Hello my fellow nonprofit superheroes! Today, let\u2019s take a very brief quiz.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s just one question.<\/p>\n
Please read the following statements and put a mental check mark next to any you\u2019ve heard somebody say. If you\u2019ve heard something close, that counts too.<\/p>\n
____ Board member<\/strong>: \u201cWe finally have a development person! Wonderful! Now they can stop hounding me for money!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n ____ Board recruiter to prospective board membe<\/strong>r: \u201cYes, technically there is a fundraising obligation, but don\u2019t sweat it. We have an awesome development person<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n ____ Development Committee Chair<\/strong>: \u201cOur primary role is to monitor the fundraising efforts of the staff to make sure we hit our goals<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n ____ Lead Program Officer<\/strong>: \u201cMy development director wants me to go out on an ask? Doesn\u2019t she know how busy I am???<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n ____ Executive Director<\/strong>: \u201cI don\u2019t get it. Why is my new development manager always at her desk? Shouldn\u2019t she be out asking for money?<\/em><\/p>\n Ok, quiz time is over. Just the one question. I meant it.<\/p>\n So how many check marks did you make? More than one?<\/p>\n If you checked any of them at all, you have some rather unreasonable expectations for your development directors and I have a few important thoughts to share with you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is a myth that underpins all of the responses above. Did you figure it out?<\/p>\n It\u2019s actually pretty simple and yet seemingly counterintuitive.<\/p>\n Ready?<\/p>\n Myth: A development staff member reduces the amount of fundraising work everyone else needs to do.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Not only is this not the case, it\u2019s actually the opposite. A development staff member creates more work<\/em>, not less.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s use another sport. I often talk about a development director as a quarterback<\/a>. So let\u2019s use football.<\/p>\n The Executive Director is kinda like the head coach, but there is no team without a quarterback. Well there might be, but it would be a lousy team.<\/p>\n So the development director is the quarterback and works together on the plays with the E.D.. They think about what the team needs to succeed.<\/p>\n Without an investment in all of that, you can have the best coach and quarterback in the league, but there will be no winning.<\/p>\n A new development staff member is a gift, but a great one will put you through your paces. She is building a winning team. She has to!<\/p>\n New development directors should feel like a coach, a champion, and a quarterback. I know they are different roles, but this person should take time to make sure the development engine is functioning well, should ensure that the board has the tools it needs to feel a sense of enthusiasm about talking to folks about the organization, and should have a voice in development strategy to ensure that your revenue is diverse and sustainable.<\/p>\n I think they call that building a culture of philanthropy<\/a>.<\/p>\n And please stay safe.<\/p>\nTHE MYTH AT THE CORE OF THIS QUIZ<\/h2>\n
WHY WOULD A NEW DEVELOPMENT STAFFER CREATE MORE WORK?<\/h2>\n
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10 REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS FOR BRAND NEW DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS<\/h2>\n
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