How to Hire a Development Director
Tony Poderis, a fundraising veteran, consultant and author, is adamant that the time to hire a development professional is before you need the money, not after. Development directors spearhead fundraising campaigns for nonprofit agencies, recruit support staff, develop strategies
to increase giving, and oversee both the technical and administrative aspects of fundraising. Because they usually hold senior staff positions and are responsible for bringing in the money to maintain a nonprofit's operations, finding the right development director who fits into the organization's internal culture and who has the experience, contacts and stamina to do the job well is of paramount importance.
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Instructions
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Create a detailed job description that outlines the development director's responsibilities and put it in writing. The document should include the reporting structure (i.e., to whom the director will report, whether it's the executive director or a vice president for development or another senior staff member), the support staff (if any) the director will supervise, and the overall responsibilities he will need to maintain. Examples of the latter include: developing fundraising strategies alongside management and the board of directors; conceptualizing and writing proposals for grants; cultivating relationships with current and prospective donors; developing and maintaining prospect lists; providing leadership to ongoing and/or future campaigns. The job description should also include job requirements, including experience, education, skills and knowledge.
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Advertise in publications that target nonprofit agencies. The Center for Nonprofit Management in north Texas, for example, offers regional nonprofit agencies a job bank on which they can advertise openings. The "Chronicle of Higher Education" lists development and advancement job openings at colleges and universities around the world, while the "Chronicle of Philanthropy" also offers nonprofits and jobseekers a healthy job bank. Advertising in general sites and publications can often yield good results, but those who target nonprofits in particular will attract professionals with the experience employers seek.
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Involve your board of directors in the hiring process. In an article for the Philanthropy News Digest website, fundraising consultants Derrick Feldman and David Sternberg write, "Fundraising success requires a board that's fully engaged in the fundraising process." Board members will be working closely with your development director on creating and implementing fundraising strategies, monitoring campaigns and identifying prospects. The development director must therefore meet not only certain background requirements, but also be comfortable working with your board, both individually and as a whole.
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Ensure that the development director has all the resources she needs to succeed, even before she comes on board. She needs a budget that takes into account administrative support salaries, technical resources, travel, membership in professional organizations such as the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and continuing education. As Poderis points out, "Too little pay and too little budget will invariably deliver too little development director."
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