🚩🚩 Had my first #narcinanonprofit moment today. First one in a really long time. A recruiter reached out to me about a position and I met with the Executive Director of the nonprofit. If you know me, I will never turn down an interview. You may not get the job, you may not want the job, but it's at least networking. Standard interview questions were had, one of which was how long does it take for me to close a gift? My response: well, that depends on the donor. I've had donors write a check on the visit, others, it's taken months. Here's where it got interesting. The Executive Director said they don’t need nine months to close a gift because two visits with them is like nine months—they are just that good. So not only do they want this person to run a department, but they want this person to carry a portfolio of at least 250+ donors and manage the Executive Director’s personal brand. **Red Flags:** 1. **Overinflated Ego:** Claiming that their donor cultivation skills are so good that they can achieve what typically takes nine months in just two visits raises questions about their understanding of the donor cultivation process and their respect for the donor's journey. 2. **Unrealistic Expectations:** Expecting a single person to manage a portfolio of 250+ donors while also handling the Executive Director’s personal brand management indicates unrealistic expectations and a potential lack of understanding of workload and capacity. 3. **Lack of Respect for Donors:** The focus on closing gifts quickly and comparing donor interactions to a timeframe rather than a relationship-building process suggests a transactional approach that may not prioritize donor stewardship and long-term engagement. Overall, this experience serves as a reminder of the importance of aligning with organizations that value genuine relationship-building and donor-centric approaches in the nonprofit sector. P.S., this person also said that the incoming person had to close major gifts within the first 90 days. #nonprofit #fundraising #nonprofitfundraising #nonprofitleadership
K. D. Feldman
5mo
The nonprofit CEO may also just be a puppet of a Board that knows little of fundraising, and he/she is just acting out the Board's expectations. Boards whose members do not give regularly and generously have no idea the time and effort required to land a large gift-- because they themselves do not give them. Often the same Board members, some of them well connected, won't even ask for gifts from people that they know personally. These folks are in no position to convey their fundraising and gift solicitation expectations to their puppet, who then requires it from the fundraising team.
Run & be glad you escaped
Kimberly O'Neil
5mo
This is such a common and frustrating problem, and it underplays the importance of valuing relationships. Oftentimes, these EDs can make it hard for their development team to do their job because: 1- they are overly involved and connections will look to engage with them and not the development team. 2- the quick check will be just that - a quick check and not a relationship that may lead to a multiyear gift. 3- they are overselling and sensationalizing the communities they serve or the need.
Dear Lord - the ED’s personal brand??
That is why it is so important for a CEO to really understand fundraising, or at a minimum, to be interested in learning and building a culture of philanthropy. The most important internal relationship for success in fundraising is between the President/ CEO and the Director of Development/ CDO. This interview and organization raise red flags all around.
Mickey S. Moore
5mo
Yikes! Stay away from those places that only coach results and not behaviors. #movinggoalposts #changingobjectives #allaboutthescorecard #volumedriven #transactional
Andrew Olsen
5mo
Wow. Sounds like a SUPER healthy org...
Julie Ordoñez
5mo
Here’s what’s I gotta say about allothat: Yikes!
That's a lot to take in all at one time. "incoming person had to close major gifts within the first 90 days." I'd ask, "The organization must have a robust process to generate a gift in 90 days. Tell me more about that and the team behind the work."