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October 11, 2007

Fundraising By The CEO Won't Always Involve An Ask

By Mark Hrywna
Some people are born fundraisers, some are made, and some have fundraising thrust upon them. Whichever one you might be, if you're an executive director, these days you're likely to have to be a fundraiser as well, whether or not you came from the development side of things.

Michael Osso, executive director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's New York City chapter, said being an executive director is "a juggling act," in which he "changes costumes completely from day to day.

"I always thought fundraising was equally important," Osso said during a recent fundraising conference. If there's no money, you can't do anything, he thought, until he gained experience and realized other areas of responsibility that are vital for an executive director. When he was a development director, Osso said, "The grass was always greener on the executive director side."

"The key word is partner," said Kathy Spahn, president and CEO of Helen Keller International (HKI). Fundraising is a shared responsibility and partnership between the development director and executive director. Organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society exist to generate resources while others, like HKI, exist to implement programs. CEOs are different, but their chief role is still as a fundraiser, she said.

Spahn described herself as "very hands-on" at HKI, getting involved in fundraising calls, personal letters, branding and editing and drafting direct response efforts. "Determine together where the executive director brings added value," she said. That's deciding where an executive director's experience might be helpful and where it can become micromanaging. Development directors should work with their executives on donor stewardship, keeping them current on trends in fundraising, Spahn said.

Where one can go wrong, Spahn said, is when a development director is careless with donors, such as an inappropriate ask. Another potential pitfall is the relationship with the board. The executive committee and donors are a top priority. "Do everything to keep your donors and board happy," she said.

Osso said he meets with his organization's development director every day, whether for 10 minutes or for an hour, depending on the importance of the work that day. "Fundraising is a real priority."

Messages, whether by email or voicemail, from development directors to their executive directors should be as brief as possible, Osso said, but without leaving out vital information.

The development director must be a "fundraising chameleon," said Osso, able to adjust depending on the strength of a team and filling in the gaps. "You're going to have to fill in where the executive director is lacking," he said, sometimes sending them on autopilot to fundraise and in other cases giving step-by-step instructions.

During a stint at another nonprofit before HKI, Spahn said she mandated development staff be at program meetings until it became part of the culture. "If you're going to be writing or speaking about these issues, you must have a full and deep need for understanding," Spahn said. "To get into those meetings will shift over time."

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This article is from NPT Instant Fundraising, a publication of The NonProfit Times.

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