The “great resignation” is further exacerbating a negative trend in fundraising talent management…

The longstanding issue of #FundraiserTurnover.

✔️The average tenure of a Major Gift Fundraiser is 18 to 24 months when the most productive fundraising is reached at 4 to 7 years.

✔️In a relationship-driven business development process, this can have significant consequences for an organization’s fundraising and for the field as a whole.

According to a study reported by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, longevity matters…

✔️The median gift size for fundraisers with more than four years on the job was 50% percent higher, more than seven years or more on the job, 83% higher than $550,000.

✔️The sweet spot for the most productive fundraisers seemed to be more than seven years of experience at the same organization.

For most organizations, keeping high-performing fundraising talent is exceptionally hard.

✔️Over 50% of fundraisers surveyed expected to leave their job in the next year Major Gift Fundraisers leave to secure higher salaries through promotions.
✔️With the explosion of nonprofit fundraising programs comes increased competition for high-performing fundraisers and often the smaller nonprofits lose out.

So what are the solutions to this thorny issue?

🔺Experts indicate that nonprofits urgently need to identify their best talent and provide incentives for them to stay by” designing and promoting long-term career paths, investing in their development, and providing deferred compensation or other conditional benefits tied to their longevity

🔺I would add that nonprofits need to develop more integrated approaches to fundraising that are deeply embedded in the culture and operations of the organization, creating a collaborative environment where advancement is at the leading edge of the organization’s innovation and growth efforts.

#fundraising #majorgiftfundraisers #nonprofitleadership #growth #talentmanagement #agilefundraising