Why? Because great fundraisers know that building a meaningful plan for each donor takes time, intention and structure. 

It means thinking ahead: 

• How will you engage this donor in the next 6–12 months? 

• What organizational touchpoints will resonate with them? 

• When will you reach out, and what will you say? 

And here’s where most fundraisers fall short: even if they do build that plan, they don’t put it into their CRM. It lives in notebooks, inboxes, or their heads. By the way, none of this helps you or your team build momentum or scale donor relationships. 

Here’s one example: most CRMs have a moves management feature. Very few fundraisers use it. The best ones do. My advice? Start small. Begin with your top 10% of donors and build a plan to deepen those relationships. Make sure it includes both cultivation and solicitation. (Unpopular opinion: I believe cultivation is stewardship - it’s all part of the same relationship.) 

Use your CRM not just as a database, but as the keeper of the science you need to create joy for your donors. Schedule dates. Draft messages. Set reminders for follow-up calls. Those touchpoints are when you connect with the donor and act as the broker of joy you are! 

The best fundraising teams don’t just chase dollars. They cultivate trust, spark joy, and build systems to make it all sustainable.