Part of our consulting practice is helping nonprofits find good development directors and fundraising staff. I love this work because I get to meet people with all kinds of skills, talents, and experiences. I hear some amazing stories of impact, challenge, and grace under pressure.
I consider it to be a great responsibility and not an easy responsibility. The demand for development directors is intense with demand is far outstripping supply. Organizations have to make their position attractive to get the best talent possible.
So, this week as I’ve been sorting through resumes and making screening calls, I find myself thinking about what I would want to see in place at an organization if I were a candidate for a development director. What would I be looking for?
Here are my thoughts. If you’re and executive director or board member, consider this list the next time you hire. If you’re in the market for a development director job, you might even have a few to add!
Compensation that reflects the market and the expectations: While this would not be the sole determining factor for me, salary is an important indicator of how the organization values the fundraising function and how well it is tuned into the nonprofit sector, and that is important. No organization should be looking for a bargain. Hiring a development director is an investment and organizations need to put some skin in the game rather than expecting development directors to work for less.
Flexibility and benefits: Let’s face it, the vast majority of fundraisers are women and women still make up the majority of caregivers. Whether it’s maternity leave, juggling sick children, or taking care of an elderly parent, many women either have to stop working or get a flexible job to cope. Organizations would do well to examine their stance on family leave and telecommuting to attract good fundraising staff of both sexes. I had three months’ paid maternity leave for each of my three daughters when I worked at Greenpeace and it kept me raising money there for 15 years.
Opportunity to learn: Many organizations view their development director as a kind of savior, an all-knowing being. It puts development directors in a tough spot when any request for help or professional development is met with a flicker of concern or panic. It discourages them from stretching themselves. Executive Directors and boards can avoid this dynamic (and improve results) by offering their organizations as a place for a development director to grow professionally from the very start.
Seat at the strategy table: Fundraising does not thrive in a silo. Organizations with the most success in fundraising weave it into strategy from the very start with the Development Director as key to the discussions as any other party. If I were looking for a development director job, I’d be asking questions about the organization’s strategic plan and what role I would have in developing it. I wouldn’t take a job where I wasn’t included.
A Board that had a sense of itself: Even though I believe that every board member should give to the organization they serve, I don’t really believe that a board has to be a fundraising board in order to be successful. What I would want to know is how does the board see itself? What goals does it have for itself? Does it have a plan for its own development and is that plan working?
An honest appraisal of what is going on: While organizations want to put their best foot forward to attract talent, it’s best not to sugar coat fundraising challenges. I would be looking for a straight, balanced account of the assets and challenges before I took any job.
A well-articulated case: You can’t raise money without it!
Allies and sounding boards: It’s incredibly important that a new development director have a feeling of support in those early days of their tenure. I’d be looking for allies and sounding boards during the hiring process that could help me to navigate the organizational culture and the people within it. Organizations are best served to have potential mentors and allies involved in the hiring process so that prospective development directors sense support from key people from the beginning.
Have any more to add? Write me back! I’m in the thick of it and I could use your expertise!
