One of the most popular recent topics was started with the question "Why is it so hard to find good development staff?"... I recommend peeking at an article they put on their own website, summarizing some key points made in the discussion.
But, of course, I have my own opinions about their recommendations.
Passion First, Experience Second
They make the argument that the most important thing a development professional needs to have is a passion for the mission - making the case for hiring folks who come up through the organization or have otherwise demonstrated they're willing to commit themselves to the cause. It's hard to disagree with that - one of my biggest pet peeves is consulting with organizations who want help finding experienced fundraising professionals, with years of experience trumping a lot of more important, more relevant qualifications.
Something I wish more boards and hiring committees understood: you're not buying access to a personal rolodex when you hire someone to do your fundraising. It's unethical and borderline offensive to think that professional and personal relationships that I've developed over many years can be bought and sold. You're hiring someone to manage your relationships and develop new ones for the institution - anything else is off the table. Someone who's been successful running other campaigns, managing other development efforts is more likely to come to your organization with the skills needed to execute your efforts well...but they will not magically bring donors to your organization. They will do their best with what you're giving them to work with.
So why am I a little annoyed by the notion that you can teach anyone to be a fundraiser? Well, I do fundamentally believe that...and I get paid to help train accomplished professionals pick up the technical skills and strategies of development work. But I need to emphasize...this is a bit like Ratatouille. When we say ANYONE can cook (or fundraise, in this case), we don't mean that EVERYONE is already a great cook.
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| Be honest about your needs, and hire for potential as well as passion. |
I get work as a development coach because there are organizations who can afford to invest in training people who have a combination of passion and potential greatness, and are lacking direct experience. There are skills you need to develop to be a great fundraiser, background knowledge you need to acquire, and a good sense of how various strategies interact. When you're hiring, you need to know what you really need...and taking the short and long term view is critical. If your short term needs allow you to focus on the long view, maybe you can take the time and effort to bring a passionate, talented person up to speed. But if you need an immediate technician who can just keep things running with minimal training, you might need to go with less talent/more experience. Just be brutally honest about what the needs of the organization are, and don't underestimate the value of professional development skills. (Just don't assume that years of experience inherently exhibit those skills either! One of the reasons people have a hard time hiring great fundraisers is that mediocre fundraisers keep getting hired...which gives them even longer resumes, which some people read as experience, which gets them hired, etc.)
It Takes a Team - Including the ED
I can't stress enough how much I agree. Everything an organization does has development impact. And if you're lucky enough to be able to afford an Executive Director and a full-time development person, making sure that each understand their role is essential. One of the most popular requests I get as a consultant who designs board retreats is for a curriculum that will help everyone understand which bucks stop with them. Many nonprofits have unorthodox hierarchies, or have dispensed with hierarchy all together. Sometimes this is good; it can lead to empowerment for everyone on staff and board, making sure that everyone feels broad ownership and personal connection to the work being done. But that same effect can cause a lot of problems.
Because everything an organization does has development impact, there are two things that are utterly essential for maximizing fundraising:
First, make sure that the person you hire doesn't divorce his/her work as a fundraiser from the rest of the organization. I can't tell you how many narcissistic jerks I've met who seem to think that development is a cut above the work done by the underpaid peons doing direct service, that there is not a give and take between programming and fundraising...and worse. And those jerks are not all that much better than the overstressed and harried development professionals who can't find the time for adequate teamwork and communication. It's ultimately the ED's job to correct these kinds of organizational disasters, but my advice is to not set them up in the first place. Make sure you're hiring someone who sees development as serving the needs of the whole organization and understands the ecosystem that links funding and programming.
Secondly, make sure that your lead fundraiser has input on overall organizational strategy. If you've hired someone who understands the ecosystem, that person is a critical advisor to most institutional strategies. And they can't fundraise at their best when they are stuck being purely reactive to decisions made beyond their control.
Hire an Interim Executive
Again, I have a professional interest in this recommendation. Did I mention I have a whole paying business in addition to this blog? You should check me out [www.viliandvesolutions.com] and hire me. Or recommend me to your friends.
I love this recommendation because I think a lot of nonprofit leaders (both boards and executive directors) don't think about this strategy being an option. It should definitely be on the table for consideration!
That said, it's really got to be a good fit for you. A lot of us are very expensive. If you go with someone in this role, you're looking for someone who can keep all the pieces of your fundraising machine running smoothly while at the same time analyzing and evaluating the operation and devising a recommendation for permanent replacement/alternate staffing solutions. For that, you can't afford to hire someone based on their price rather than insight and skills!
Can you honestly afford an interim executive? Do you really need this serious an evaluation before hiring someone? (Sometimes yes, sometimes no!) And...do you want to hire an interim executive before you conduct a search? Sometimes an interim executive is the middle option - you know what you're looking for, but you can't find it quickly. Hire a mid-tier interim in that case, someone who can fill in until you find the right fit, buying you time instead of an expert opinion.
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