AFP Member Spotlight: Giovanni “Gio” Rosselli, MPA

AFP Member Spotlights are a recurring series of interviews with AFP members, highlighting the unique individuals and career paths that exist within the fundraising profession. If you know an inspiring fundraising professional who deserves to be featured, please email afpmarcom@afpglobal.org.

In this member spotlight, we interviewed Giovanni “Gio” Rosselli, MPA, development director at Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation. He shared with us how important it is to lean into challenges and how fundraisers must find their “why” in order to communicate authentically about their organization’s mission.

Q: How did you start your career in the fundraising profession and what led you there?
A: Before becoming aware that fundraising was a profession, I worked in professional sports. My roles were client-facing, including sales and retention. When I moved into higher education, I found that those soft skills directly related to building relationships with donors of the institution. One thing led to another, and I began my first foray into the field.

Q: When and why did you decide to become an AFP member?
A: I became aware of AFP when I began fundraising at the University of Houston. I learn best by observing how peers perform their roles, and organizations like AFP provide a fantastic avenue for networking and sharing of best practices. While I saw the immediate value as a newcomer to the field in 2017, I knew it would continue to pay dividends the more seasoned I became.

Q: Are you doing anything innovative at your organization (or a past organization) that you think other fundraisers could benefit from?
A: At my current organization (hospital system), we live, eat, and breathe the same values as everyone across the entire institution. Whether you are a healthcare provider or a frontline fundraiser, we all understand what our focus is and we wear our values on our hearts, literally. This common understanding makes for an environment our stakeholders can see and feel. It is a differentiator in the best possible way.

Q: What is your favorite word? (only one word) How has this word influenced or inspired your career?
A: “Challenge,” because it is a word that inspires many reactions. When I think of the winding road that has been my career to-date, I see instances of me leaning into relative unknowns, and these junctures presented challenges. Had I avoided them due to discomfort or self-doubt, I would have missed out on significant opportunities for personal growth. I “challenge” everyone to lean into these moments head on and remember that no one is 100% ready for that next thing. Go in fully informed, be open to making mistakes, and you will be just fine.

Q: What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: While working at the University of Houston’s C. T. Bauer College of Business, I spearheaded the start of what has become an annual gala tradition. As most fundraisers know, big galas can have many benefits, such as creating awareness for your cause and bringing stakeholders together. They can also be labor intensive, especially in an inaugural effort. To that point, I had no experience in gala planning, however, the challenge remained before us. Along with a lean team, we rallied together to host a packed house, raised significant funding, and cultivated pride in the college. The college completed its third annual gala this year and I had the honor of attending as a guest. Seeing where it started and how it is currently going sure was gratifying.

Q: How has being an AFP member and participating in the AFP affinity groups benefited you in your career?
A: AFP is valuable for the network alone. Having access to affinity groups takes the association to another level. I have attended group meetings with the health and LGBTQ+ affinity groups and can see how they make a large organization such as AFP seem smaller. More importantly, having access to safe spaces where I can bounce ideas off of counterparts in similar walks of life is invaluable.

Q: In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the nonprofit fundraising profession today?
A: Across the board, we need to be better at developing the donor pipeline. Oftentimes, I see fundraising shops and even boards going after the same donors year after year. The mindset seems to be that these are the major gifts we can close now. And while the approach is understandable, the logic is shortsighted. At some point, these wells will run dry, and we will come to regret not having done the work to build the bench. There are so many prospective donors for our organizations, and we need not look terribly far. We should be qualifying our volunteer and annual giving rolls and dedicate the time it takes to cultivate them into major gift level donors.

Q: What advice do you have for other fundraising professionals, or people interested in getting into the field?
A: For those interested in the field and for those already here, my advice is the same: remember your “why.” What makes working in fundraising different from sales is the “product.” In fundraising, we are selling intangible things, such as people’s dreams, research for a cure that does not yet exist, or the potential of someone or something. This work is not about you, it is about the greater good. It is not about instant gratification, rather, the long game. Fundraisers have to be in the field for the right reasons, attach themselves to a mission and set of values important to them, and be in it for the long haul. If you can get on board with these three things, you will find this to be a rewarding profession.