Great post that hits home! When I was with a large nonprofit the “red tape” was so thick that the development department made known what they needed and the program staff provided it, no questions asked! Then going into a medium nonprofit where the development department is actual people you know and are close to what services you provide, that tension grows.

I completely understand why they ask for the information they do. It is times when we cross HIPPA or confidentiality lines that scare me. I take a step back as a provider and draw the line of invasion. I want to sell what we do just as bad as they do since we will not be able to accomplish anything with out funding.

However, as the stakes increase so does the tendency to “sell a family/client out” by either having them share too much or asking them to go beyond their comfort level. In the last year I have felt this pressure even more and stepped in on the program side of the coin.

But when things do work cooperatively, it’s so much better for everyone and everything – especially the organization!

Lucky me because I work at a place that is all about team. There is no separation between fundraising and program staff. We all work together. I can’t imagine anything but cooperative efforts between us. And that is coming from the top on down. Would be truly great if all nonprofits would get that.

Everyone above has offered great insights – again, so much is familiar.

I think the simplest struggle I’m dealing with now comes down to accountability. At the end of the year, fundraisers – despite all the “soft” accomplishments they might have had – are judged on dollars. I’m not seeing the same right now when it comes to some program staff – that they do what they’ve always done is fine, and measurements are simply a waste of time.

But to secure funding for their programs, we HAVE to have measurements! There’s a disconnect there that can be extremely frustrating for the fundraising staff. We cannot simply make things up.

But as has already been said, when it comes down to it, that’s a management issue, and when both program people and fundraisers work together, it’s so powerful for both! (I do see some of that now, too, and it’s very rewarding).

Thanks for a really interesting and thought-provoking piece. And thanks Pamela for bringing it to us!

I love your post, and it inspired me to blog about how I try to address the tension between program and fundraising staff.

I wonder if you have more recommendations to add to my list? http://jessicajourney.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/crossingthedivide/

Keep up the good work!

I’ve worked for membership/grassroots based organizations with a heavy emphasis on organizing, where the funding and mission links are clear. I wish more nonprofits saw their work through this prism — that we’re building social change movements. These orgs know that a big foundation check is great, but that 5,000 more members is even better.

I like to ask staff for their most exciting experience, biggest success, or their most interesting or surprising conversation in the past month, etc. They will reveal things that they didn’t realize were significant to fundraisers.

And managers need to integrate measuring output and outcomes into project planning and program staff reports/meetings for them to be a part of the organization’s culture. If it’s left to development staff to beg for data, it’ll never happen.

I love many of the ideas listed above. I’ll add that program staff need to be trained out of their distaste for fundraising by letting development staff share their feedback from donors, which is often exciting enthusiasm for the program work. It also includes reminding that fundraising isn’t just asking for money, it’s giving more people the chance to be involved in the organization and to advocate for the mission. And if they think about how they feel as donors to other orgs, they will “get it” better.

I also communicate and celebrate our work and the staff and make sure that staff are aware of where their actions and/or words are right in the proposal or release.

It is always a balancing act, but it is part of my job to make it work.

I think one concrete tip is to cultivate young program staff into great partners. Give them a first hand view of your role, instead of letting them see nonprofit only through program colored glasses.

Young staffers are always eager for prof. development, so teach them the basics of fundraising! Give a brown bag seminar, share what you know. They’re sure to encounter fundraising often in their nonprofit careers. Explain the big picture, the development plan, the tools you use to successfully cultivate and manage donors.

Also, show them your day to day work. A huge turning point for me was when I was recruited to help with the board dinners (just managing name tags, even) and saw the development staff in action. You learn to appreciate the skills of fundraisers when you see them “at work” and you realize that they really are working at an event. When they would explain what was really going on during the board dinner, I appreciated their expertise all the more.

I think looking at young program staff is at least one good place to start. It would have helped me if I had learned more about the secret world of fundraising earlier!

The truth is, neither programs nor fundraising can be successful without the other (we need money to operate programs, but we need strong programs to warrant funding). I think one of the root causes of these tensions is how organizations are structured (those silos always seem to show up).

Perhaps as a fundraising professional I’ve been more successful at overcoming these barriers because of my social work background. It is true that the primary responsibility for creating a team atmosphere lies with the ED and board leadership, however here are two things I have done (as a staff member in two separate organizations) that have seemed to help build bridges and create a more collaborative environment:

First, I agree with Sandra and Laura that if we as fundraisers are focused on the mission of the organization, we can be better partners with program staff. Part of this is taking the time to learn about the programs we’re trying to raise funds for (and asking questions to better understand what is being tracked already so that we can use those outcomes in materials being developed for fundraising).

In addition to learning about the program, we need to listen to concerns of program staff. There has been more than one instance where I followed in the steps of a fundraiser who was only focused on the money. This really alienated program staff. That bad taste doesn’t go away overnight. If we are truly passionate about the mission of the organization, then we can be seen more as partners in the cause rather than an annoyance. Hopefully through this process a mutual respect can be developed (and if we go into this process feeling superior we will most likely fail).

In both instances, once these bridges were built, I was able to start a staff giving campaign. Now as donors, program staff became not just staff members, but investors – in their own program (because of course they were already invested in that) and also in the fundraising process.

It was exciting to be part of that transformation. And perhaps my experience will be helpful for someone else!

Thanks again for this post and getting a conversation started!
Kirsten