How to Attract and Retain Fundraisers: What High-Performing Candidates Look For  

– Shannon Barrett, Principal – Talent Services

 

Hiring fundraisers is one of the most consequential decisions a nonprofit can make. Get it right and you unlock income, relationships, and long-term sustainability. Get it wrong and you’re back to square one within one to two years and the cost goes well beyond recruitment fees.

From our conversations with fundraisers across the Irish nonprofit sector, four themes consistently emerge as the factors candidates weigh up before committing to a role:

 

• Board backing

  The first thing they ask about is the board. Specifically, do they understand what fundraising actually costs, and will they back the investment? Candidates who have spent years educating a sceptical board on why income doesn’t materialise overnight are not looking to repeat the experience.
   

• Strong governance

  They know that good governance is what gives donors confidence and makes the ask credible, so look for organisations where governance structures are already sound. 
   

• Right infrastructure

  An organisation with no case for support, a weak annual report, and a spreadsheet built ten years ago is a very hard place to do serious fundraising. At a minimum, a current case for support, an annual report that tells your impact story clearly, and a CRM that lets a fundraiser track relationships rather than just contacts. 
   

• Career progression

  Fundraisers are ambitious, and the absence of a clear progression pathway leads directly to recruitment challenges and poor retention.

 

Why honesty at the outset matters 

The market for experienced fundraisers is incredibly tight (see ‘Fundraising Surge: What It Means for Non-profits’, and ‘Nonprofit Talent Trends – 2025 Insights’). This is where honesty at the outset matters. At 2into3, we work with organisations to understand not only where they’d like to be, but exactly where they are before a search begins. Organisations deserve a hire who goes in with eyes open and candidates deserve an accurate picture before making a career move.  

Smaller organisations can compete for fundraising talent

It also means being realistic about who you are searching for. Smaller organisations sometimes rule themselves out before they’ve started, assuming they can’t attract serious fundraising talent. However, candidates earlier in their careers, demonstrating strong relationship-building skills, genuine curiosity, and a real connection to your mission, can sometimes outshine more experienced candidates. In fundraising especially, authenticity with donors cannot be taught, and belief in the cause is essential. Read more on hiring for mission alignment.

The organisations that consistently attract and retain fundraising talent treat it as a strategic function. They invest in the right structures, the right tools, and the right people – and then they back them. 

Fundraisers are not magicians, but in the right environment, with the right support, they can have a transformative impact. 

Get in Touch 

If you would like to discuss how 2into3 can support your organisation with a range of talent services, contact Shannon Barrett at shannon.barrett@2into3.com.