Advice For A New Development Officer:
What You Didn't Realize You Needed to Know
Shirley Trauger, Vice President
October 2010
Congratulations! You have just been hired as the new Chief Development Officer of Deserving Community Organization. Your CEO expects you to get up to speed in no time – pick up the ball with prospects, Board members, mailings, events, gift processing, grants … the bread and butter of fundraising.
But the learning curve is always more challenging than meets the eye, as Schultz & Williams consultants have learned while serving as counsel for clients who are undergoing staff leadership transitions.
Here are just a few of the “lessons learned” that should be on the top of your list during your first week on the job – and even during the hiring process:
- Making a Stronger Case
As a Chief Development Officer, it’s your responsibility to articulate not only the case for support, but also what really differentiates your organization and makes it compelling to funders.
In fact, it’s best if you began to understand and internalize the case as you made your decision that this was where you wanted to work; your outside perspective was likely part of why you were hired. Hold on to it, knowing that your fresh pair of eyes won’t last long!
You may find that you need to help your colleagues define that “value proposition.” You may also need to delve into the budget and help identify the organization’s funding needs, including “packaging” of operating expenses.
- Learning the Lingo
Incumbent staff often forget that they may be using “insider” language – terminology and abbreviations that are not obvious to newcomers. You will be “interpreting” this cause to the world outside of the agency. Don’t be afraid to remind your new colleagues to explain their shorthand. If you make an unconfirmed assumption, you may miss a critical piece of information about a revenue stream, a key program or an important administrative process.
- Understanding Legacy Issues
When organizations have experienced transitions, there may be policies, traditions and groups of constituents that require your attention. Be sensitive to where the baggage may be concealed. Taking the time to understand how things were done in the past will help you start off on your best foot with folks who might feel threatened or disaffected by new ways, and it will help you develop strategies to affect any changes you may need to make.
- Mining Constituents
Just how many databases does your organization have? We have worked with clients whose membership or client databases often duplicate – but do not link to – their fundraising database. Many organizations today have separate systems for their online giving and email communications. You need to understand who the organization’s constituents are, how they can be accessed and how, if possible, that store of knowledge can be leveraged and integrated in order to elevate fundraising.
Any of these issues can become a challenge or cause unexpected demands on your time, if you do not invest in learning up front. Find a trusted inside partner or two for informal “onboarding,” and dive into these issues before you call a single prospect.
Schultz & Williams is a national consulting firm based in Philadelphia; providing management, fundraising and marketing consulting for nonprofit organizations, along with full-service direct marketing, database and creative/production services.
