{"id":29045,"date":"2014-08-25T20:36:25","date_gmt":"2014-08-26T00:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=29045"},"modified":"2023-08-15T13:20:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T17:20:08","slug":"new-development-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/new-development-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Your First 30 Days As a New Development Director"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s the situation. I was hired as the new Development Director at Millennium Promise<\/a>, a pretty significant nonprofit, and immediately I was thrown into the fire.<\/p>\n

Now, fires are par-for-the-course for Development Directors. Your top funder is coming for a site visit at noon? That huge government grant is due this Friday? The invitations to the spring gala needed to be sent to the printer last Friday?! These are just a few of the flames you\u2019ll feel lapping at your feet.<\/p>\n

But a fire on the very first day?<\/p>\n

I was expected to pitch a major donor that week. A $1.5 million ask. I didn\u2019t know much about the program I was pitching. I knew even less about this very VIP donor. The meeting had been scheduled over a month earlier and absolutely could not be moved.<\/p>\n

Of course I made the pitch. I even got the gift (in just a few months), which helped reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Important stuff.<\/p>\n

But this was just one more example of the chaos that is fundraising. I\u2019ve been there countless times.<\/p>\n

And so along with my good friend Smokey the Bear, I\u2019ve developed a 30-day plan for you, my new DOD colleague (that’s “Director of Development” for the uninitiated), that will leave you feeling like one of New York\u2019s Bravest (what we call firefighters in this fair city.)<\/p>\n

Successful Development Directors are a rare breed, and being thrown headfirst into the fire is just another day at the office for us. Those first 30 days as a new Development Director are crucial<\/em> for getting on the road to success, but it can feel like entering a burning building without even a bucket of water in sight.<\/p>\n

Here is my 3-step plan to help you reduce the chaos of the first month and set yourself up for success.<\/p>\n

Step One: Stop (and assess)<\/h2>\n

It is way too easy to sit down at your new desk and immediately get caught up in a crisis. One time, an events staffer insisted that I sign off on a venue for an event. On my first day on the job.<\/em> I did it, but certainly regretted it later.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t put out a fire before you know the lay of the land. So stop, listen, and think before rushing into anything.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s typical for a DOD position to be vacant for many months before a new DOD starts. So there\u2019s going to be quite a lot of backlog and items that need your attention. However, in my experience it isn\u2019t always the first thing that is presented that needs your immediate attention.<\/p>\n

My suggestion is to immediately:<\/p>\n