By Paula Attfield
Leadership in fundraising has always been more than setting a vision and raising money. The best leaders inspire, guide, and develop the next generation of talent. But in today’s world—marked by digital acceleration, economic uncertainty, and increasing expectations of transparency—leadership also means mentoring teams to use data and digital tools with confidence and clarity.
Fundraisers have long balanced instinct with insight. Today, with powerful analytics at our fingertips, it’s not about replacing instinct; it’s about enriching it with evidence that sharpens strategy and deepens donor connections. Donors are asking harder questions. Boards expect measurable outcomes. And fundraising teams, especially younger professionals, are eager for coaching that connects numbers to insights. To help these younger professionals thrive, leaders must pair traditional mentorship, share wisdom, values, and encouragement with the ability to help others navigate analytics, KPIs, and digital trends.
The few faces of fundraising leadership
A generation ago, strong fundraising leadership often meant being the best “closer”, namely the person who could inspire a room, land the big gift, or drive a campaign over the finish line. Those qualities are still essential, but they’re no longer enough. Today’s fundraising leaders must also be translators: taking complex data, emerging digital strategies, and shifting donor behaviours—and making them understandable, actionable, and motivational for their teams.
This is especially true in digital fundraising, where the pace of change can feel overwhelming. New platforms, AI-driven testing tools, and integrated multi-channel campaigns are quickly becoming a must-have in the fundraising toolbox. Yet staff—particularly early-career fundraisers—need guidance to see these not as intimidating unknowns, but as opportunities for learning and impact.
That’s where mentorship comes in. Leaders don’t just set direction; they equip teams with the skills and confidence to succeed in a digital-first, data-driven environment.
Analytics as a mentorship tool
For many in fundraising, analytics can feel cold or intimidating. Rows of KPIs and dashboards can appear to reduce human generosity to numbers. But in the right hands, data becomes a teaching tool, a way to tell stories, and a compass to guide decision-making.
Effective leaders reframe analytics as coaching opportunities. Instead of saying, “Our retention rate dropped,” they ask, “What story is this metric telling us? What can we test to improve it?” By mentoring staff to see KPIs not as report cards but as learning signals, leaders encourage curiosity, experimentation, and growth.
Consider the value of monthly donors versus one-time donors. While one-time gifts offer immediate support, monthly donors, on average end up being roughly 7.5% more valuable over a five-year period—and even more so over their lifetime—assuming your stewardship practices are sound (and ideally excellent). Highlighting that upfront helps junior fundraisers understand why long-term relationships matter as much as short-term wins.
Mentoring in the digital era
Mentorship today also means helping teams embrace digital fundraising as a space for innovation. Digital-first campaigns demand speed, adaptability, and a willingness to experiment. It’s essential to help teams understand that not every test succeeds. Leaders play a crucial role in mentoring staff to see “failures” as insights that can strengthen future campaigns, and therefore to approach digital challenges with resilience.
Take the case of Scouts Canada—an ST client through our digital fundraising division, STella! For years, their Christmas tree sale program was a beloved community initiative, but had plateaued in reach. By mentoring the team through a more integrated approach that combined online promotion, e-commerce functionality, and digital storytelling alongside traditional methods, Scouts tripled their sales. The transformation wasn’t just about technology; it was about leadership who encouraged staff to step into digital spaces confidently, with guidance and encouragement to try, learn, and adapt.
Similarly, Joybound People & Pets, based in California (and another ST client), embraced digital acceleration not as a side project but as a core fundraising strategy. Their team was mentored to lean into multi-channel integration, combining direct mail with digital advertising and email journeys. The mentorship didn’t just improve campaign results; it built internal capacity and confidence that will serve the organization for years to come.
Transparency, accountability, and trust
Analytics and KPIs aren’t just tools for internal learning; they’re also essential for building trust externally. Donors want to know that their gifts are making a difference, and boards want assurance that fundraising investments are well spent.
Here too, leadership means mentorship. By coaching staff on how to frame KPIs in the context of impact, leaders help build a culture of transparency and accountability. A donor retention rate, for instance, isn’t just a percentage, it’s a reflection of relationships nurtured, and trust earned.
For another one of our STella! clients, we are reimagining and rebuilding their website. The new site will allow for real-time tracking of user journeys, conversion metrics, and engagement rates. Leaders on the project are already preparing to use these analytics as coaching tools to both improve site performance and to help their teams explain to boards and donors why digital investment matters.
In this way, analytics become more than a technical exercise. They are a form of mentorship; helping fundraisers at every level understand how to link strategy, performance, and impact.
Cultivating future leaders
The ripple effect of this approach is profound. When leaders mentor their teams to use data as a compass and digital fundraising as a platform for learning, they aren’t just building stronger campaigns—they’re building stronger fundraisers.
Mentorship in this era means blending vision with practical skills, showing that curiosity and accountability go hand in hand. It means modelling resilience when a test doesn’t land, and celebrating wins not just in dollars raised but in insights gained. Most importantly, it means preparing the next generation of fundraisers to lead with confidence, integrity, and creativity.
A call to mentorship
The future of fundraising leadership will belong to those who can pair inspiration with analytics, and vision with mentorship. Leaders who can demystify data, embrace digital experimentation, and coach their teams through complexity will create fundraising organizations that are not only more effective but also more resilient.
Fundraising has always been about connecting people to causes. Today, it’s also about connecting people to the skills, tools, and confidence they need to thrive. Mentorship is where those two forms of leadership meet. And when today’s leaders invest in mentoring through data and digital, they are shaping not just campaigns, but the entire future of our sector.
Paula Attfield, CEO of Stephen Thomas Ltd (ST), is passionate about helping non-profits raise more through integrated direct response annual giving. She led the launch of STella!, ST’s digital fundraising division, following the acquisition of Deloitte’s digital fundraising team. Paula brings international fundraising insights to clients and staff and has participated in the Resource Alliance Leadership Programme (UK) and TNPA’s Leadership Lab. She serves as Associate Member of Rogare, volunteers with TNPA, and is a founding member and past chair of AFP Canada, now serving on its Fundraising Narrative Committee. paulaa@stephenthomas.ca
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