So, You're 90 Days In?
You did it! A little over 90 days ago, you hired your first major gift fundraiser. The excitement was palpable and, really, it’s a milestone in the history of your cause. You feel a little like you’ve joined the big leagues of the nonprofit world.
But now, the honeymoon is over. It’s time to take a careful look at how things are actually going. What should you be evaluating? How do you know if things are actually going the way they should? While this is a good opportunity to ensure they are on the right track, there are some key dos and don’ts I’ll suggest for you.
Let’s start with the things you should *not* be trying to gauge because they require a longer time frame to fully assess and can be counterproductive to early growth.
#1. Do not focus (at all) on actual fundraising results or revenue generated
Why Not? The first 90 days is about building relationships and understanding the organization, not necessarily bringing in big gifts. When you evaluate revenue too early it can create pressure and push them into transactional tactics rather than authentic, long-term relationships.
What should you focus on instead? Watch for indicators of relationship-building and meaningful touchpoints with potential givers. Focus on success in learning and effectively conveying the mission.
#2. Do not expect them to have in-depth knowledge of every program and project
Why Not? Expecting them to master every detail too quickly can be overwhelming - and lead to deadly “analysis paralysis”. Major gift fundraisers are most effective when they have a broad understanding of the organization. Indeed, you may feel frustrated with the way they simplify or ‘boil down’ the message. But guess what? The givers and prospects they work with love it!
What should you focus on instead? Assess their understanding of core mission elements and major initiatives, as well as their ability to articulate the organization's impact in a compelling way.
#3. Do not try to assess the strength of their personal relationships with top givers
Why Not? Building authentic relationships with givers takes time, and a new fundraiser may only be in the initial stages of these connections after 90 days. Evaluating relationship depth too early risks unrealistic expectations.
What should you focus on instead? Observe their skill set in building connections, active listening, and follow-up strategies. Look for signs that they’re approaching relationships with genuine curiosity and respect for each giver’s unique motivations. Be willing to hand off key relationships. (BTW, if you’re hesitant to have them play a frontline role with any of your top givers, prospects, or board members, I question why you hired them in the first place.)
Now let’s take a look at the most important things you should be assessing at the 90 day mark, along with ideas for professional development to help them increase in enjoyment and productivity.
#1. How are their relationship-building and communication skills?
Strategic evaluation: You wouldn’t have hired them if you didn’t see their skill in building strong relationships with givers and influencers. However, check in to see how well they have initiated connections. Look for skills in empathetic listening, storytelling, and aligning conversations with the organization’s mission. Key indicators should include the frequency and quality of touchpoints, feedback from givers, and evidence of rapport in their outreach activities.
Professional development opportunity: Consider pairing them with a mentor who models relationship-focused fundraising. Workshops on storytelling, conversational intelligence, and emotional intelligence can be incredibly beneficial. Encourage them to read Henri Nouwen’s A Spirituality of Fundraising to deepen their understanding of sacred fundraising.
#2. Evaluate their strategic thinking and alignment with mission
Strategic evaluation: Assess how effectively they understand and communicate the organization’s mission. Evaluate their capacity to prioritize high-impact opportunities and identify potential connectors who can introduce them to prospects. Train them on how to use the Connecting Worksheet tool for reporting on their networking plans.
Professional development opportunity: Send them on a vision trip to experience first hand the work of your cause in the field. This may involve an international trip or a drive across town. Role-playing exercises can help them practice conversations around shared values and long-term impacts. It’s also helpful to introduce them to case studies of successful projects which can serve as templates for shaping their approaches with givers.
#3. How are they handling data management and documentation of activity?
Strategic evaluation: This can be a real achilles heel for major gift fundraisers. You hired them for their galvanizing skills - and that doesn’t always align with attention to detail! I speak from painful experience on this. You’ll want to determine early on if they are feeling comfortable with the donor relationship management system and consistently recording giver interactions, future action steps, givers’ milestones, and strength of relationship throughout their portfolio. Address logjams upfront, otherwise they will become disastrous down the road.
Professional development opportunity: Schedule periodic reviews of their DRM notes, and perhaps implement a simple checklist for weekly updates. Be prepared to invest money to provide an assistant who loves checklists and will help them get their activity documented in a timely and effective manner.
Overall, when it comes to reviews and evaluations, I deeply believe Maya Angelou’s words:
People will forget what you said…but they will never forget how you made them feel.
Confidence is a fragile commodity for major gift fundraisers, no matter how thick their skin may appear to be. Go heavy on the encouragement and light on the criticism. Unless you’re seeing major red flags at the outset (and it does happen), you’ll want them to leave this first evaluation feeling proud and assured.
Want to talk more about this? Or maybe dig deeper into what an evaluation should look like 6 or 12 months into the new role? Feel free to schedule a 30 minute call. I love it when you do!
Have a fantastic week.
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If you haven't taken advantage of some of the resources I've created to help major gift fundraisers, take a look now! Initial calls with me are free and "no strings attached". Sometimes folks feel like they need to wait and not 'bother' me until they have a pressing issue. No need for that...just make the call. 🕺
Here's where you can access a lot of content for free:
* Follow me on LinkedIn - You'll get short pro-tips and reflections on major gift fundraising every day between 5-7am pacific.
* Breakthru Newsletter - As you've seen here, these are longer weekly posts (audio and written) sent directly to your email.
* Breakthru Blog - the newsletter from the previous week gets posted here each week for everyone (so email subscribers get it a week early).
* Breakthru Podcast - Interviews with high net worth givers about how we as fundraisers can get better at inviting them to the party. And audio readings of Breakthru Blog posts.
Before getting to the PAID stuff: My opinion is that no small ministry with a tight budget should be spending more than $3-5k (total) for major gift coaching/consulting. Most of you will be good-to-go spending far less than that. This was a major issue for me when I was a frontline fundraiser - major gift consultants were an expensive 'black-box-of-confusion' for me. That stops now.
Here's the PAID stuff:
* Online Catalyst Course - This is a full brain dump of my 28+ years of experience - good, bad, ugly. It's built around the fundamentals, the sacredness, and the fun, of major gift fundraising. It's infused with Henri Nouwen reflections. Many people can take this course and they will be 'cooking-with-gas' and not need any additional coaching from me on the core systems. I'm grateful that this course has gotten *great* reviews.
* Live coaching with me - I refer to this as "brain rental". The ROI on live coaching, as you might imagine, is extraordinary.
Finally, be sure to connect with my colleague Ivana Salloum. She's super awesome and can help with scheduling and access to resources, etc.
I look forward to hearing about your good work!
Blessings,
