Absolutely, and in today’s market, it’s increasingly necessary. Advancement demands are higher than ever, and nonprofits benefit from bringing in fresh perspective instead of continuously recycling talent from one institution to another. Many professionals with strong sales backgrounds already possess core fundraising competencies: relationship-building, resilience, strategic communication, and the ability to move people toward action.
That transition is most successful when three things happen. First, the role must align with the candidate’s natural strengths within the sales cycle. Asking a true “hunter” to step into a highly maintenance-focused “farmer” role may create frustration on both sides. Second, organizations need to understand what energizes the candidate and what drains them. A thoughtful interview process should uncover whether the day-to-day realities of the fundraising role actually fit how that person is wired to work.
Third, and most importantly, nonprofits must effectively sell the impact of the role, not just the mission statement. If a candidate is in conversation with you, curiosity already exists. The opportunity is to help them see how their work directly enables and advances the mission in a tangible way. Candidates coming from sales may already have financial upside in their current careers. What often motivates them to explore fundraising is the chance to connect their skills to meaningful outcomes, long-term impact, and work that feels personally rewarding beyond compensation alone.
Read my article in Giving magazine.
