Retaining educational fundraisers: Reducing turnover by investing in human capital management

Abstract

This article outlines an approach to reducing gift offi cer turnover during comprehensive campaigns by investing in the human capital management (HCM) program. While many universities have begun to create HCM programs, I suggest creating a position specifi cally focused on the retention of gift offi ces to ensure that universities and non-profi ts can be successful in reaching ambitious campaign goals. Campaigns are an intrinsic part of university advancement but the average tenure for a gift offi cer nationally is 18 -24 months. This is a critical problem for universities during comprehensive campaigns because the fundraising team cannot afford to be training new staff during such ambitious campaigns. Solving turnover in the gift offi cer ranks requires a comprehensive program to recruit, retain and mentor gift offi cers so that they understand the mission of the organization and the department, understand their role in the team ' s success and have the tools and support necessary to achieve their professional goals.

Assessing Life Balance and Work Addiction in High‐Pressure, High‐Demand Careers

“…This narrative further supports the quantitative findings related to stress/anxiety and sleep disturbance being the primary domains affecting life balance among advancement professionals. Hence, high‐pressure, high‐demand professionals may be prime candidates for support related to developing coping skills for managing stress and anxiety, addressing healthy sleep habits, and preventing work addiction or avoiding burnout (Thomas, 2010).…”

“…Their work often involves significant travel and evening and weekend events in addition to their daytime roles. Given the high demands of the work environment, most advancement professionals leave their positions within 18 to 24 months (Thomas, 2010). Thus, advancement professionals appear to fit the criteria for increased risk for work addiction and/or a lack of life balance; as a population, advancement professionals may offer counselors a better understanding of the variables that contribute to or mediate potential burnout.…”

Fundraising in Ontario colleges: an emerging profession?

“…Fundraising as a Profession. Despite the fact that debate continues in the literature as to whether fundraising is a profession, efforts continue to be made to have fundraising recognized as a profession (e.g., Iarrobino, 2006;Boland & Tempel, 2004;Levy, 2004;Stephens, 2004;Chobot, 2004;Kidder, 2004;West, 2014;Sargeant, 2010;Thomas, 2010).…”

Fundraiser turnover in higher education capital campaigns: Employment fluctuations by campaign phase

“…These campaigns typically have goals ranging from the millions to the billions and last anywhere from 2 to 5 years, or longer. Surprisingly, the fundraisers who work on these campaigns have an average length of employment of only 18 to 24 months (Thomas, 2010), meaning most do not remain with the organization for the duration of the campaign. These fundraisers typically gain valuable experience during their time working on a university fundraising campaign, experience which would presumably be useful to whatever organization next employs them.…”