In my last post, I briefly touched on the need to hire new team members who can support and drive change. In this post, I’d like to drill down on that topic. 

Most of us in the advancement sector face a number of challenges. This includes a frequent turnover of team members and a void in the talent pool from which to hire. We also face difficulty in determining if a potential candidate has either experience in the field due to having served in two or three development jobs for two or three years at each organization, or, more importantly, if they can actually raise money. I’ve found that finding people who know how to execute a consistent, thoughtful, and strategic approach in their outreach to an identified prospect pool can be daunting. Add to that the ability to be innovative and creative in their approach, I would suggest that we are looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. 

So, given this backdrop, what are the solutions? How do we think differently about our approach to staffing?

Let me introduce one more thought before providing that answer. At Emory, we are currently in the midst of a comprehensive campaign with plans to launch the campaign publicly this fall. In preparation for the launch, our new President has been engaging our board of trustees in robust dialogue. I took this opportunity to look for resources for our President and board regarding their respective roles in supporting the campaign. I found Comprehensive Fundraising Campaigns, A Guide for Presidents and Boards, by James M. Langley. There were many things that resonated with me in this book, and many good reminders, but one thing stood out to me. In Chapter 2 of his case study, Langley wrote about how consultants often come in and point out potential that exists as the result of a wealth analysis, highlighting the number of major gift prospects who are not giving at capacity, or not giving or engaged at all. Many of us have had this experience. Yet it is the common reaction that is out of sync with the problem. Most often we are given, or ask for, resources to hire more major gift officers. 

Taking both of the issues outlined above into consideration, I suggest it is time to train and develop our own teams, to invest in the people we have, to grow our own talent. It is time to make the investment in building programs internally at our organizations to educate — and reward— behaviors that build capacity and develop individuals into strong frontline (major gift) team members. To this end, we have begun this work at Emory by creating a Donor Experience Academy and hiring a team of digital gift officers.

Coming up in my next post, I’ll go more in-depth on the Donor Experience Academy with the two individuals who are spearheading this incredible effort. They will share more about this new approach, and our new team.