Too many times, an organization will hire a Director of Development (DoD), and suddenly they believe all their financial problems will be solved. They assume the DoD will raise all the money! But it simply doesn’t work that way. Unfortunately, as it often plays out, the Director of Development becomes isolated, frustrated and leaves, or worse, is fired due to unrealistic expectations.
The relationship among the Executive Director, Director of Development, and Board leadership is critical for a successful fundraising program. For any organization, fundraising roles need to be defined, collaboration is critical, and trust is essential.
The Director of Development is the one often in the middle and needs to balance and coordinate the various donor moves and relationships with the Executive Director (whom they often report to), and the Board, whom, they need to effectively engage.
When it comes to major gift fundraising, the DoD plays the role of the conductor. They are the ones who take the lead on the engagement plan for donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. For this to work effectively, there needs to be strong communication, shared responsibilities between staff and volunteer leaders, and a willingness to follow the DoD’s advice. The DoD is often the one who knows the donor best. The goal is to build a partnership and a shared responsibility for cultivating the donor towards a gift through the fundraising cycle with multiple touches and moves.
The best fundraising occurs, and the largest gifts are closed when there is outstanding synergy among the DoD, the Executive Director, and the Board. A highly engaged Board, offering time, talent, treasure and networks, a strong executive leader, and a savvy fundraiser who oversees the engagement strategy is the ideal combination. This cultivation and stewardship work cannot be left solely to the Development Director.
In our practice, the Philanthropy Squared team has seen many examples of these relationships – a strong internal partnership where the organization is successfully raising money and Development Directors who are alone, frustrated and falling far behind on revenue goals. We’re here to help. We will provide you with the counsel you need to build that strong and effective Development Director, Executive Director and Board partnership.
