Women in Development: In Search of Major Gift Staff

Overview

Whether you work in a large institution or a small shop, you are no doubt familiar with the seemingly endless search process for well-trained major gift development officers. Today's job market is highly competitive, price sensitive, and volatile, with turnover rates reaching all-time highs. The impact on major gift programs is difficult to measure in absolute dollar terms. However, we do know that results improve dramatically when programs mature under the direction of well-trained major gift staff who have longevity with the institution and its constituents.

Salary signing bonuses may not be the primary factors in all recruitment situations. Making a strong commitment to mentoring, training, and strategic planning, setting clear goals, and taking the time to celebrate individual and team accomplishments all contribute to creating an environment where talent, creativity, and collegiality will flourish. Developing a strong team spirit based on shared goals and values may increase job satisfaction and loyalty to your organization.

Challenges of the Search Process

While every region in the country has a slightly different list of challenges connected to the search process for major gift staff, over the past two years larger institutions and some independent secondary schools have become increasingly more aggressive in their hiring practices. Signing bonuses, housing subsidies, moving packages, sabbatical agreements, tuition waivers, and longevity bonuses are all a part of the negotiation process.

These trends might appear to favor large institutions with budgets that can match the escalating cost curve, but there is one disturbing constant statistic in this picture. The average tenure of major gift development professionals is 2.5 years no matter what the hiring agreement. If salary were the only consideration, then turnover rates would be very low in institutions with the best compensation packages, but this is not always the case. Considering that it often costs 1.5 times the salary to fill a vacant position, we can easily see that the current pattern is not only costly but also over the long term may not be sustainable even for large institutions.

The impact of turnover is most difficult for those in major gift programs were solicitations are staff driven, but ultimately donor relations do suffer no matter how the program is structured. Turnover contributes to unmanageable workloads leading to burnout among those who are left to shoulder the excess burden. Turnover also places enormous administrative pressure on those who direct major gift programs, forcing managers to do more personnel work than prospect development work, often leaving behind that which they enjoy most--donor contact. In this environment, new hires often find it difficult to identify mentors and others who might help in understanding organizational culture and donor history.

It is likely that strategies to increase employee loyalty to the institution and to develop a culture based on shared values and objectives would lower turnover. In reality, when money is the major motivating factor, the case for nonprofit work is difficult to win. However challenging this might seem, if an organization can clearly distinguish itself through its relevancy in the world or community and then make a compelling case as to how the prospective employee with make a significant contribution in the lives of those served by that institution, then perspective employee values become the primary motivator for decision making.

Even a small development shop can structure the search process to be less bureaucratic, and more responsive to individual concerns and interests. Making a clear statement regarding the values of your organization, what the individual can bring to the team and how the prospective employee will be able to grow in that position are necessary to fully engage talented staff during the recruitment process. Flexibility in work schedules, telecommuting arrangements and training programs are all fairly low cost items that also help to provide additional recruiting leverage.

Strategies to Identify Prospective Staff in Today's Market

There are a number of strategies that can be used to identify a "pipeline" of promising development talent, reduce turnover, and develop an institutional culture that places a high value on employee training, mentoring, and recognition. It is often best to begin staffing a major gift program from within your own shop. Annual fund-raising programs are a very good training ground because in many programs, there is a lot of personal contact with volunteers and donors, beginning with phonathon training and moving into face-to-face solicitations. The staff officer has an opportunity to train volunteers and also learn from volunteer experience. If the annual fund program is based on raising the sights of donors with individual asks at the upper levels, this is an excellent place to look for individuals who could move into major gift positions. Admissions officers, alumni relations staff, research staff, and others with positions that focus on volunteers or providing "customer services" often can translate that experience into success in major gift fund-raising.

Keeping ahead of what is happening in your region through professional organizations is also very helpful. Not only do you gain perspective on the overall job market but also stay in touch with colleagues to identify programs in other institutions which are successful and perhaps could be a good source for solid annual fund candidates. In some organizations, annual fund professionals will be type-cast and unable to move into major gift positions. In order to gain that experience, moving out to more up is a viable option.

Often, talented staff are looking for reduced schedules and flexibility. These factors may be as important as salary in the negotiation process. Location is also an important factor these days. For example, a small organization which is an easy commute for prospective applicants and is willing to consider an 80 percent position may well succeed in hiring excellent candidates who are well qualified and attracted to all the benefits a small shop can provide.

In conclusion, a good rule of thumb is to treat your search process the same way you would conduct a solicitation strategy with a key donor. Do your market research, identify sources of candidates through networking, assess how much training you can provide on your own to get the candidate up to speed, know what is most appealing about your organization and make that clear to applicants, and always thank all candidates for their interest in your organization.

No matter how large or small your budget, investing in staff management, training, and mentoring is one of the most important ways to recruit, train, and retain staff.