“HOW DO I FIND A GOOD DEVELOPMENT OFFICER?”

 

This is a question I often get in my travels and days spent with clients. Of course, the ideal answer to this question is, “you develop a good development officer.” Some of the very best that I have worked with through my years have been homegrown. But that’s not always possible. So what is the key? Fit.

Mission fit. Cultural fit. Passion fit.

Easier said than done, right? When I am involved in a search, I no longer go with the standard process, but follow a process developed here at DBD with my colleagues. It sounds self-congratulatory, but between the 14 of us, we have hired and developed a lot of fundraisers over the years.

When you get right down to it, it’s simple.

  • Recruit in the right circles. But also activate your social circles. That’s where I have found the best of the best – candidates referred by other colleagues
  • Initial Screening. Don’t narrow down too quickly. We conduct initial video interviews (really “get to know you” conversations) with maybe 10 or 12 folks. Some of those resumes will pop after you spend 30 minutes in a video chat with a candidate. The initial video interview will help you eliminate folks quickly, too.
  • Reference Checks. Do NOT split the reference calls up. As tempting as it may seem to split up the workload of calling several people, one person should call every single reference. And the best person to do so is the person with direct supervision over the position. If you hope to spend 50-plus hours a week working with this person, invest the time in references and really probe.
  • Final Interview(s). Bring in those, and only those, you are seriously considering. If that is 4 or 5 folks, do it. If that is only one – that’s fine too. And really get to know them. Too many organizations use an arbitrary threshold (i.e., we will bring in the top three candidates) that isn’t necessarily value-added and doesn’t always get you the right person.

Last, let me leave you with this. Fit is critical. My father, a journalist, used to take his final candidates to a nice restaurant. And the only thing he wanted to see was how that candidate treated the waitstaff – from the bus boy, to the waitress, to the guy filling the water glasses. He wasn’t testing their skills or examining their experience at this point. No, he was checking for fit.

By the time the bill came, dad knew if they were a fit.

Posted by Danny Maier
Danny Maier

Written by Danny Maier

Dan Maier offers fundraising counsel and strategic management for local and national nonprofits, YMCAs, camps, medical and social service organizations. He offers invaluable support to clients and their volunteer leadership as they look to enhance their development campaigns, prepare for crisis communications, strengthen their boards and more.

Our Latest Posts

Subscribe