I’ve recently developed an interest in planted tanks. You know, the fish tanks that may or not have fish in them? As I’ve been learning about all the different components – the filtration, substrate, water chemistry, fertilizer, plant selection – it reminds me of being a development director. Okay, bear with me.
Being a development director is a very difficult job. The skills it takes to build great relationships are very different from what it takes to write a strong grant proposal or come up with catchy messaging on social media. And lumping all of these different responsibilities into one job description can be a recipe for failure.
Each of us has a unique set of skills and natural abilities. And we gravitate toward the things we know we can do well. In every development director job I’ve held, I have seen evidence of previous directors making changes in their areas of strength. New fundraising software, or a communications plan.
In my opinion, it’s a job model that is broken. But it is one whose prevalence is not going to change any time soon. So how can you be successful in this role?
Back to my analogy. Revenue mix is like livestock selection. Add lots of fish and you’re going to have to do more water changes. Add rare and difficult plants and you’re going to have to do a lot of water quality testing and upgrade your lighting.
Take a close look at the revenue mix for any potential employer. Each revenue stream comes with a set of activities. If you love writing, chose an organization that gets most of its funding from corporate and foundation grants. If you love data and number crunching, choose an organization with a strong annual fund or membership program. If you’re a people person, look for a major gifts program with major growth potential.
With all the different components of a planted tank (livestock, equipment, maintenance) it is critical that you have an overall plan and written records. Sound familiar? Having a written fundraising plan is essential if you are a department of one – to ensure that your activities fit your staff resources and are aligned with the strongest return on investment. And without a good database, where you can track donor preferences and history, your donor retention is guaranteed to suffer.
When considering a job change, be sure to ask about infrastructure. If a nonprofit has no written plan and no database they are clearly not committed to investing in sustainable fundraising, and likely will not invest in you as a development professional either.
Lastly, once you’re in a position that’s a reasonably good fit for your skills, seek professional development in the areas where you have less experience and aptitude. As long as development directors are required to wear many hats, you may as well start building your hat collection.
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| Photo by Chris Penny on Flickr.com |
Each of us has a unique set of skills and natural abilities. And we gravitate toward the things we know we can do well. In every development director job I’ve held, I have seen evidence of previous directors making changes in their areas of strength. New fundraising software, or a communications plan.
In my opinion, it’s a job model that is broken. But it is one whose prevalence is not going to change any time soon. So how can you be successful in this role?
Back to my analogy. Revenue mix is like livestock selection. Add lots of fish and you’re going to have to do more water changes. Add rare and difficult plants and you’re going to have to do a lot of water quality testing and upgrade your lighting.
Take a close look at the revenue mix for any potential employer. Each revenue stream comes with a set of activities. If you love writing, chose an organization that gets most of its funding from corporate and foundation grants. If you love data and number crunching, choose an organization with a strong annual fund or membership program. If you’re a people person, look for a major gifts program with major growth potential.
With all the different components of a planted tank (livestock, equipment, maintenance) it is critical that you have an overall plan and written records. Sound familiar? Having a written fundraising plan is essential if you are a department of one – to ensure that your activities fit your staff resources and are aligned with the strongest return on investment. And without a good database, where you can track donor preferences and history, your donor retention is guaranteed to suffer.
When considering a job change, be sure to ask about infrastructure. If a nonprofit has no written plan and no database they are clearly not committed to investing in sustainable fundraising, and likely will not invest in you as a development professional either.
Lastly, once you’re in a position that’s a reasonably good fit for your skills, seek professional development in the areas where you have less experience and aptitude. As long as development directors are required to wear many hats, you may as well start building your hat collection.
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