Meet the Quarterback: Academics/Physicians/Curators and Administrative Leaders
In a busy nonprofit institution facing standard political issues, the prospect of “training” this crowd could very reasonably be met with back burner treatment. Yet, you have no more powerful ally in your donor relationships than a top-level organizational leader who knows his/her role with your prospect. Why are they so important? They are your mission messengers, of course. In other words, the actual product (in a visionary sense) you’re asking your donor to invest in. The opportunity to engage your “quarterback” comes from his/her opportunity to share personal visionary priorities and unedited experience working with donors and development officers. Baseline interviews establish visionary goals and inform monthly/quarterly check-ins as to donor progress towards meeting goals. It’s a time to problem solve actual donor situations and role play to overcome challenges in a developing trust environment. In your organization, this process might be managed by an incoming leader, very senior development officer, or a credible outside consultant. To begin, conduct private interviews with chief staff members from this group to learn how he/she understands:
Develop this relationship over a period of months and, when appropriate, include an ever-widening circle of collaborative educational consorts. At JBL, we’ve combined monthly check-ins with videotaped role-playing and focus groups to convey a sense of community (nobody wants to be the only one asking) and assess and acknowledge skill/confidence-building progress. Monthly meetings, however informal, are critical. Early private meetings provide for articulated priorities, roles, cues and clues to gift readiness, call reports and debriefings, and overall donor strategy development. After a few months, special sessions with this group might incorporate other senior mission messengers and cross audience sessions with assortments of development officers to allow an organic community of donor team relationships to develop. Watch for chemistry. It’s not always a development officer’s senior role that makes them the best match for the president. Good donor team chemistry equals comfort for your donors. Starting this process as you prepare to campaign builds momentum and excitement long before specific dollar goals to a campaign are established. At JBL, we offer tailored sessions for every team that meets your donors. Visit our On-site Presentations page to learn about our session for mission messengers.
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December 2009:Archived Newsletters |
