Adam Grant, Ph.D. is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School... and he's an all-around great guy with unmatched energy and passion for his work. (Note: I have not seen Adam in person since he became a father, so it is possible sleep-deprivation has robbed him of some of this energy, but I doubt it!) He has conducted extensive research on the motivational factors and personality traits that influence a fundraiser's success.
A few years ago, I had the good fortune of working with Adam on such research as related to student callers employed by the University of Michigan's fundraising programs. Here were the two key questions of the research:
1) Are there key personality traits we could seek when hiring student callers that would make their success more likely?
2) Would hearing the story of scholarship recipients motivate student callers to make more calls or raise more funds?
This post explores the findings behind question #1. So what traits initially come to mind for you when asked the question:
Here's one common answer:
Other common answers, when Adam and I have presented these findings, have included:
- Agreeableness
- Altruism
- Conscientiousness
- Emotional stability
- Extraversion
- Open-mindedness
- Self-confidence
- Self-esteem
And you know what? None of these matter when examined individually. However, two of them matter when simultaneously present in a fundraiser:
Conscientiousness + Extraversion = Improved Results
In the first week on the job, look at the difference between the conscientious extraverts and the other callers:
That's a significant difference, obviously. So have you considered applying personality trait tests to your hiring practices? It is a common practice in the for-profit world. For more on this research and its findings, see a full presentation on the topic here.
UPDATE: Please note - I am not necessarily suggesting that these two traits are the best for all development positions, but rather that the science of personalities could be a successful tool for using in your organization's hiring practices.
