Did you learn to swim by reading a book?

The answer of course is no, even if you did

read about the different strokes, breathing

methods and different types of kicks. Sooner or

later, you actually had to get into the water.

In the realm of leadership development, the

same principle applies. You can take very

valuable and informative courses, you can read

books, articles and blogs about the subject and

talk to people as well as observe leaders in

action. You can participate in valuable

organizations that teach you and give you some

experiential opportunities (such as Toastmasters

International – which I highly recommend). To

actually develop your leadership skills you have

to lead people.

So where can you get practical experience

in actually doing this? Eli Manning and

Peyton Manning did not play their first

football game in the Superbowl; Yo Yo Ma did

not have his first concert at Carnegie Hall.

Even the best in the world find a good

place to practice before the performance, and

they devote the time and energy necessary to

developing their skills before they go on stage

whatever the specific type of stage is, including

leadership in the non-profit sector.

Most leadership experts would agree that

these skills are fundamental for all leaders:

• Interpersonal skills (including Team Building).

• Oral communication

• Written Communication

• Continual Learning

• Integrity/Honesty

I would add that project management principles and skills are necessary for success in the 21st Century.

In the non-profit sector, whether you are an

emerging leader eager to develop your own skills,

or someone responsible for the leadership

development program of your organization, there

exists a unique opportunity to develop these

skills, by participating in workplace giving

campaigns, such as the Combined Federal Campaign

(CFC), Americas Charities Campaigns, and United

Way campaigns, etc.

Workplace giving is a unique method of

fundraising within the non-profit sector, and

many think of it only in terms of fundraising.

But workplace giving campaigns have unique

benefits – which I call "Hidden Treasures."

Briefly, in workplace giving, the actual

solicitations are performed by the employees of

the organization, during the workday, hence the name "workplace giving."

Some of the other "Hidden Treasures" of

workplace giving campaigns include conducting

inexpensive market research, leverage of your

development efforts, and exposure to a much wider

audience than is possible on your own, plus

developing multiple year revenue streams.

However, the focus of this article is leadership

development, and in workplace giving campaigns

there are campaign events known as "charity fairs." In a charity fair, selected

charities from the workplace giving catalog are

invited to come to the organization’s offices,

and staff a table with their representatives,

give out their materials, and answer any

questions that the potential donors might ask.

One of the biggest "hidden treasures" of

workplace giving campaigns is that they can be

the ideal "practice field" for emerging non-

profit leaders.

Charity fairs are one of the best leadership development opportunities that exist in the non-profit world. Non-profits that have learned how to integrate workplace giving campaigns into their overall leadership development efforts can use them to provide low risk, high value opportunities to their staff in a number of areas, including project management, public speaking, and team building. For example, the skills that can be developed and practiced through participation in charity fairs include:

• Oral Communication - public speaking

skills –you can practice your "elevator

speech" dozens of times in the course of a

campaign.

• Team Building - the non-profit action

officer can get practical experience in

creating and leading a team, whether they

are paid staff or volunteers.

• Listening Skills – the non-profit team will

have the opportunity to listen to hundreds

of people in your community – what are they

saying, what’s most important to them, etc.

These are your potential donors and

supporters – does your mission resonate

with them, are they aware of your

organization, etc.?

• Written Communication – there are multiple

opportunities to develop one’s writing

ranging from simple memos to an analysis of

the comments from the members of the

community that were made at the charity

fairs that is prepared for the executive and board leadership.

The paradox of workplace giving programs is

that precisely because they are not a high risk

or high cost program they can be an ideal

"practice field or rehearsal hall" for leadership development. No one is going to "blow" a major gift solicitation at a charity fair, but the future leader can gain experience in "reading people."

To learn more about the world’s largest

workplace giving campaign, the Combined Federal

Campaign (CFC), please go to the www.cfcfundraising website and request your copy of my free report about the CFC, which includes a brief description of how to apply for inclusion in America’s largest workplace giving campaign, the CFC.