This morning, August 24^th, 2018, I got Tom Ahern’s e-newsletter with the heading “Managing Up: AFP endorsed.”   (Check out his related blog post, Managing Up.) He focused on the need for specialists in fundraising to know how to manage up.  Particularly acknowledging that often the Executive Director or Board don’t have the knowledge that the fundraiser does, but they are making decisions about the fundraising activities.

For those of us working in nonprofits we either become a specialist or a generalist.  A specialist is extremely valuable because they have spent the time studying best practices, tried various ideas and understand the pros and cons, and stay current on the trends in that field.  A generalist often becomes one by necessity.  Generalists see the big picture because along the way he/she/they couldn’t afford to hire a specialist in any particular area and had to figure out enough to get by.

Some of the executive directors and managing directors I admire most are generalists.  Yet, some of the most skilled are marketers, fundraisers, and artists.  So, I challenge everyone…Generalists, listen to the specialists around you.  They can be great leaders and know more then you do about their specialty.  Specialists, strive to understand the bigger picture.  Don’t just get angry when someone doesn’t follow your advice, ask them why.  Generalists have a good reason for the decision they made.

Ultimately, open up the lines of communication and the organization will grow stronger.