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August 26, 2008

Planning Ahead for a Fund Raiser's Departure

In recent years, nonprofit groups have increasingly recognized for the need for succession plans to help replace the chief executive, but few have planned how to replace people in other key jobs such as the chief fund raiser, says Polly Aris Stamatopoulos, a Washington fund-raising consultant.

“One thing that never gets talked about is a succession plan for the development director,” Ms. Stamatopoulos. “Who is going to fill in? Does the board jump in or other managers?”

The rocky economy is putting a damper on the job market for fund raisers in some parts of the country, but turnover remains stubbornly high, according to membership surveys by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

That’s one reason why charities would be wise to create a plan of action in the event their director of development gives notice, according to Nancy Racette, an executive recruiter with Development Resources Inc., in Arlington, Va.

Ms. Racette says she recently met with officials at a Baltimore charity that had recently lost most of the six people in its fund-raising department.

“They only have two kids left,” she says. “One is right out of college and the other is doing data entry work” on the organization’s donor database. The drain in the development department, she adds, could lead to a shortfall in the organization’s $7-million annual budget this year.

What about your organization? Does it or any other organization you know have a fund-raising succession plan?

— Holly Hall

Tuesday August 26, 2008 | Permalink

Comments

1. Temporary succession via part timers is easy. The REAL issue (from the standpoint of funders) is the state of the charity’s files. Year in and year out about 15% of grantees fail to reapply for grants for which they are eligible BECAUSE of DO turnover. If the files were any good, an experienced temp could step in without missing a beat.

   — Bruce M. Brown    Aug 27, 04:10 PM    #

2. I agree with the observation on the state of the files and/or other systems (calendars, databases, etc.) One option that appears to be emerging are temp directors of development, experienced professionals who, by reason of family obligations, age, etc. are not looking for perm FT work, but are well-equipped to keep a fundraising program moving ahead in ways that “newbies” on the staff may not be ready for.

   — Nancy C    Aug 27, 10:13 PM    #

3. Part of the issue is that both employers and employees need to become more comfortable with the idea of job change. Succession planning is an ongoing responsibility in all positions, and especially so in specialized positions that are difficult to fill or require longer indoctrination times.

   Organizational capacity-building is an oft-neglected duty of boards and executives, and succession planning is often neglected even in organizations with a dedication to organizational devlopment and sustainability.

   — Michael L. Wyland    Aug 28, 03:53 PM    #

Commenting is closed for this article.

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