Nonprofit Boards, CEOs and Search Firms Often Lack Development Director Hiring Savvy
- Jeff Beckman
- Sep 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 15
Numerous nonprofit CEOs, board members and search firms have contacted me over the years, asking if I knew of anyone who might be interested in their chief development director (CDD) job openings. There were several common themes in their initial comments: "We need to hire someone who can raise money... We know you have a strong background raising money... So were hoping you could help us identify good candidates... Or we thought maybe you would be interested in the job..."
My response typically begins with a series of questions designed to help me determine if they are are track, particularly when their primary immediate emphasis is on the importance of hiring someone who can raise money. Too often, my instincts reveal that there may a larger internal issue that has created their need to hire someone who can raise immediate funds. The best fundraiser in the world would be hard pressed to raise funds for an organization if it is visionless, poorly run and in desperate need of immediate funding.
Before responding, I always ask questions that provide me with a broader understanding of their goal, including questions like these:
Do you have a solid strategic institutional plan and master plan in place to provide the vision and support needed by a new CDD?
Does your current development department have a strategic development plan that it is executing? Or does it need to create one?
Does your board understand its development role and will they support a new development leader?
How closely do the board and CEO work with the CDD, especially on major fundraising initiatives such as capital campaigns?
Is the CEO committed to supporting a new development director and welcoming him/her as part of the executive team?
What are your primary development needs -- communications, annual giving, major giving, planned giving, capital campaigns, or all or some of these areas?
Do you need to make minor changes, rebuild, or build your development department?
Has your organization been effective in raising funds in recent years? Why or why not?
Can you tell me about your past CDD/s and why they left your organization?
How long do you believe it will take your new CDD to begin meeting your philanthropic goals?
Do you prefer hiring a CDD who builds his/her program with minor oversight from the CEO; do you want to "manage" him/her; or do you prefer a blend of oversight and independence?
What is your (CEO or board member) background in development, both general and with capital campaigns?
Does the CEO understand his/her role in development?
What is your vision of an ideal CDD and development plan?
These discovery questions, and a few others, provide me with a clearer picture of the organizational competence and their readiness for hiring a good CDD.
Too often CEOs, boards and firms are dialing for immediate dollars when they contact me, sometimes in desperation. I'm always straightforward if I don't believe they are prepared to hire a new leader, or if I sense they need assistance with establishing a fresh vision for their organization and/or development program before moving forward. When they ignore my advice -- and this has occurred frequently -- they hire a new CDD in their haste who typically leaves in frustration in less a year or two. Subsequently, the cycle of institutional struggles and frustrations continues.
CEOs and Boards need to understand that raising money requires dramatically more than hiring a CDD gifted in raising money. Successful programs and campaigns led by me -- while serving as CEO and as CDD -- have experienced decent results during the early part of my tenure (early small wins are important). But the true fruits of my rebuilding/building efforts usually begin after 18 months to two years of strategic plan execution, and the greatest progress occurs between the 3rd and 7th years.
Without exception, each successful organization and program I've had the privilege of leading over the decades, my bosses expressed concerns during my initial months as I tirelessly assessed the organization and/or development program thoroughly, first, and created a dynamic plan, secondly. The CEOs or boards all wanted immediate results.
Again, with no exceptions, 18 months after coming on board and beyond, good CEOs, boards, and institutions acknowledged that the strategic process produced an abundant harvest of philanthropic support.
Bottom line: Before searching for a rain-making fundraiser, recognize that your greatest need is to create strong, visionary institutional and development strategic plans that will ultimately sell themselves to philanthropists.
Contact me if you need guidance on hiring your next Chief Development Director or CEO (if development is part of his/her responsibility)
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