By Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
CAPITAL VENTURE CEO/President
Originally published on the Nonprofit National Resource Directory website
One of the exciting changes in the profession of fundraising over the twenty-five years I've been involved, is the number of institutions
of higher education that now have courses, both graduate and undergraduate, in philanthropy and development. It is great to see young
people who actually plan a career in fundraising, unlike those of my generation, most of whom "fell into" the profession of fundraising.
However, one of the things the young people graduating with degrees in philanthropy, development and fundraising might not be aware of is
the importance of finding an experienced mentor to help them grow in their career.
Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, who provide mentoring services for young people, have amassed a ton of statistics proving
that mentoring works. They can quote you the precise statistics on the percentage young people are less likely to drop out of school, use
drugs and alcohol, and have truancy problems, because they have mentors. Read more
