As Development Director, your role is to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors who will then invest in your school's mission. In order to do that successfully, you need the physical environment that will support your activities. So, what should your Development Office look like?
Location. First, the location of your office indicates the priority your Board places on the development effort. Your office should be close to the Head, the Business Manager, and the Admission Director—since these four offices work closely together toward your school's advancement goals. If you are situated close to the Head, you have easy access—and vice versa—to make your cultivation and stewardship activities more efficient. And when donors and prospects are visiting, close proximity gives the Head formal and informal ways to greet them and thank them for their support.
Since admission and development go hand-in-hand in the advancement process, close proximity facilitates easy information sharing. As Development Director, you are dealing with a lot of financial records, so you should have regular access to the Business Office. This way, you can make sure that contributions are deposited and recorded quickly and accurately.
Space. As Development Director, the people you want to invest in your school will visit you. You need to have a comfortable and private area to talk with more than one prospect or donor at a time. This space should be separate from your working office. Ideally, you will also have a comfortable waiting area.
This area should be clean, in good repair, and tastefully decorated—no dust, no mismatched or hand-me-down furniture. And the walls should feature artwork showcasing your school. This could include student artwork, covers of school publications, or pictures of school activities. Your visitors will see the mission of your school in action, as you discuss it with them. You should also place school publications in the waiting areas, as well as information on how community members can get involved in the life of the school.
The person who handles your database—the Manager of Development Services could be the title—also needs to work in a space that ensures the safe handling and discussion of confidential information.
Room to grow. Your advancement program ultimately will become more sophisticated. Do you have the room you will need to add a full- or part-time Annual Fund Director? Or an additional Database Manager? You should plan space for it now. If you do outgrow your space, your staff many be housed wherever there is room. For the most efficient planning, implementation, and management of your functions—as well as to ensure confidentiality—your staff and all of the information you manage should all be centered in one location.
Office equipment. First and foremost, you need fund-raising software that lets you organize and manage a great deal of data—donor and prospect profiles and records—reconcile it with Business Office records, and coordinate with the Admission Office. While you need up-to-date computers, software, and Internet access, you also need dedicated printers and shredders as a confidentiality safeguard. Don't forget easy access to copiers, fax, and postage meters.
Record storage. You need both electronic files and a paper trail. Your files should be locked and fireproof.
