The Definition of Insanity

Photo by Jenny Kaczorowski at Flickr.com
They say the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”  Is that what it feels like when yet another development director resigns?

Maybe it’s time to try something different.

In UnderDeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising, published in 2013, thousands of Executive Directors and Development Directors across the country were interviewed to determine what factors contribute most to the short tenures of development officers.

The recommendations were pretty clear – hire a skilled development person (or be prepared to train someone less experienced) and make sure that the conditions required for their success are present.

Those conditions include having:

  1. a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization
  2. a board and Executive Director who are fully engaged in the fundraising process
  3. representation by your development director in the management of the organization and the budgeting process
  4. critical development infrastructure in place, such as a written fundraising plan and a database

How does your organization stack up to these recommendations?  Not sure?  If your last few development directors left after only a year or two, chances are that there is room for improvement.

This may be the perfect time to bring in an outside consultant to evaluate whether or not your organization is setting up your development staff for success.  Fundraising consultants can be hired to conduct a development audit, install your first database (or upgrade your current database), or help you write a 12-month fundraising plan.

Often, in cases where there has been a revolving door of development directors, a new person starts in the job and can see the evidence of how previous directors tried to make these infrastructure improvements over time.

Starting a new job is overwhelming enough – but starting a new job and trying to build infrastructure at the same time can be impossible.

One might argue that you want your development person to be able to choose your fundraising software, or to write your annual plan.  But when a new person comes into an organization that already has those things in place, they can place their primary focus on fundraising and relationship building, and can modify and improve on the plan and the systems each year as they grow the fundraising program.

Your board may be reluctant to bring in an outside consultant.  Too expensive!  But how much is it costing you, both in dollars and reputation, to have your front lines development person change every year or two?  That is a very visible staffing change, and believe me, your donors have noticed.

Not to mention all of the time spent posting the job, screening applicants, onboarding a new person, orienting and training them, only to have to repeat the process a year or two later.  I guarantee you that your development person doesn’t want to leave after such a short time, before they can really show results.

So, are you going to keep throwing new development directors into the pool, hoping one of them will be able to swim?  Or is it time to try something different?

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