If so, you’re not alone…
According to Wipfli’s 2020 Nonprofit Challenges and Priorities Benchmark survey, nonprofits reported concerns about the talent gap. Staffing-related issues ranked high:
49% said recruitment/workforce is a top challenge
49% said staffing and wages were a top financial concern
In 2015, the same trend was discussed in “Underdeveloped”, a survey of nonprofit leaders conducted by CompassPoint. Read their report here. This report found that turn-over is high and well qualified candidates can be hard to find. For example, of the development directors surveyed half (50%) anticipated leaving their current jobs in two years or less.
All this, before COVID-19 added social distancing, and employee absences due to illnesses, and disruptions in child or dependent care to the mix we need to manage.
Unless you are in the fortunate minority of nonprofits with CEO’s who has a background in fund development, knowing how to hire and support a competent development director is critical to your organization’s success.
These tips can help immensely:
- Hire someone with 5 or more years’ development experience at one organization. If you see a resume with several short stays in past development positions, this candidate is likely missing essential skills. A poorly skilled development director can “fake it” for about two years. If you really like this candidate, check references carefully and read on.
- Hire for soft skills and provide training.
Good soft skills include but are not limited to:
- a passion for your mission
- diplomacy
- initiative
- problem solving
Before posting this career opportunity, define the soft skills and personality traits that fit your and organization’s needs and culture.
The “How to” stuff can be learned.
- Hire a consultant to mentor your new or current development director. This is a great investment! Negotiate a number of hours per month with the consultant that fits your budget.
- Provide funding and time for online learning through courses and seminars
- Allow and expect development staff to spend time at their computers learning from the Kresge Foundation’s online library or asking questions on LinkedIn Professional Groups. Maybe Friday afternoons…
- Service club membership dues are a worthwhile relationship-building business expense for your development staff. A COVID Era tip: Coordinate small group Zoom meetings with the CEO or a board member, the development director and a nonprofit expert known to your team.
The return on these investments will be seen in fundraising results.
- To attract and keep the best, pay a competitive salary for your area. These are difficult times, which is all the more reason tocompete for the best candidates.
If your charity is are among the 37% indicating that COVID-19 is causing organization hardship due to a lack of funding, (cfrrr.org/), the development director position is one to keep well-funded while cuts are essential elsewhere.
- Connect your Development Director with your community personally.
When Misty Copeland was chosen in 2015 as the first African American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, their leadership team realized she would need support. They helped build a network of New York City’s influential African American women community leaders to help her see what good hope her accomplishment was giving to our black community. Intentionally build a support team for your DD.
Lift up your lead fundraiser:
- Give your development director the floor. Schedule, monthly reporting/teaching opportunities at your board meetings.
- Build a team of volunteers to help your Development Director. After board members and personal referrals, look into unpaid or paid interns, AmeriCorps Vista, and VolunteerMatch.com
- Your CEO and/or board president can personally invite individual board members, colleagues, donors, and vendors to make introductions to prospective donors through their service clubs, businesses, and LinkedIn connections.
- Introduce your development director to other successful development colleagues in your area.
Let’s fill the gaps, so our organizations can weather our current storm of challenges!