Leyna on Nonprofit Leadership

For the past two years, I’ve managed the auction for my synagogue’s big fundraising gala. I volunteer as a fundraiser because we are a scarce breed, and because this work enables me to walk a mile in the shoes of the people I recruit. (Preferably red stilettos, but that is another blog….)

The two fantastic volunteers who created the gala and have run it for six years just officially “retired”. This year’s very successful event was their last. Pondering how we are going to replace Lisa and Susie got me thinking about the importance of succession planning for development staff, especially leadership.

With a little help from my friends, here are some tips for fundraising succession planning:

Know Thy Systems: Having a database doesn’t ensure institutional memory.  Robert Weiner, fundraising technology consultant, often encounters problems in the transition between Chief Development Officers. “I encounter problems when the prior CDO has had a custom system built, or really didn’t use or care about the database.  I also see lots of organizations that have a donor database, but where the CDO does all her tracking in Excel.” (Leyna: Yikes!)

Document, document, document: Make sure you have a written fundraising plan, including major strategies, calendar, tactics, and responsibilities. Be sure that your fundraising budget is annotated with clear information about variances in both income and expenses.

Share the Love: Laura McCrea, of Laura McCrea & Associates, says, “Development Directors often develop a wonderful understanding of their major donors and the nuances of how to keep each donor engaged and inspired.  All too often, this knowledge – which can’t typically be summarized in database fields – is not shared with other staff and volunteers on a regular basis.”   You don’t want knowledge of the passions and pet peeves of your biggest donors walking out with exiting staff.

Build Bench Strength: Your annual fund development budget should include a line for professional development, and not just for your Development Director. The best development leaders continually groom staff for more responsibility and provide skill development opportunities. (Example: Fundraising Day!)

Plan for the Unexpected: Prepare an emergency succession plan. There is no better way to identify your vulnerabilities than to develop a plan for dealing with the unexpected departure or absence of your Development Director. Theresa Nelson, an experienced interim Development Director, suggests creating a transition binder containing all the key information that your Director of Development would want were she new on the job, and updating it annually.

Pray. (Can’t hurt!)

Next month: Building a strong ED/DD partnership.

We have all heard someone say they joined a board because “I was told I just had to show up to meetings, and I wouldn’t have to do much.” I facilitated a retreat last week where 3 board members said this exact thing. I’m amazed I didn’t have a catatonic fit.

It isn’t easy to find good board members, and it shouldn’t be. Board recruitment is not taking anyone who is vertical and can fog a mirror. Board recruitment is executive search.  You are selecting members of a collective that is legally and ethically responsible for ensuring your organization fulfills its public benefit purpose. Approach the recruitment process very seriously, have very high standards, and have multiple people vying for each slot.

You have to do a lot of upfront work before you can actually start recruiting. You need to understand where your organization is in its life cycle; what the main priorities are for the board in the next few years; have a strong sense of your board’s culture (or the culture you’re trying to create); know where your gaps are; and create specific profiles for each of the board slots you’re trying to fill.

The good news is, if you’ve done the pre-work well, other people are going to find your board members for you. Your job is to identify candidate sources, provide them with a very clear picture of who you’re looking for, and a strong case for joining your board. Believe me, lots of well connected people who care about you or your organization will help you find board members. They will be incredibly relieved that you’re not asking them to join your board.

Here’s how it works:

• Ask your current and former board members to come up with 5 contacts each who know about your organization and have a strong likelihood of knowing someone who fits your candidate profile. Ask staff members and key volunteers to do the same.

• Each of these contacts is taken to lunch or coffee, called or emailed (based on how well you know them) and asked to recommend a candidate.

• Repeat this mantra to anyone with whom you speak about your search for board members: It is an honor and a privilege to serve on your board. You take recruitment very seriously, you are very selective in bringing people on your board, and your board is a fantastic group of people with a compelling focus for the next few years.

• Once you’ve identified a small pool of strong candidates, you begin your interview process. Remember: You are looking for candidates, not board members. No one is ever asked to join your board in the first conversation.

Board recruitment is an ongoing, year-round process. You may bring new members on just once a year (a practice I recommend), but you are looking for strong candidates all the time. Board recruitment should always be a top priority for your board.  Yes, this approach takes a lot of time and effort, but it’s worth it. It is hard work to build an effective nonprofit board — and you need the right people on the bus to do it.

I’ve been hiring line staff, managers and executives for my own team and for clients for the past 25 years. I’ve overseen human resources for two national companies, and taught classes on recruiting and hiring. All my years of experience and wisdom about how to “get the right people on the bus” can be boiled down to three words: Hire happy people.

I’m serious. I don’t care how talented, experienced or educated a candidate is, if she is unhappy with her life she will be a bad hire. We’ve all experienced this scenario: A single employee or board member impacts your entire organization through negative behaviors. A person who feels the need to build himself up through putting others down, or who sees every glass as half empty, or who constantly expects the worst of people, can wreak havoc upon your organization. And because this person may be very competent at doing his job, it is often hard to get rid of him (or “free up his future” as I like to say.)

Hence my advice: Hire happy people. So what do I really mean? I’m not talking about screening for bubbly, ever-smiling, “power of positive thinking” types. What I mean is that you need to discern whether someone genuinely likes herself — is comfortable in her own skin. You want to hire someone who has a life outside of work; a life rich with activities that provide enjoyment and meaning. Because a job with your organization, no matter how fabulous and meaningful your mission, cannot provide your employees with their life’s meaning. Trust me on this one.

Hire people who have healthy, nurturing relationships with close friends, a partner, kids or a spiritual community (or all of the above!) Hire people who have a passion for beekeeping, salsa dancing, dachshund racing, or something else entirely unrelated to their day job. Hire people who speak well of former employers, take personal responsibility for past career mishaps, and who will be okay whether or not they get offered your job.

Now, am I saying that you don’t have to screen for the right skills, experience, aptitude and cultural fit? Of course not. But no matter how skilled, qualified and mission-driven an applicant is, don’t hire her if she is unhappy. I promise you — unhappy people bring their unhappiness to work with them , and spread it around like a bad cold. You have enough work to do without having to worry about preventing an unhappy virus from infecting your staff.

So how do you screen and interview for the “happiness” factor? That’s another blog…

Some relationships aren’t meant to last, and that’s just fine. In hindsight, my rebound relationship after my divorce was just what I needed, even though I got my heart broken. I needed a breather in between serious relationships, and I learned a few things and had a lot of fun with my salsa-dancing beau. By the time my husband Brian came along, I was ready for him.

Which leads me to what I want you to think about: the value of interim management staff.  In addition to the obvious advantage of covering critical responsibilities while you conduct a search, an interim manager can provide you with unexpected dividends. A good interim will offer you invaluable (and honest) insight and advice — the kind that only an objective perspective can yield.

I’ve heard directly from some very happy boards and executive directors who hit the jackpot with an interim. I connected Sonoma Land Trust to interim Development Director Theresa Nelson (www.theresanelson.com) while conducting their search for a new Development Director. She provided Executive Director Ralph Benson and the development staff with advice about structuring the department, implementing new donor management software, and kept the ball rolling until Beverly Scottland was hired.

Similarly, Nancy Salamy at Crisis Support Services of Alameda County sang the praises of interim Development Director Duff Axsom (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/4/a16/b79). Same story with the board of Pacific Center in Berkeley. They hired Corey Pohley through CompassPoint’s (www.compasspoint.org) Interim Executive placement service — run by the stellar J.R. Yeager — and she helped with some critical operational issues before Leslie Ewing took on the permanent position. By hiring an interim, smaller nonprofits can tap into the experience and expertise of very seasoned professionals — people whom they couldn’t hire full time, but who make a major contribution filling an interim role.

There’s a great article about the value of Interim development staff in the January/February issue of Advancing Philanthropy – the magazine of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Written by D.A. Hickman, “Interim Help Wanted — and Needed” (http://www.afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?content_item_id=24783&folder_id=902)  makes the case for a stint with someone who is not afraid to give you the unvarnished truth.

The Bay Area is full of highly experienced, talented professionals who make some or all of their living by serving in interim management roles for nonprofits. Drop me a line or give me a call if you’d like some referrals. I won’t guarantee that you’ll get a salsa dancer, but you never know.