Investing in Your Development Staff

Many nonprofits wonder why it is so difficult to find and retain good development officers. For some organizations, finding good development officers is challenging because of the lack of understanding about what a development officer should actually be expected to do, setting realistic goals, and screening candidates effectively when the person doing the hiring often does not understand the field of development. For others, finding the good development officers is not the challenge, but retaining them becomes difficult.

One of the reasons it is challenging for some organizations is because they are not willing to make an investment in the development staff. Remember that old saying, "it takes money to make money?" Well guess what, it's true! Especially when it comes to making an investment in professional development for your development staff.

Whether you are hiring a development office with little or no experience or filling a top-level position with a seasoned professional, there will be an investment to make. So what should you expect to invest in a development officer?  

First, there is membership in a professional association like AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) or a similar organization. AFP, unlike CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) or AHP (Association of Healthcare Philanthropy), is an individual membership association, not an institutional one. Sometimes organizations are reluctant to pay for membership because the membership follows the individual if they leave. However, think about it the way you would think about paying for health insurance for your employees or educational expenses. You are investing in the staff so they can better perform their job while they're with you organization. Plus, if they feel like you're willing to invest in them, they are more likely to want to stay with your organization. Encourage and give staff the necessary time off to attend meetings and serve in leadership positions with AFP; it will make them stronger leaders within your organization.

Conference's, seminars and workshops are important too. Development is a rapidly changing field and it is critical that staff stay on top of emerging trends. Webinars are an economical way to provide education and avoid travel expenses, so encourage your staff to look into webinars that will benefit them and your organization. However, sometimes there is no substitute for the "live" experience of training at conferences etc.

Development officers can also benefit from a library of resources including online research tools, books, and periodicals such as the Chronicle of Philanthropy which are usually available in both an online and a hard copy format.

And don't forget professional membership in groups like your local Chamber of Commerce and other associations where the development officer is likely to engage with potential donors and volunteers.

If you are hiring a relatively inexperienced development person you might also want to consider investing in some coaching or one-on-one consulting and training for this person in areas in which they lack experience.

And finally, consider investing in your staff to pursue certification such as the CFRE or the ACFRE accreditation. Having made this investment in your staff is a way to show them that you value their contributions to your organization and that you are committed to philanthropy and development. Having credentialed staff members is also a great way to show your donors and prospective donors that your organization is committed to the highest standards of ethical and professional fundraising.

As your organization matures in its own philanthropic culture, you will find that making the investment in development staff is well worth the time and money spent.

ABOUT LINDA LYSAKOWSKI, ACFRE
Linda is President/CEO of CAPITAL VENTURE™ and has more than twenty years' experience in consulting to nonprofits, and her book, Fundraising as a Career: What Are You Crazy? published by CharityChannel Press, not only guides development professionals in their career choices, but helps those responsible for hiring development staff to find the right people and invest in their professional development to the benefit of all. You can purchase the book at CharityChannel.com by clicking here.

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