By Derrick Feldmann and Dave Sternberg for TheNonProfitTimes
Here’s a common question: If we hire a director of development (a fundraiser), how long before that position pays for itself?
Typically, this question is asked when a nonprofit has secured funding for a development director for one year, or when an organization has adjusted its budget to fund the position.
Either way, this question reveals a common error: assuming that funding is the biggest consideration when adding a director of development. That error often is compounded by a second mistake: creating the position with short-term funding. Either error (and, certainly, both together) can doom a development director before the person even takes the job.