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"How
Can You Find A Great Development Director?"
If
you peruse the "Help Wanted" section of the Chronicle
of Philanthropy or other publications aimed at nonprofits, you'll
discover that development directors are in extraordinarily high
demand. The number of jobs far outdistances the number of qualified
people. Simple supply and demand: the salaries go up and up. It's
a great time to be a fundraiser looking for a job; it's a tough
time to be a nonprofit looking for a fundraiser.
For small-to-medium-sized nonprofits, this is a gloomy scenario.
While universities, hospitals and large social service agencies
can pay development directors and other fundraising staff $200,000
and more (sometimes considerably more), what is a nonprofit with
a total budget of, say, $3 million to do? What happens if you can't
compete with the "big boys and girls" when it comes to
a fundraiser's salary?
It's a conundrum, no doubt, but there is a way out this morass.
If you cannot offer a salary that would automatically attract top
fundraising talent, you must "accentuate the positive"
in other ways. Here at Zimmerman Lehman we have conducted many searches
for development directors. What we have found time and again is
that our clients do not do an adequate job of "selling"
their organizations to prospective fundraisers. While these nonprofits
are justifiably concerned about finding folks with expertise and
energy, they fail to realize that they will only snare top talent
if they convince prospects that their organization is a fabulous
place to work. It's a lot like fundraising, isn't it? Donors want
to invest in success; development directors want to work in nonprofits
that are exciting and thriving.
Here are three suggestions that will help you attract the fundraising
world's "best and brightest:"
1.
Look for folks who are particularly interested in the substantive
work of your organization. Fundraisers are like donors: they are
passionately interested in some walks of nonprofit life and couldn't
care less about others. If, say, your nonprofit works on environmental
issues, trumpet your cutting-edge work atop every job description
and advertisement. E.g. - "Environmental Saviors has been
at the forefront of protecting water quality and aquatic animals
in the River Styx since 1988. We are seeking a Development Director
who will ensure our ability to continue and expand our exciting
array of programs."
2. Emphasize the particular qualities that make your nonprofit's
development office a great place to work. Many fundraisers are
put off by the idea of working in large development offices where
they will be pigeonholed. If yours is a small development shop
with one to three staff, emphasize that the development director
will wear a number of different hats and will have a variety of
responsibilities. At Zimmerman Lehman we also recommend that the
director of development be included as part of the organization's
management team rather than be treated as a well-paid "technical
assistant."
3. Show prospects that "quality of life" issues matter
to your nonprofit. Flex time, the ability to work from home, child
care, organization-wide social events: all of these are appealing
to candidates. Emphasize in your advertising that you are offering
a great deal more than a job. One reason that folks work in the
nonprofit sector is that nonprofits are considered more "nurturing"
than for-profits. Make sure to play this up.
While
your nonprofit may not be able to compete with "the big boys
and girls" when it comes to the development director's salary,
you have a lot to offer that larger nonprofits do not. Play to your
strengths and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the
resumes you receive.
More
information:
Copyright 2007 Zimmerman Lehman.
This information
is the property of Zimmerman
Lehman. If you would like to reprint this information,
please see our reprint
and copyright policy.
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