When Program and Development Staff Fight, The Loser Is The Organization

By Susan Ladner and Jeffrey Newman

 “You don't understand how hard it is to raise money, how we have to struggle to keep our donors happy and interested and how much work goes into attracting new funders.”

“Really? All YOU seem to do is take people out to lunch or go to gala events. You don't have a clue about the services we are delivering or understand the needs of our clients.”

This conversation, occurring at a recent staff meeting, illustrates the difficulty many organizations have in making sure that their development staff and program staff work together, with common goals. And without the integration of program and development, the long-term prognosis for the organization in both the fundraising and program areas is bleak. The success of a nonprofit is directly tied to the ways that development and program staff work in concert and are able to respect and understand each other. In assessing an organization's health and well-being, one of the first things to look for is conflict between the program and development departments.  

Program staff members often complain that the development staff doesn't consult them in the fundraising process.  Whether the fundraising approach is through direct mail, individual donor cultivation or the writing of proposals for government, foundation or corporate consideration, program staff may view the development staff's direction as not in synch with the organization's programs. They may interpret the development staff's focus on responding to funders' requirements as not understanding the mission of the organization, or the way that the services are delivered, or clients' needs. 

While program staff may not respect or fully understand their development colleagues' proposal writing or donor activities, the development staff  members sometimes view their program colleagues' passion for the organization's service needs as naïve. The "glitz and glamour" side of the development department's activities--courting donors, planning and running fundraising dinners and awards ceremonies -- can be seen by program staff as unrelated to the organization's mission. The development staff often sees this necessary part of their job to be time consuming and exhausting and may resent their colleagues' dismissal of it.  

If the dichotomy between program and development exists, as it far too often does, it is one of the very first things that leadership must overcome. The first step, of course, is to get the chief executive to recognize the problem and the deleterious effect it can have on the organization. That's easier if resources have been getting tighter and tighter, since that indicates that what has been tried has not worked and won't work. It's somewhat more difficult when resources are not yet putting the organization's existence or expansion in jeopardy because there may be too little incentive for action.

The second step is to bring the program and development staff together so that they can learn to respect each other. Both groups need to know enough about the others' goals and objectives so that they can understand what needs to be done to be effective within the organization. A staff retreat, held outside the office, can be a useful and protected way to allow everyone to air concerns about their work and the organization, to unite them in ways that encourage cross-group friendships and to recognize and value the professional expertise and dedication of each individual and group. An experienced facilitator can get things moving, devising activities that encourage both sides to recognize their individual and mutual talents. Moreover, the facilitator can take advantage of staff members' candor and use critiques from both sides as a positive motivational tool.

After the retreat, both departments should schedule regular meetings to review their approaches and to see how they can help each other meet the organization's goals. Program staff should be invited and encouraged to attend fundraising events, to participate in grants-writing and planning sessions, to review proposals and to accompany donors and funders on site visits. Development staff should make regular visits with program staff to meet with clients and volunteers and to participate in and observe service delivery.

The split between the program and development staff has destructive potential but its "correction" can propel the organization to greater heights. Acknowledging, confronting and addressing program and development differences will allow a nonprofit to examine itself and ensure that staff works in concert to achieve the organization's goals.

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"The success of a nonprofit is directly tied to the ways that development and program staff work in concert and are able to respect and understand each other."