Fundraising – Who Leads the Charge?

By Gary Bagley and Sandra Davis

We often hear from frustrated development directors that their executive directors are repelled by the thought of making an ask, repeatedly asking for too little, or who need to be dragged –kicking and screaming – to the restaurant to meet with a donor.

We hear from other discouraged development directors who work with executive directors who clutch funder relationships too tightly – out of their sight, never sharing notes about their meetings, and almost forbidding involvement (except to do all the behind-the-scenes legwork, thank you very much).

But guess what?

We also hear aggravated executive directors who wish their development director would take the lead on strategizing and managing their high-level donor relationships or would just raise the money already and let them get to the other issues banging on their doors.

Or they tell us they know that “such-and-such a donor just won’t deal with anyone but me.”

Why is the volume knob so high on this issue? We almost never hear about leaders in finance, program, or HR navigating these kinds of handoffs – at least not at the same volume. This is likely because the executive director rarely needs to get so involved directly in the work of those areas. (Quick aside: If you’re an executive director who is creating the balance sheet or scheduling programs, you need to stop that right away – OK?)

The executive director’s job is reasonably clear – to set the overall vision and strategy, ensure each area’s work is aligned with organization-wide goals, and elevate anything involving governance to the board.

It's pretty simple. The chief manages their area. The executive director manages the chief and keeps everything in sync. Everyone is happy and productive (at least on one or two days each year that it all comes together seamlessly).

The dynamics of the executive director / development director relationship are more nuanced. The executive director needs to take on some of what could rightfully be considered the work of a development director or someone on their team. They need to provide the management and strategy, as with anyone else on their team, but they also need to be a frontline fundraiser in many situations – or a “deal closer,” at minimum. For those specific tasks, in a way, they are a member of the development team, and report to the development director, who is responsible for executing on the overall fundraising strategy.

The need to share the work complicates this relationship. The executive director needs to be involved (as a frontline fundraiser) but not too involved (as a shadow development director).

It’s kind of like a marriage. Each partner plays a role that requires continual clarification and redefinition in collaboration with their partner – and a whole bunch of magic that they simply need to pull off together, which includes the joys and challenges of managing complex donor relationships that are the most significant for the organization. That requires a willingness to navigate situations that don't fit comfortably into a proscribed process, hopefully with humor and grace.

This relationship is also, arguably, one that creates the greatest potential for organizational success – smartly fueling impact without mission creeping all over town. When fundraising is at its best, these two roles have a shared knowledge of what is truly best for the organization – not raising money for money’s sake, but truly building key relationships that will support and move the mission forward by deeply engaging philanthropic investors.

No development director succeeds without an engaged executive director, and no executive director succeeds without a strong development director.

Just because it's challenging, does not mean it cannot be done well. There are many executive directors and development directors who build strong relationships, grounded in the ability to seek clarity, share ownership, and navigate exceptional situations.

Perhaps these challenges inherent in building this partnership are the very reason a development director who finds a strong working relationship with an executive director stays put (debunking the stereotype of the development director who flits from job to job). Once you find a mission you love, a good partnership, and reasonable compensation, why look elsewhere?

These partners can find their rhythm without tripping over each other and ultimately damaging donor relationships or fundraising potential by defining the relationship clearly and then putting practices in place to support it, while leaving room for iteration.

To define the partnership clearly, they should think about and agree on the following:

• Strategic Advisor. The development director must be the strategic advisor to the executive director (just like any member of the senior team). The two need to work together to decide what revenue targets are ambitious, yet reasonable, as well as how those targets and the funding sources help advance the organization's strategy. No matter how experienced the executive director is as a fundraiser, they must let their development director play this role.

• Facilitation and Follow Through. The development director also serves a uniquely facilitative role. Managing the executive director’s donor relationships expertly means lots of note taking, logging of next steps, and skillfully managing up on cultivation and stewardship steps that only the executive director can take on. The development director ensures that the organization can meet its promises to donors in partnership with the executive director. The best development directors serve as that link willingly. The best executive directors elevate this detail orientation (and persistent nudging) as desirable leadership qualities (which they are).

• Donor Type and Size. There should be a clear demarcation between the types or size of donors that each partner manages as the main point of contact. Being clear about this then opens a natural conversation for those specific relationships that don't fit within the preset boundaries. In partnership, you can name and then decide how to manage each of those relationships. The best partnerships never look confused about who is the primary contact for the donor.

Once the relationship is defined, it's important – no, it's critical – that there are practices that support the definition, evolution, and success of this partnership.

• Strategy. At least weekly, the executive director and development director should have a weekly huddle scheduled for strategy – identifying new donors, reviewing performance on the various revenue lines, and setting direction for the coming week.

• Stewardship. A second weekly meeting focused on stewardship is valuable. During this meeting the development director can make sure the executive director has called donors to thank them, touches base with donors with interesting tidbits of organizational news and discuss ownership of new or burgeoning relationships. Setting this as a working meeting allows calls and emails to be handled in real time, enabling the development director to provide real time strategy, coaching, and note management.

• Sharing. Once you have decided which aspects of a relationship belong to one or the other of you and which ones need to be shared, at least monthly go through that list (or some designated portion of it) to ensure that you are each up to speed on any interactions the other may have had.

Stewardship and Sharing meetings can be in person, virtual, or asynchronous – assuming your organization’s CRM will support good asynchronous collaboration. But, ultimately, there is no substitute for a conversation, especially when you are talking about donor relationships and all the nuance that goes along with that. A quick touch-base often adds a level of detail that we do not always include in database notes, so don’t be afraid to huddle for 15 minutes in a focused way.

All these meetings aren’t about filling your calendar – they’re about avoiding the “Oh no, did we both just call that donor?” moments (or worse, the “Wait, nobody called?” ones). Staying synced on relationships, priorities, and next steps keeps small lapses from turning into fundraising facepalms. It takes discipline, but it’s what turns fundraising from a scramble into a shared, sustainable practice.

This partnership works best when both sides are willing to roll up their sleeves, share the credit, and occasionally laugh at the chaos. There will be missteps — a missed call, a donor thank-you that falls through the cracks — but the ability to regroup quickly (and with humor) is what keeps the fundraising machine moving. When the executive director and development director stay aligned and human through it all, donors feel the difference — and stick around for the long haul.

Want to learn more about Gary’s work with executive directors and leadership teams? Email Gary at gary@garybagley.com or DM him on LinkedIn.

Sandra is Founder and CEO of the fundraising consulting firm Donorly. You can reach her on LinkedIn and at sdavis@donorly.com, or visit Donorly’s website at donorly.com.