You’ve identified the need for a new fundraising position at your nonprofit. Now it’s time to clearly define the role and how it fits into your organization’s strategic plan and staffing structure.
Job descriptions should not only give applicants the information they need to make decisions about applying, but also clarify the role for colleagues, staff, and hiring managers, says Lois Lindauer, a Boston recruiter who specializes in filling senior fundraising positions nationwide.
Ms. Lindauer and other consultants share their tips for crafting a more effective job description.
Be upfront about job expectations from the start. The position description should be straightforward in presenting the organization’s mission and need and the job’s responsibilities.
For example, if the position requires travel, state how much, says Ms. Lindauer. “You want to make sure that you’re hiring somebody who’s willing to do the kind of travel that the job requires,” she says.
Provide information about where the job falls in the organization’s structure, she says. Tell potential applicants who would be above them and below them and who the hiring manager is.
Candidates need to know what it takes to get the job done, says Dennis Sawyers, managing director of talent acquisition at Nonprofit HR Solutions, a human-resources consulting firm. “About 50 percent of the time, people are not as explicit as they need to be,” he says.
Being clear doesn’t necessarily mean the description should be long. Job descriptions should be “pithy but focused,” says Kathleen E. Loehr, a managing director at Orr Associates, a fundraising consulting company.
Focus on the high points of what it will take to manage the annual fund or any other fundraising activities, she says.
Kelly Dunphy, vice president of fundraising at Orr Associates, says she doesn’t recommend job descriptions with a long laundry list of responsibilities, particularly at senior leadership levels. “I like to see the kind of expectations for the person around being a change agent within the organization, based on where the organization wants to go,” she says.
Connect the Job Description to Your Growth Plan
Whatever your nonprofit’s size or age, the job description for the director of development should be tied to the organization’s strategic plan, says Ms. Loehr.
For example, younger nonprofits hiring their first director of development may want someone who can identify potential donors, build up new systems, and get all the basics into place. More established organizations may be in the market for a leader who can cultivate loyal major donors.
Staff in the development department at Pennsylvania State University, for example, have revamped their style of job descriptions as they prepare to recruit staff for the start of their next big campaign.
Be Realistic About Experience Level and Compensation
State the number of years of experience you’re looking for in a candidate. Perhaps that means three to five years, or maybe it means more than 10 years of experience.
But be realistic and take into consideration what the position pays, says consultant Amy Eisenstein. “You’re not going to get someone with lots of experience and lots of credentials for very little money,” she says.
If your organization is willing to invest in training and professional development, it may make sense to find someone early in a career who is hardworking and passionate about the cause, she says. If you want to hire someone with more experience, you will have to pay a higher salary.
Still don’t know where to begin? Do an online search to find fundraising job descriptions written by organizations that do work similar to your group’s or that are located in the same geographic area, says Mr. Sawyers.
“Start with a boilerplate job description, and then tailor it,” he says.
You’ll find plenty of other examples on sites like LinkedIn, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Idealist, and The Chronicle.
