Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Politics, Pandemic, Personnel, and Prices. The hits keep coming. It seems like the past four years have been one crisis after another for everyone, including the nonprofit sector:
bruising political campaigns siphoning off donor dollars, COVID and its never-ending series of lockdowns and variants, the great resignation, and now nonprofit organizations’ expenses are skyrocketing.
All of this is putting a strain on many organizations’ abilities to recruit and retain effective fundraisers and jeopardizing their ability to achieve growing fundraising goals. Here is our advice for navigating the choppy waters and preparing to invest wisely in the staff, services, and strategies to strengthen your fund development program:
Talented fundraisers are in high demand—there are far more Director of Development roles than there are people to fill them. If you need to re-build your Development Department’s leadership, be patient and wait to make an intelligent hire. Consider interim consulting from MW&A to mentor and guide your team, ensuring that fundraising remains strong amidst your search for the right Director of Development or Director of Foundation Relations. (See our article below!)
Many of the largest foundations are increasing their payouts and tapping into their corpus funds to meet unprecedented needs during what has arguably been a financial crisis topping even the 2008 global recession. Develop your case for support to institutional funders: why are your services relevant? what do they cost? what is their measurable impact?
Stay in close, personal touch with your existing donors, thanking them for their past support, letting them know the impact their past gifts had, and telling them why, in specific, tangible terms, you need their continued and even increased support.
The next few months will see another election, another possible interest rate hike, and volatility in the markets affecting individual and institutional donor portfolios--let MW&A help safeguard and grow your fundraising program.
Warmest Regards,
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MW&A has been providing interim development leadership--and we're ensuring fundraising remains strong! |
The Walter and Evelyn Haas Foundation commissioned a study to tackle the problem of fundraising. The study, Under-Developed: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising, describes three main challenges:
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Revolving Door of high turnover and long vacancies in development positions. Development leaders were burned out or not committed to their careers.
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Help Wanted Organizations aren’t finding enough qualified candidates for development director jobs.
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It’s About More Than One Person Most nonprofits placed the onus of fundraising on a development director or a small team with CEOs and board relinquishing responsibility.
Seems like this about covers the state of fundraising in 2022….but this study was done in 2013! Add uncertain times and throw in a pandemic and the state of development professionals is at a critical point. Filling leadership roles in fundraising departments has never been more challenging. Our own searches have been taking up to nine months to fill as more development professionals leave the field through a career change, burn-out, or retirement.
This crisis in hiring fundraising staff has been exacerbated by higher rates of professionals leaving the sector altogether. Even before the pandemic, nonprofits experienced a higher turnover rate compared to their for-profit peers. A study by the Forbes Business Council states that over the past four years, "the voluntary annual turnover rate [within non-profits] is 19%—far outpacing the all-industry average of 12%." According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the non-profit sector employs an estimated 565,000 fewer people than it did before COVID-19.
When organizations have not been able to find the right fundraiser--or even identify what their development program really needs, MW&A has been asked to step in and fill this role in an interim capacity. This begins with an assessment of what income streams are currently strong, what is missing, and how to bolster the organization's ability to raise funds short-term and long-term. And our clients are seeing the impact.
A natural extension of our long-offered Development Assessment and Planning, interim leadership from MW&A offers consistent coaching and support for existing Development staff who benefit from our partners' more than 70 years of combined fundraising experience. Through both one-on-one meetings and team meetings, MW&A ensures that existing efforts remain on track and that new strategies we suggest are implemented successfully.
MW&A's interim work has included:
- Launching the development planning process to keep staff and board goals on track
- Fortifying annual giving strategies via stratified giving circles and thoughtfully segmented appeals
- Developing a comprehensive case for support
- Launching lapsed donor engagement campaigns
- Individual staff and team coaching
- Increasing event revenue through broadening committees and creating greater levels of underwriting and sponsorship and
- Identifying new foundation prospects to approach for increased programmatic and general operating support
- Writing foundation LOIs and proposals
Interim leadership in fundraising programs is not new--but it is becoming a necessity as development professionals continue to take sabbaticals or leave the sector altogether. Our approach is to bolster and increase the fundraising capacity of each staff member, provide the board of directors and development committee volunteers with practical guidance, and increase revenue from existing and new funding streams.
Once the key staff is retained, MW&A ensures a smooth transition by offering advice on a thoughtful onboarding plan and meeting with new leadership to share background information on current activities and counsel on strategies for continued fundraising success.
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NEW FUNDING
MW&A has raised over $400,000 in grant funding for our clients in 2022!
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$75,000 (NYC)
JPMorgan Chase Foundation
$50,000 (Los Angeles)
Capital Group Companies
$50,000 (Los Angeles)
S. Mark Taper Foundation
$37,500 (Los Angeles)
Fidelity Charitable
$30,000 (So Cal)
Larry and Helen Hoag Foundation
$30,000 (So Cal)
Sisters of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation
$25,000 (Orange County)
Argyros Family Foundation
$25,000 (So. California)
Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation
$20,000 (Orange County)
Croul Family Foundation
$20,000 (Orange County)
The Ueberroth Family Foundation
$15,000 (Orange County)
John Curci Family Foundation
$15,000 (Orange County)
Decorative Arts Society
$10,000 (Orange County)
Linda Irvine Smith Foundation
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Click below for a complete history of the grants we have secured for our clients since 1994. Contact MW&A if you would like us to serve as your interim Director of Foundation Relations, assess your current grants program, introduce your organization to new potential foundation funders, or create compelling proposals. |
MW&A places Katie Roth as Executive Director of Philanthropy at Think Together |
In Fall of 2019 a long-time youth services program in Los Angeles shuttered overnight leaving 10,000 students without the after-school program they and their families had relied upon. Think Together--one of the largest education programs in the state--stepped in. Over the weekend they rehired staff and by Monday the program continued seamlessly.
Overnight Los Angeles became the largest programmatic region for Think Together, and their philanthropic efforts needed to keep pace. Working with Think Together's leadership, we crafted the Executive Director of Philanthropy, Southern California role--and launched the County- wide search!
MW&A is pleased to announce that Katie Roth (pictured above) has been selected for this critical new position. Katie was the Executive Director of PowerMyLearning, and a former educator in Los Angeles.
"Working with Michelle and Laura was an amazing experience!" says Katie. "They were incredibly warm, knowledgeable, and helpful throughout the entire interview process. I am so excited about my new role - it is a perfect match for my skills and career goals. They really helped me take the next step toward fulfilling my dreams, and I couldn't have done it without them."
Katie not only brings a vast knowledge of education policy and programs but a proven track record of expanding philanthropic support and board-building. In this new role, Katie will guide all individual giving efforts in Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.
Maria Reichel, Think Together's Chief Development Officer is thrilled to have Katie on the team, “We had a specific wish list for this position: a strong fundraiser, a board builder, an understanding of the Los Angeles philanthropic landscape, and someone with a passion for education. Even amidst this difficult hiring environment, MW&A found us a handful of highly-qualified candidates, but Katie ticked every box."
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