Recruiting a Top-Tier Fundraiser? Four things you can do to strengthen your position

by Debra Katz , Talent Consultant

Nonprofits rise and fall on the strength of their fundraising. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough exceptional fundraisers to go around. A chronic shortage of top-tier fundraisers coupled with a high turnover rate means many organizations find themselves recruiting again just a year or two after the outgoing one settled in.

Competition among nonprofits for the best fundraisers is fierce, and attempting to hire one without professional help can be a daunting task. As a Talent Consultant and an expert in nonprofit executive recruiting, my job is to help solve the myriad pain points my clients encounter when it comes to their most valuable resource: the people who drive the mission. As you might imagine, this is a problem I am often called upon to help solve.

Recruiting is a two-way street. You will be looking for development professionals who have the specific skills, approach, and temperament to fit your needs. At the same time, the top candidates will be looking carefully at multiple opportunities, assessing which will work best for them. If you want them to join your team instead of your competitor’s, you will need to make your organization the most attractive option.

To help my clients do just that, I reached out to hundreds of top-tier fundraisers across the country at nonprofits of every size who have raised millions for everything from the performing arts to grassroots advocacy to scientific research and asked them why they accepted past roles, why they left them, and what they need from their next organization not only to sign but to stay long term.

Compensation, it turns out, isn’t everything. Given what I’ve learned, here are four of the things I suggest my clients do in advance of a search to strengthen their position.

Get up to Speed on Fundraising Realities

Top fundraisers choose to work at organizations where leaders have a solid grasp on the limits of what a fundraiser can do and the possibilities. 

One of the biggest reasons top candidates leave their jobs at organizations of all sizes is struggling to partner with leaders who aren’t working from the same set of assumptions. This can lead to all kinds of strife, from setting unrealistic fundraising goals and timelines to disagreements over strategic direction. Candidates will be looking to work with organizational leaders who, for example, understand how long it takes, on average, to bring in a major gift of the size they need, that fundraisers don’t come with a “rolodex” of donors from previous jobs, and that more, not less of the Executive Director’s time may need to be focused on fundraising once they have a head of development on board.

If you have not been immersed in the fundraising process yourself, there are things you and your board may not be aware of. Brush up on the basics and be sure to use what you’ve learned in discussions with potential candidates.

Align the Team

One of the most important things I tell my clients before a search is this: no matter how talented a fundraiser is, they cannot do it alone. Fundraising is a well-coordinated, collaborative effort. It is most successful when the executive director, board, and lead fundraiser are fully in sync, the work is adequately funded, and everyone in the organization is on message and donor-focused.

The best candidates will want to know if your team is aligned and, if not, how much support they will have from the top to implement change. Your lead fundraiser does not have the authority to compel their colleagues in Comms to get up to speed on donor-centric language or require your head of programming to explain their work to a curious donor. It is not up to them to convince the board to approve the additional funds they need to support the work you need them to do. 

The only one who can get the kind of cross-organizational buy-in necessary to support the lead fundraiser’s work is the organization’s leader.   But first, they must be fully bought in themselves.

All too often leadership isn’t aware they have not been doing all they can to ensure their lead fundraiser’s success even after it is too late; it is not in the outgoing director’s interest to enlighten them. Before going out to the market, make sure to commit to fundraising best practices and ensure your team understands that fundraising is in everyone’s job description.

Get your Board on Board

A disengaged board is a red flag for top fundraisers. The board’s primary responsibility is to ensure that your organization has the resources it needs to fuel the mission. Your lead fundraiser will be relying on them for annual contributions, introductions to potential new donors, and serving as ambassadors for the organization. They will be working closely with members to craft and implement a strategic fundraising plan, host and plan events, and multiple other things.

Since the board plays an outsized role in fundraising success, don’t be surprised if top candidates have done some serious research on your members before taking an interview with you. If your board is not as strong as it needs to be, consider investing in board training in advance of a search. It’s a great way to make sure they understand their roles and responsibilities, reignite their passion for the mission, and a good sign for potential candidates that you are both aware of and on top of the problem.

Fundraise

Counterintuitive as it may seem, fundraising is something you should focus on in advance of your search. Many nonprofits, especially smaller organizations, make the mistake of easing off their fundraising efforts on the assumption that an incoming development director will pick up the slack once hired.

Now is the time to double down. 

You will need funds to offer an attractive compensation package and have some in reserve for things like hiring support staff, CRM updates, cultivation events, and other needs that arise as you craft your strategic goals together.

Great fundraisers who have consistently moved the needle for past organizations command market rates and will only accept a new position if they are reasonably confident that they can exceed expectations there too. You can be sure they will want to know what resources you have available for the basic tools they need to get the job done.

If necessary, reach out to your board and donors to see if they will make a one-time investment so you can assure candidates that they will have what they need to hit the ground running.

No matter how many options a candidate has, they will most often choose the one where they feel their ideas will be valued and their work supported.  So, start your relationship out right from the very first meeting and let candidates know you will have their back. Make good on that promise and whichever one you choose to hire will have yours for many years to come.

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