When I ask the leader of a resource-constrained nonprofit to tell me about their development committee, it is not uncommon to get one of three responses:
What development committee?
We had a development committee…but it vanished into thin air.
Oh, they meet and have coffee…but I’m not sure exactly what they do...
Each time I hear these responses, I can’t help but feel the missed opportunity. A non-profit board’s development committee can be an absolute force, providing a turbo boost of resources. But their role is widely misunderstood and not always well-managed by the organization itself.
I find that most flailing development committees sputter for one of three reasons. While they fall under the category of “core problem,” that doesn’t mean they are irreparable. Take a look and see if you recognize any of these committee killers.
Support Starvation
A development committee should add value, achieving things the team can’t do on their own. But this doesn’t mean a volunteer group should do their work on their own. They can only execute their valuable ideas if professional staff back their efforts.
This support should encompass both leadership and administration. Empower your development director to elevate the group’s impact by helping them align their resources with the organization's strategic direction.
Appoint an enthusiastic development associate to attend all meetings, send follow-up notes, and schedule Zoom sessions to maintain momentum. This alleviates the volunteers' workload, allowing them to concentrate on their unique contributions, such as generating new leads.
Without these operational backbones, volunteers burn-out before they reach their peak performance. Yet this is the first mistake many non-profits make: failing to put the resources in so that the committee can effectively bring the resources back.
Board members are busy volunteers with full-time jobs, families and lives. They can perform amazing things, but they are not miracle workers. You’re only ready to start when you’ve got the staff in place with the capacity to support.
Purpose Paralysis
If your committee meets regularly (with its support staff) but still does not produce tangible results, they may be unclear about their goals. When development committees lack a clear and compelling purpose, members become disengaged and eventually disappear.
You might assume that the goal is obvious from the committee's name—raising money. However, that's often not enough. An organization needs a concise strategy and a detailed development plan to align the committee with its North Star.
Having a small group focusing on targeted goals and objectives is often the most effective approach. Some committees might concentrate on donor events, others on strategy, and still others on networking. Determine their strengths and relieve them of other tasks. Over time, or with a large enough committee, they can expand and take on more challenges.
It's also essential to let seasonal cycles drive purpose. For instance, once a committee approves a strategy, allow those members to be dormant for a period while others focus on execution. Avoid meeting for the sake of meeting.
Membership requires ongoing cultivation, bringing people on and off as needs change over the years, or as you discover new board members with valuable assets to contribute.
Mismatched Membership
Which brings us to the third common issue: who the committee members actually are.
A lot of Development Committees seem to have been assembled by show of hands. And when not enough hands went up, a few other people got volun-told.
It shouldn’t be surprising that a group selected arbitrarily doesn’t ever get in sync. No matter how good the coffee, if a group doesn’t click, they may simply stop showing up.
A well-functioning committee relies on the right mix of people. That means recruiting a balance of skills and personalities—and onboarding them to give them a head start in working together.
Some qualities are essential for everyone: enthusiasm, expertise around fundraising, mission-driven work ethic, great teamwork—and enough free time to dig into the work.
The other assets or characteristics should be selected based on the purpose, as determined above. You might need at least some members to have a strong network, or corporate connections, or deep and generous pockets.
The process of recruiting and onboarding requires a separate conversation, which I would welcome having with you. In the meantime, let me suggest that your organization creates a job description or co-creates one with the development committee. Here’s an example of one.
Three Critical Roles of a Development Committee
Here are three orientations that seem to work for starter development committees—and how to determine the right people to populate them.
The Strategists: This group is not out there meeting, greeting, and zeroing in on giving. They are taking a step back and assessing things like revenue streams and percentages, the best opportunities based on programs and donor culture, or data and ROIs of prior years—the power and practices of fundraising. They may even help with structuring or evaluating the development team. Membership: Select people for their expertise in thinking deeply and widely about how the organization will pursue its fundraising goals. Experience in fundraising needed!
The Networkers: This type of development committee is invaluable for opening doors and creating connections quickly. It’s made up of board members brimming with networks, contacts, and people who excel at making introductions, populating events, and providing fast inroads to potential donors and companies. They’re strategic too, but they focus that analysis on understanding people, resources, and influence. They’re here to grow your contact list—and get you some VIPs for your speed dial. Membership: Likely people your organization has met through a current board member or donor. These people usually require cultivation and ongoing communication before they sign on.
The Mobilizers: If you need more support in execution—from closing the deals to mounting the events—your development committee should be folks who make things happen. They engage board members, sometimes secure gifts, and engage others. They connect with donors when it comes to stewardship, appeals, events, and other fundraising functions that involve sparking engagement. This committee makes its mark by leveraging all that the organization has to offer, and turning them into campaigns and experiences that bring high returns. Membership: Look for your most resourceful donors, board members, friends, and volunteers.
The purpose can start to emerge from the most interested board members themselves. What are they eager to bring?
Everyone likes playing to their strengths. So not only will your committee have a clear goal they can achieve with finesse, but they will also be engaged from the start because they helped shape its purpose.
(And, of course, you’ll be supporting their operational needs with a staff member who connects all the dots.)
So don’t let your development committee stall out. Give them the right fuel, direction, and people in the seats, and they can zoom toward the fundraising finish line.
Punchline: Ultimately, if you can say your committee can do all three of these areas, you’ve got yourself a high functioning development committee.
Not My First Rotary
As I celebrated my teenager’s recent birthday, I was embarrassing him with some baby pictures. And I remembered how completely captivated I was by him when he was an infant. As I put it to my best friend, “This kid, he has me over a bucket!”
Maybe I meant “over the moon,” or maybe I really meant “over a barrel” (which is kind of a dark way of saying I didn’t have a choice but to obey).
Being over a bucket sounds like you’re bogged down in one component of your job, and you can’t find time to move on the other buckets. Here’s hoping your development committee fills up the fundraising bucket so well that you can get beyond it and find balance.
***
Commentaires