Making the Case: A Development Team for the Long Haul

Making the Case: A Development Team for the Long Haul

The why and the how of creating, cultivating, and keeping a development team long-term is no doubt, incredibly vague across the landscape of organizations facing rapid fundraising turnover. We are excited to showcase how a fundraising team for the long haul will exponentially support your organization for years into the future – and practical ways to bring this into reality.

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Emily Gonzales

Laying the Groundwork

The first step in laying the groundwork toward a committed development team is to be intentional about recruitment. Be specific about what skills you are looking for in your job announcements (relationship-building, strategic thinking, persuasive writing, etc.) and consider candidates from other industries as fantastic fits with translatable skills. When you select and see your development staff for their abilities and potential growth rather than seeking candidates with extremely specific experiences, it broadens possibilities to attract the best possible talent who can enhance their skills over time.

The reasons behind retaining your development staff long-term ;the stress, labor, and costs associated with employee turnover; the benefits of having fundraising staff that are fully integrated into an organization who can speak eloquently on its behalf; and the opportunity for development staff to fully realize long-term strategies.

On the latter point — if your development staff leave your organization every two to three years, it begs the question of whether you are seeing the full potential of your development program. Building, rebuilding, and then again rebuilding relationships takes a significant amount of resources — we’d like you to imagine your fundraising operation without needing to make this effort every three years or less.

Developing Your Nonprofit Staff

With the average turnover for nonprofits much higher than the for-profit sector (in 2022 average nonprofit turnover was 19% while all-industry turnover was 12%), fundraisers are often the first to exit because of unsupportive (or even toxic) work environments, unattainable or unclear expectations, and more appealing growth opportunities elsewhere. 

Nonprofits should address each of these challenges head-on by being realistic about fundraising and other goals, seeing and supporting their employees as whole individuals, and offering ways for development staff to gain meaningful and needed experiences and benefits.

Include Your Fundraising Staff Goals in Nonprofit Staff Development 

Often Executive Directors and CEOs aren’t as experienced in fundraising as their chief development staff, so we recommend they encourage their fundraising team to bring the coaching, conferences, and association memberships to the table that they need to grow and refine their skills. And of course, we emphasize that organizations should financially support staff’s professional development. In addition to this, the time to attend classes and webinars should be generously given to development staff. It’s important that fundraising professionals seek mentorship outside of their organization and within their field, and this should also be supported.

Fundraising Staff: Consider the “Whole Person”

Just as we encourage development staff to not form transactional relationships with donors, we need to consider the individual differences and needs of these staff. The modern workplace should strive to create work-life balance and work-life integration – development staff often work extended hours and evenings, so offering them flexibility (sometimes beginning the work day later) and hybrid options can dramatically improve their quality of life and ease the stress of non-traditional work hours. 

Talented fundraising staff are also at varying stages of life and professionalism – some may be looking for a role with flexible hours throughout the year, while some may be in need of a more substantial role to move forward in their career. People also, of course, have lifestyle changes and nonprofit organizations should boldly ask fundraising staff “what can I do to keep you?” during these times.

Measuring & Celebrating Progress

Fundraisers’ performance is often measured only in dollars raised (those who have followed Make Philanthropy Work over the years know well our preference for leading indicators over lagging), when feedback toward all of their progress is needed. To only consider staff’s progress toward fundraising goals is short-sighted when abilities such as being able to change the direction of fundraising focus or strategically secure a large gift over a long period of time are incredibly valuable. We also recommend pausing to celebrate fundraising success (which benefits your organization as a whole, as well as your culture of philanthropy) before immediately launching into the next funding cycle. And finally, we support clear delineation of job responsibilities across your development team – database and event support staff are invaluable when it comes to keeping your frontline fundraisers in front of donors!

A Note About Development Staff Salaries

The elephant in the room, development staff salary, needs significant attention to retain fundraisers. Staff often move to new organizations and receive a large increase in compensation simply because there isn’t a path for growth available with their current employer. Leaders should be aware of this and work with their human resources staff to transition their development employees up the ladder. Motivating your development staff with growth opportunities can include modifications of titles and duties – we strongly suggest collaborating with development staff in structuring these opportunities for advancement.

Key Takeaways

Organizations with larger fundraising departments and especially national organizations with multiple locations should also take care to invigorate the whole team, and be intentional toward their treatment and cultivation of entry and mid-level development talent that may one day be leading their development operations. Whether this means paying for flights to headquarters for training or having them work closely with senior development staff, organizations can play a key role in ensuring that great talent is looking for the right opportunity with their current employer.

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Meet Lauren

Lauren Sisneros

Lauren Sisneros is the founder of LS Consultants, LLC, a consulting firm that provides strategic advising and interim management support to nonprofit and education-focused organizations. A mission-driven leader with over 20 years of experience, Lauren brings a deep commitment to advancing equity across education, workforce development, and public policy.

With a keen understanding of complex systems and a results-oriented approach, Lauren partners with organizations to develop and implement strategies that are both effective and sustainable. Through LS Consultants, she delivers hands-on guidance in program management, board and stakeholder engagement, and leadership transitions, empowering mission-aligned teams to grow, adapt, and create lasting community impact.

Lauren has collaborated with a diverse portfolio of clients, including the Prosperity Denver Fund, Contractor Academy, Education Commission of the States, and Strong Start to Finish. Her work is grounded in a strong foundation of project management, nonprofit leadership, and policy analysis.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University–Pueblo and a Master’s in Education from Colorado State University Global. Lauren is also a proud graduate of the University of Denver’s Latino Leadership Institute, a fellowship preparing Latino professionals for positions of influence across Colorado, and the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s Leadership Program, an 11-month civic leadership experience.

A Colorado native born and raised in the San Luis Valley, Lauren now lives in Lakewood, Colorado. She is a proud mother of two college students and a devoted grandmother who cherishes time with her family.

Throughout her career, Lauren has remained deeply dedicated to expanding access to opportunity, especially for underserved communities. Her work continues to center on shaping systems that are inclusive, community-driven, and equity-focused.

Meet

Kyle Christensen

Kyle Christensen, M.P.A., is a program leader, facilitator, and trainer with more than 25 years of experience designing and delivering transformative learning experiences that advance leadership, civic engagement, and organizational change. He specializes in designing and evaluating leadership programs, facilitating team and organizational development, and guiding strategic planning processes that align purpose with measurable impact.

As founder of The Connected Leadership Project and consultant with Arrow Performance Group, Kyle partners with organizations such as the State of Colorado, CiviCO, and the University of Denver to design experiential leadership programs that build resilience, connection, and innovation. He also serves as program director for Leadership Veteran, an 8-month leadership initiative advancing the skills of professionals serving veteran communities.

Previously, Kyle directed Colorado State University Douglas County Extension, where he launched Colorado’s first Juntos 4-H program to expand pathways to higher education for Latinx youth and families. He also led the Family Leadership Training Institute of Colorado and has worked with institutions such as Peace Corps (Moldova), NYU Steinhardt, Centrul Educatia 2000+ (Romania), and the Council for Economic Education.

Kyle’s facilitation expertise is rooted in adult learning theory and supported by credentials such as Emergenetics, Strategic Doing, and Technology of Participation. He has led statewide and national trainings, peer learning cohorts, needs assessment processes, and community-centered planning efforts across government, nonprofit, and education sectors.

He holds an M.P.A. from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service and a graduate certificate in Learning and Development from the University of Denver’s College of Professional Studies.

Kyle believes that the workplace should focus on continuous learning and growth, inclusive engagement, and creating a sense of belonging. “Why wouldn’t we hope for work environments that align with our values and our professional and personal growth aspirations?” He brings curiosity, compassion, and clarity to every engagement, and is most inspired when people find their voice, connect with others, and lead boldly in collective service.

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Jason Pemberton

Jason Pemberton is a multi-award winning facilitator, coach, independent executive board director, and strategist based in Denver, Colorado. Born in USA and raised in New Zealand, his entire career has been dedicated to Not-for-Profit and purpose-led organizations striving for high impact.

A series of catastrophic earthquakes in his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, launched him into several years of disaster response, which, in turn, launched him into international consulting practice. He has worked in more than a dozen countries supporting companies, networks, and communities navigate through unexpected terrain for mutual benefit.

As a strategist and coach, he is pragmatic, direct, and clear, bringing his sharp mind and depth of thought to the fore whilst supporting groups to identify their own priorities and take charge of their future. His deep governance experience, coupled with professional training in positive psychology and related coaching accreditations, makes him highly effective at supporting teams of leaders and governors to find successful paths forward.

His time now is invested in supporting governance boards and senior leaders to succeed, and coaching technical experts and engineers on how to be skilled leaders of people.