Dear “Hiring” Colleague,

Your organization is growing up and now you find that you cannot do all that needs to be done with the limited staff you have. You especially need help with fundraising, but you’ve never hired a fundraiser.

Click on the titles at the right to learn more about…

The Right Time to Hire a Fundraiser

Finding the Funds

Who Does What

Do you have questions about hiring a fundraiser for your initiative? Contact us through LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com
for more information. You can still access previous issues of On-the-Go eTA by clicking on the title at the right.

The Right Time to Hire a Fundraiser

Your new or growing organization has a clearly defined mission and goals. Until recently, you have been able to serve the community due to committed leaders who give time and resources. But now your organization may have goals that require resources that cannot rely on you and existing volunteers alone. This is a good indication that you may be ready to hire a staff member dedicated to fundraising. In addition to creating a job description and a budget in collaboration with your volunteer leadership, the chart below shares other tips for knowing you’re ready to hire a fundraising staff person:

Finding Funds for a Fundraiser

Hiring a director of development or other fundraising professional will allow you to expand and enhance the capacity of your organization to work in the community. In short…you are spending resources to grow resources.

Since it costs money to fundraise, capacity building grants are available through some foundations. The Foundation Center lists 639 foundations that provide capacity grants. You can subscribe to the Foundation Center for a fee or use their cooperating collections housed in libraries in every state. You also can word search for foundations making capacity building grants using terms such as “organizational effectiveness,” “management development,” and “general operating funds.” In addition to private foundations, you can access information and resources from some community foundations, United Way chapters and government agencies.

Most capacity building grants will run for two to three years, allowing you enough time to grow a new fundraising program that will sustain your organization and prepare it for future growth. After that time, you should be able to include fundraising staff in you annual budget.

Click here to learn more about the Foundation Center, including locations for cooperative collections.

Click here for information about government grants for capacity building.

Who Does What

At social profit organizations, fundraising is everyone’s responsibility. Fundraising volunteers can be of enormous help in bringing funds to your project, but eventually a staffing function is required to design, develop, and manage the acquisition of resources in mission accomplishment.

When you hire fundraising staff, you have a variety of options in responsibilities, experience and cost. Clearly present your needs to candidates and look for someone who also has a passion for your mission.

Click below to review responsibilities that can be performed by staff and/or volunteers and craft a job description around those needs.

Let us know

Have you found ways to bring a fundraiser onto your staff? Contact us at LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com
(LEADline is sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service through its Resource & Fund Development Initiative.) We would be happy to answer questions or to give you more support.

Thank you for your interest in On-The-Go eTA. We encourage you to send this and other issues of OTG eTA to friends and colleagues who would benefit from the information. Also, if you’re on information-overload, you may request email removal. Otherwise OTG e-TA will be back soon with another edition.

IN THIS ISSUE:
click on titles below to read full articles

Who Does What: (cont.)

The following is an abbreviated list of a seasoned, mature organization’s personnel and some of their fundraising responsibilities:

Board/Advisory Committee

• Not all board members/advisory committee members have fundraising potential, but they all should donate themselves and be supportive of the program/projects needs and efforts to raise funds.
  
  
• Seek out board/advisory committee members who can raise funds and use them as fundraising volunteers.
  
  
• Include board members in participating in the interviewing for top fundraising positions.

Fundraising Volunteers

• Seek out community members who have a passion for your organization, are donors themselves, and have connections to others in the community
  
  
• They can identify potential new donors, educate them about your program or project, and ask for gifts from their peers.
  
  
• They often are not program volunteers
  
  
• They are invaluable assets to an organization

Executive Director

• Responsible for carrying out the mission and goals of the organization
  
  
• Works with volunteer leadership in collaboration with fundraising staff in gift solicitation efforts
  
  
• Successful fundraiser
  
  
• Oversees fundraising staff

Program /Project Director

• Responsible for success of program
  
  
• Is available for fundraising calls for information purposes

Director of Development

• Designs and implements a fundraising plan
  
  
• Should have good writing and excellent interpersonal skills
  
  
• May be a single staff person or head a department of fundraising staff
  
  
• Appreciates volunteer leaders and knows how to delegate and motivate
  
  
• May have “other duties as requested”
  
  
• Click here to download a sample job description of a director of development.

Foundations and Corporations Manager

• A member of a fundraising staff who has responsibility for raising funds from one or both sectors
  
  
• Identifies prospective donors and works with volunteers or staff to submit proposals and receive gifts
  
  
• Should be well versed with your program and be able to work with program staff
  
  
• Should have excellent writing and good interpersonal skills

Major Gifts Manager

• Responsible for bringing in the largest gifts on you fundraising plan
  
  
• Works most with individuals, but may work with foundations and corporations, especially if they are part of a donor’s package
  
  
• In large organizations, this person may be required to solicit gifts directly from donors
  
  
• Needs excellent interpersonal skills

Grant Writer

• May report to director of development, program director, executive director or foundations and corporations manager
  
  
• Often works on a contract basis
  
  
• Is responsible only for writing the grant

Data Entry Manager

• Receives and records gifts
  
  
• May produce correspondence
  
  
• Produces records and reports of gifts
  
  
• Keeps donor lists current with correct addresses

Fundraising Coordinator

• Supports staff and volunteers
  
  
• May also serve as data entry manager
  
  
• May have “other duties as requested”

Special Events Manager/Coordinator

• Requires a person with some experience and skill at multi-tasking
  
  
• May work on a contract basis

Director of Planned Gifts

• Works with organization to identify prospects who can make a gift of assets beyond cash or who wish to leave a legacy in a will or an estate gift
  
  
• Works with donor and possibly his/her/their lawyers or financial planners to define terms of a deferred gift
  

To get an idea of salaries and benefits paid to fundraisers performing various duties, click here to go to the Nonprofit Times 2008 Salary Survey

Resources

The National ASK (Awareness, Skills, Knowledge) to Sustain Institute, sponsored by Corporation for National and Community Service, provided by Campaign Consultation, Inc. 1998, 2002

The CNCS Resources Now! National Institute, sponsored by Corporation for National and Community Service, provided by Campaign Consultation, Inc. 2005-07.

Learning Products and Services

LEADline:
(Learning Experiences At a Distance) LEADline is designed to give information fast. Have a resource & fund development question? Use LEADline and within 24 hours you will receive response and advice from a fundraising professional.
Contact us LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com

GIZMOs:
(Giving Information for Zooming Mission Objectives) GIZMOS are resource and fund development tools for you and your volunteers. They are tangible products in packets, pocket brochures, CD-ROMs, games, etc. They feature a myriad of fundraising topics such as The Case for Support, an interactive online resource. View and use our newest GIZMOs at www.CampaignConsultation.com/gizmos/

The Chronicle of Philanthropy:
Everyone who comes to a Resources Now! National Institute gets a free subscription to the Chronicle for a year. Participants in CNCS Campaign Consultation workshops receive the latest issue free of charge plus a $20 discount on one year’s subscription.

Workshops/Clinics:
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), through its T/TA service provider Campaign Consultation, Inc., offers a three-hour workshops and clinics for those interested.

Online Courses/Webinars:
Web course delivery of topics pertinent to resource development such as — Build Fundraising Volunteer Champions and Cause Related Marketing and Corporate Partnerships.

Available through the Resource Center at http://nationalserviceresources.org

Read Back Issues of OTG e-TA

• Mid-September Getting Ready for the Boomer Resource Explosion
  
• September 2008 Stepping into the Limelight
  
• August 2008 Stories from the Field
  
• Mid-July 2008 Staying Tenacious in Tough Times
  
• July 2008 Using the World Wide Web
  
• Mid-June 2008 Planning for Resources
  
• June 2008 The Five "C"s of Community Development
  
• May 2008 Attracting Media Attention
  
• Mid-April 2008 Corporate sponsors and Business Sponsors
  
• April 2008 How to Ask
  
• March 2008 Planned Giving
  
• Mid-February 2008 Raising Funds from Neighbors and Friends
  
• February 2008 Raising Funds from Neighbors and Friends
  
• January 2008 Fundraising in Diverse Communities
  
  

  2007 Archives

  2006 Archives