It’s the beginning of the new school year, and with that comes new faces in the Development Office. Welcome! Whether you’re new to the office in general or simply new to the school, we’re sure you have some first-month jitters to work out. With that in mind, we have a few words of wisdom to share from our consultants to help you make the most of your first year in your new position.
Meet your school’s community, both external and internal.
As a Development Director, you’ll naturally be forming close relationships with your school’s dedicated donors. If you're new to the school community—or if you made connections in a different position—make time when you’re new to introduce yourself in your new role to your internal constituents, too. This includes trustees, as well as key staff, teachers, volunteers who have been heavily involved in past fundraising efforts, and just about anyone willing to chat with you! (Just because people weren't involved in the past doesn't prevent them from assuming roles in the future.)
Learn their stories—who they are, why they love the school, how they’ve helped in the past—and you’ll be able to leverage their expertise to your campaign’s advantage later on.
Come up with a plan in conjunction with the people you report to.
Your job description and list of responsibilities should’ve been hashed out during the interview process, but if it wasn’t, now’s the best time to do so. Figure out what your primary and secondary responsibilities are, so you can quickly and effectively get a handle on what you’re supposed to devote the most energy on.
In your first year, pick three things you want to accomplish, with one labeled a “quick success.” For example, you decide that in your first year as the Development Director, you want to encourage collaborations with the Admission Office, revamp the phoneathon drive, and overhaul the current donor database. Of these three goals, perhaps you should write that new script for the phoneathon as your first effort for your "quick success." It'll help you and others gain confidence as you take the reins in this new position!
Manage expectations.
You've probably noticed by now that if you’re someone who’s successful quickly, people will pile on quickly. This tendency is one of the reasons why having a plan developed with and approved by your manager is so important! That way, you can cite your plan to gracefully divert that which you can’t find time to do with your currently assigned responsibilities.
Additional ISM resources:
ISM Monthly Update for Development Directors Vol. 12 No. 5 Development Is From Mars, and Admission Is From Venus
ISM Monthly Update for Development Directors Vol. 11 No. 2 Resources for Development Directors
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 25 No. 6 Influencing Upward: Skills for the Development Director
I&P Vol. 31 No. 6 The Development Quartet: The Core Leadership Team of the Comprehensive Development Model
