{"id":1319,"date":"2013-05-23T11:17:34","date_gmt":"2013-05-23T15:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=1319"},"modified":"2022-06-27T10:30:17","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T14:30:17","slug":"before-you-fire-your-development-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/before-you-fire-your-development-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Before You Fire Your Development Director"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Let\u2019s start off with two questions.<\/p>\n

1) What should<\/i> Executive Directors and board chairs care most about?<\/p>\n

2) What do EDs and board chairs often seem<\/i> to care most about?<\/p>\n

If your answer to #1 was, \u201cThe impact of the organization\u2019s work,\u201d 10 points for you.<\/p>\n

And if you answered #2 with, \u201cWill we hit our numbers?\u201d You\u2019re 2 for 2.<\/p>\n

The reason for this is probably obvious. If the organization misses its numbers it can become a lot more difficult to have the desired impact. A focus on the numbers is hardly unfounded.<\/p>\n

One more question\u2026 Who is most often the individual held accountable if the numbers fall short?<\/p>\n

The Common Answer: The Development Director.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it\u2019s even the right answer. Sometimes.<\/p>\n

So how do you decide when it\u2019s time to prepare a severance document? Or is there a better solution here?<\/p>\n

Read on for my \u201cBefore You Fire Your Development Director Checklist.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

IS THE PROBLEM REALLY YOUR DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR?<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing. Sometimes, EDs that complain the most that good Development Directors are very hard to find are the same EDs that actually hit their revenue goals year after year. Even with poor-to-mediocre Development Directors.<\/p>\n

And sometimes organizations with a first rate Development Director can fall short.<\/p>\n

FUNDRAISING IS A TEAM SPORT<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Before I get to the \u201cBefore You Fire Your Development Director Checklist,\u201d it\u2019s essential to remember that a Development Director is a quarterback. Even a great QB needs a good team around him. Not even Tom Brady can win a Super Bowl without a good team around him.<\/p>\n

And for those of you hiring your very first Director of Development with no staff support, a) congratulations! b) manage your expectations and c) get out and tell the team you just hired a QB.<\/p>\n

OK, now on to the checklist.<\/p>\n

THE \u201cBEFORE YOU FIRE YOUR DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR\u201d CHECKLIST.<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

1) When was the last time the Executive Director made a direct ask for money to an individual or foundation? <\/b>If it\u2019s been longer than a month, your ED is part of the problem.<\/p>\n

2) Does your board have a fundraising committee? <\/b>If no, your QB has a gaping hole on the team.<\/p>\n

More on building a great Board Fundraising Committee<\/a><\/p>\n

3) Are the Development Co-chairs of the Board enthusiastic fundraisers? <\/b>Or were they politely coerced to take the job?\u00a0 If the chair or co-chairs of this committee do not embrace fundraising, you have a board problem.<\/p>\n

4) When was the last time your board had a fundraising training?<\/b> Longer than a year? Hampering the success of your Devo Director.<\/p>\n

5) Is Development on every single board meeting agenda? <\/b>Important things make it onto agendas. Things that are not seen as mission critical are not. If it\u2019s missing from the agenda because fundraising makes your board feel uncomfortable, that\u2019s too bad. It\u2019s an important part of their jobs.<\/p>\n

6) Does each member of your board fill out a fundraising plan at the beginning of each year?<\/b> This plan should include commitments they are making to ask for money, prospects they believe should be asked for money, corporate sponsors they are connected to, and foundation contacts they have. <\/b>Where does the Devo Director get her prospect lists? How do you hold board members accountable to make their give\/get? With lists\/contracts like this. If the answer here is either \u201cno\u201d or \u201cwe ask them to but they never do,\u201d the accountability rests with the board chair. Not the Devo Director.<\/p>\n

7) Is the Chair of the Board Nominating Committee a timid or reluctant fundraiser? <\/b>This often happens because otherwise, you\u2019d put her\/him on the Development committee. But here\u2019s the problem. A timid board nominating chair will soft pedal the give\/get or will say, \u201cWe have a great development director and we always hit our numbers,\u201d or, \u201cThere are so many ways you can reach your give \/ get \u2013 don\u2019t worry about your rolodex.\u201d\u00a0 And so what do you wind up with? A weak team that\u2019s not invested in winning.<\/p>\n

8) Does your board and staff just love special events? <\/b>Well, that\u2019s swell but if you\u2019re lucky, $.70 on the $1.00 drops to the bottom line<\/a>. And that doesn\u2019t include the staff time or the board meeting time dedicated to the centerpiece discussion.\u00a0 (Promise me that if you ever sit on a board and the conversation moves to the kind \/ cost of the centerpiece that you will run screaming from the room.) Don\u2019t get me wrong. Special events are a key way to market and evangelize your mission. But each member of the quarterback\u2019s team has to understand that making a direct ask for support is a key part of her\/his job. And by the way, the entire time your organization is up to its eyeballs in that special event, individual asks fall by the wayside.<\/p>\n

9) Did the ED or the board add revenue to the budget that the Development Director protested? \u00a0<\/b>Yes, I do know Development Directors who low-ball their numbers to ensure success. But many are just realistic. They understand that \u201cmoney is programs\u201d and they want to raise the most they can. So they submit a number and then are told by Audit and Finance that they need to add another $200K or another $50K someplace. All of a sudden, the numbers no longer belong to the Devo Director. And so why should she be accountable for them?<\/p>\n

10) Does the organization have a clear vision, a strategic plan, tangible evidence of success, and stories of impact? \u00a0<\/b>I\u2019m sorry to report but these things cannot be taken for granted in every nonprofit. And without them, your lead salesperson has a much tougher sell.<\/p>\n

USING THIS CHECKLIST<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n