I had the pleasure of presenting this past weekend at the CASE District II conference alongside my friend and former colleague, Matt Manra. Matt and I worked together at The George Washington University to close out the university’s historic $1 billion campaign and supported the development and engagement efforts of two university presidents. What I take away from these experiences is this: working effectively with an organization’s chief executive is critical to fundraising success. Whether a university president, chancellor, organizational executive director, or head of school, every leader has the responsibility to ensure that they have sufficient resources to execute their organization’s mission. Therefore, the relationship between Development and the executive is paramount. When the relationship works, it is collaborative and fruitful. But when the relationship is not optimal, the fundraising results are compromised. Below are a few highlights of our presentation:
Transition
A leadership transition is a great opportunity to establish a relationship and set parameters for working together. If what’s needed is a reset of an existing relationship, consider engaging in a data driven conversation to open up the lines of communication.
Data is critical
Data is the best way to start a conversation about fundraising with a chief executive. Start by communicating what has been raised historically, what needs to be raised, who are the prospects, and where are they in the development lifecycle. Look at prospect data including where major gift prospects live, where alumni and constituents live, and where the most generous donors live can help to inform a plan that will guide your work forward.
Develop parameters
Strike the balance between getting the chief executive in front of the most important people while also being visible to the broader community. Utilize the chief executive’s time well: bring them in to move a relationship forward or close a gift. Use them to do something that no one else can, being mindful that their time is limited. In our work together at GW, Matt and I assessed that the president should engage with the most engaged volunteers, the donors with the highest lifetime giving, and those prospects with large open solicitations or planned asks.
Pay attention to internal processes
Maintain open lines of communication with the chief executive. Ask questions like “how do you like to be staffed”, “how do you prefer that I prepare you for development meetings – do you prefer a written or verbal briefing?”, “how do you like to debrief after a meeting?”. Being able to ask questions like these creates an environment of open communication and trust and allows the needs of the chief executive to be met.
Work well with others
Develop relationships with others to advance the relationship with the Chief Executive. Chiefs of Staff, administrative assistants, and schedulers are critical people who can enhance the effectiveness of the Chief Executive and make your job easier. Think about all the existing relationships and how you can leverage them to better support the chief executive.
Prepare
Not everything goes according to plan in development. Sometimes donor conversations don’t pan out the way we expect and we don’t secure the gift. Sometimes a conversation opens up new opportunities we hadn’t considered. Be prepared for everything but also be open to new outcomes. Approach conversations with your chief executive with confidence and assure them that you are on point to follow through.
There is so much to be said about this topic and I’ve just scratched the surface. For more development tips and strategies, check out the Little Bean blog.