By June Bradham

Q. Over the next few years, we anticipate a number of our upper-level development people will retire, and we’re turning to the next generation to fill their shoes. How can we make our organization more appealing to this generation?

A. I recently spoke to an MBA class at The Citadel on ethics in nonprofits and my impression was that a number of these very smart, very engaged students had ambitions of working for nonprofits. In fact, this generation is more socially conscious and eager to be involved with nonprofits than any in history but many are still choosing for-profit careers instead.

Recently, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released a study that found that two-thirds of those people surveyed never wanted to become executive directors. For many, the workload was too much and the salary too low. For others, the pressure of being the reason for a charity’s success or demise was not palatable. But for others, for-profit organizations provided the same sense of “doing good” while also affording them financial security.

Tough hurdles to overcome, certainly. But there are steps you can take to make your organization one to which young people could commit long-term.

1. Get organized. The better organized your charity is, the less daunting your operation will seem to a potential new hire.

2. Evaluate salaries. With so many graduates saddled with student loans upwards of $25,000, offering salaries that truly compete with for-profit opportunities is imperative.

Remember that few candidates take a nonprofit job because of the salary but many may choose not to work with you because the salary simply can’t support them.

3. Offer a challenge. Smart graduates are looking for a place that provides opportunities to grow, learn and develop their skills through exciting and thought-provoking projects. Unless you can offer them space to experiment and challenge the organization’s traditional methods, they are not likely to choose you over a progressive for-profit.

4. Hand over the reins — some. These days, many universities offer majors in nonprofit management — the graduates of those programs often feel they are ready for executive-level leadership on day one. While you certainly don’t want to turn over complete control to someone without real-world experience, you also don’t want to dampen enthusiasm or stunt the growth of a potentially great leader. Give guidance but also allow even the lowest person on the totem pole to have input into organization-wide decisions.

Q. My charity is relatively small and most of our fundraising is done through events. My development team is sound but easily intimidated when they approach very wealthy donors. Is it really necessary to reach these donors for our organization to succeed?

A. It depends on the needs of your organization. If your budget and your aspirations are modest, special events can meet your needs. But once your vision begins to expand, you will almost certainly need the support of major donors. When you consider that 82% of the total dollars an organization raises comes from just 10% of the donors, you’ll see how important reaching this upper echelon is. A Bank of America study released last year on all types of donors revealed interesting trends in what motivates these very wealthy donors to give and what nonprofits can do to encourage giving among this group.

1. To meet a critical need. You must write a very compelling case, and you must demonstrate that the need is real, urgent, and can only be met with their help.

2. To meet a responsibility they believe their wealth affords them. This motivation can be served by making their donation a matter of “If you don’t give, who will?”

3. To leave a legacy. You should approach these donors with naming opportunities (as well as with media opportunities), and be prepared to work with their families. The wealthy are more likely than  other segments to involve their family heavily in philanthropic decision-making.

4. Be accountable and transparent.Three-quarters of very wealthy donors say they would be compelled to give more if they knew their charity spent more on helping people than it does on administration. Likewise, 66% would give more if the impact of their dollars were more measurable. Surprisingly, this group is very hands-on, often donating hundreds of hours of volunteer service—in addition to the millions they give!—each year.

But you are much less likely to hear, “I am already financially committed elsewhere” from this group. In general, they feel much more financially stable and do not shy away from spreading their wealth to numerous causes if they believe them to be worthwhile. This is good news for your  development team as they are actually much less likely to meet with resistance from this group than they would from a slightly less wealthy group!

One of the most important points to remember for this group is that writing a check is not enough. Involving them in the nonprofit’s activities, plainly laying out how their gifts are being spent and recognizing their good deeds publicly are the best ways to encourage their continued involvement.

June Bradham is the president of Corporate DevelopMint, a fundraising consulting firm with offices in Charleston, Greenville, Blowing Rock, N.C. and Memphis, Tenn. E-mail her at cdm@corporatedevelopmint.com.

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