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

By Susan Ladner and Jeffrey Newman

For some, the summer months mean vacations and beaches and hiking and spending time in relaxing ways.  For others, the summer months mean taking advantage of the quiet and slower pace to catch up on work.  For the nonprofit executive and, particularly, the  development staff, the summer is a perfect time to review the last few months and get in shape for the fundraising activities of the rest of the year.

Development staff can use this time to slow down, take a breath, look around, assess the year's progress so far and then map out what needs to be accomplished before the end of the year. It is a good time to get to the housekeeping, organizational chores that kept on moving to the bottom of the "to do" list during the busy months in the beginning of the year.

Here are some of the activities--in addition to going through the files (computer and paper) and throwing out or deleting the unnecessary ones, moving to storage those you won't need in the next year and rearranging those that will become more important the next few months--that will help make development activities more meaningful, more organized and more easily accomplished in the coming months:

Review written materials for consistency. For instance, do all marketing materials, proposals and websites use the same mission statement? Are you using the same logo everywhere?

Pull out a couple of your proposals and read them slowly and with a more critical eye than you may have had time for in the weeks before they were due. If there are corrections or changes that you would make now, do so and file them away for use the next time.

Reread the talking points your executives and board members use when they seek support.  Do they still sound compelling? Are there some nuances or new phrases you can add?

Update your current and prospective donor lists, making sure that new positions and contact information are noted.  Do you have an updated list of the 20 corporate and private foundations and governmental agencies you expect to approach in the coming year?

Set up those postponed and cancelled lunches and informal get-togethers with colleagues from other organizations.  Are your colleagues having a good year?

Take some time to sit and chat with executive and development staff.  How do they think fundraising activities are going? Are there suggestions for changes and improvements?

Meet or call a few board members. What do they think of the development strategies so far?

Look at your programs again.  Are program activities different in the summer? Does site staff have suggestions for improving visits from funders?

There are always tasks to be done and goals to be accomplished even before you, yourself, get away for a well-deserved break.  Try to take advantage of these unique months of the work and business cycle to carefully assess your fundraising work and all of the support materials and personnel you need to perform well. In doing so you will be pulling together the experience of the immediate past and laying the groundwork for a successful fall and winter season.

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"There are always tasks to be done and goals to be accomplished even before you, yourself, get away for a well-deserved break."