Seven Tips on Retaining Your Top Development Professional
The loss of yet another development professional is an all-too common lament of nonprofit Executive Directors. Executive Directors worry that the continuity, relationships and momentum created by a fundraiser will be lost when that individual gets a better offer or leaves for personal reasons such as a spouse's relocation.
A fundraising position can be the most difficult to fill. It often takes months to find a suitable replacement. And the top development professionals are lured away so easily.
Here are several tips for holding on to that fundraiser who can make a real difference in the financial health of your organization:
• Before you decide to hire, write a job description. Make sure the job is defined accurately so that all parties know what to expect. Make sure the board and the staff understand the role of the fundraiser and have realistic expectations about what a fundraiser can achieve and how quickly.
• Talk honestly about your organization's culture. You may have a detailed job description, but you need to define what sort of person does best in your organization's culture. A person who is qualified may not always be the best fit. For instance, if you are a high-energy start-up nonprofit hiring someone who thrives in a more bureaucratic or staid atmosphere, the match won't last very long.
• Decide to invest. A good fundraiser is worth a stretch salary for the organization. It takes money to make money and if you expect significant funding for your organization, you'll have to pay a good salary. Don't forget that the fundraiser will need a solid budget to use when raising funds and that to perform at their top level; the person may require clerical help. A mistake many nonprofits make is to pay a relatively high salary for a fundraiser to fill out forms and type thank you letters. This is not an efficient use of resources.
• Recruit. It's fine to advertise and flip through stacks of resumes looking for a golden nugget. However, it's more effective to recruit the talent you seek. Target organizations like yours that are successfully fundraising and ask the person in the comparable position to help you by giving their insights and thoughts on what qualifications are needed for the position. You will give yourself a chance to get to know this person and see if he or she might be right for your organization. Additionally, you will create interest in the potential candidate. Recruiting can be time-consuming. However, a good recruiter can assist in this process, often making hundreds of phone calls on behalf of your organization. Make sure the recruiter you retain understands the nonprofit world and its conventions.
• Treat development professionals well. This may sound basic, but many fundraisers leave because they feel their contributions to the organization aren't appreciated and that bosses, colleagues and board members aren't supportive of fundraising. Fundraising is a whole-organization effort. Everyone works together to fundraise, following the lead of the development professional. Respect for the development professional's knowledge of the field will go a long way toward supporting a long tenure.
• Offer new challenges. After about a year-and-a-half, when the fundraiser has learned his or her job and the people who are key to the organization's success, boredom can set in. Most fundraisers are goal-oriented and like to learn new things. Offer your development professional the chance to attend conferences and workshops related to the profession. Ask them to re-design their jobs for maximum efficiency. Tell them about a new project or program you are hoping to offer were only the funding to be there. Invite the fundraiser to design the ideal budget for his or her department, along with a way to fund the costs.
• Move your nonprofit forward. If you are striving constantly to make your organization the best it can be, your enthusiasm and drive will be contagious. Employees in every department of your nonprofit will want to stay and help you achieve the results that make a difference to your constituents and to the community.
