What kind of job is fundraising?
What kind of job is fundraising?
Chapter 6 draws together the findings of the previous chapters to explore the status of fundraising work: is it a profession, a job, a calling or a vocation? This chapter begins by reviewing the debate on professionalism, exploring the different ways this concept is defined and why professional status matters, before discussing claims for and against counting fundraising as a profession. In the absence of defining traits of a profession (such as a verifiable, agreed body of knowledge and formal qualifications after extended study), and the absence of a public consensus that the value and caliber of fundraising expertise deserves the status of a profession, it is suggested that fundraising is instead best understood as a ‘creative profession’. As contemporary fundraising involves a combination of creative innovation and managerial skills, and as fundraisers possess many of the traits commonly found in the creative class such as passion, openness, ability to synthesise, non-conformity and internal motivation, it is argued that fundraisers can accurately be described as a type of creative professional.
Keywords: Fundraisers, fundraising, charity, professions, professionalization, creative profession
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