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August 6, 2015 By Helen Brown Leave a Comment

Shaping Change

Stephen Hawking quoteAt the APRA Prospect Development Conference in New Orleans last month, the three TEDx-style APRA Talks concentrated on change. Two things struck me as common themes:

No matter how much you plan for it, change happens as a slow drip and a sideswipe – sometimes simultaneously.
No matter how much you plan, the future reality is always going to be different from your plan.

As a consultant, I work with clients every day who are dealing with change. Some of the change is welcome, like when we’re hired to do a training. Or when we provide an extra pair of hands to help with a big screening project, or to just be there for the duration of a campaign.

Sometimes, though, it becomes evident that the change I’m bringing was imposed on the people I’ve been called in to work with. Maybe that’s happened to you? You were stuck working with a consultant or vendor you hadn’t asked for.

Maybe your organization’s board chair was talking with a fundraising consultant who recommended a wealth screening that it was up to you to follow through on – with their preferred vendor. You might have wanted to defer until you had help to deal with it. Or maybe you would have chosen a different vendor altogether, if you had known a screening was even a possibility.

That happened to me once.

Or maybe the VP decided that it was time certain departments in the advancement division were audited. It’s hard not to be concerned in that situation. Who will they hire as the consultant? Will they even understand prospect development? Will they see what we have to deal with every day? What will they recommend?

That happened to me, too.

Usually what it means is that your nonprofit is about to go into a campaign, and that kind of change makes everybody nervous. Especially board chairs and vice presidents. They might not show it, but trust me, they’re nervous. Campaigns have a lot of moving parts and every cog needs to be fitted in the right place for success to happen.

In these kinds of situations you’re left to deal with something you hadn’t planned on and aren’t sure you want. Maybe you actively don’t want it. Quite possibly you think what’s coming down is a thoroughly bad idea.

I worked for years as a nonprofit researcher, then as a supervisor of research teams, and now as a consultant. Let me give you my view, from both sides. Whether you’re just unsure or completely apoplectic about this change-to-be, here’s my advice:

1.      First, take a deep breath, and if your boss is standing in front of you, smile (or at least do your best imitation of someone looking positive). This change is probably going to happen whether you like it or not, and how you act right now in the moment will show that you can handle change with grace, maturity and leadership. Bosses remember this at annual review time, especially if they, too, are stuck as an unwilling cog in this particular machine.

2.      Do a quick SWOT analysis. After you’ve taken a few minutes to absorb the idea, go back to your desk and brainstorm objectively about the good that could come out of this. What might those benefits look like? What might you learn in this process that could help your career? Even if you might not have picked this particular project at this particular time, how could it still be useful?

Now think about what roadblocks this project could bring up. If taking it on means, for example, that you won’t get to finish priority items in your work plan, arrange to discuss these new priorities with your boss. You might find that those tasks can be deferred. If not, this could be an opportunity to negotiate for extra temporary help.

If the project could truly have a negative impact on your department or division, it’s important that you lay out the issues objectively to you supervisor. Ultimately, it will help your career if you prevent him or her from being blindsided. Avoid using this as an opportunity to complain about the issue at hand, though: again, think grace under pressure.

3.      Understand that it’s not the consultant/vendor’s fault. They’re a cog in this wheel, too. It’s possible that their only involvement was simply being nominated. As far as they know, everybody’s on board with their being hired and they have no idea that you may feel less than eager to see them. Just like you, consultants need to feed themselves and do meaningful work, so don’t shoot the messenger. Help them help you.

4.      Use the vendor or consultant as your voice. A consultant can be your advocate if you’re not being heard. For example, when we’re doing an audit if a researcher tells us of a change, or resource, or any other benefit that it’s evident they truly need to do their job better, we will add it to our report as a recommendation.

It’s not in the least bit fair, but an outside consultant often has more authority to recommend changes than an inside staffer who has been saying the same thing for years. But don’t be frustrated – use that to your advantage!

5.      Invite the consultant to join you for lunch or dinner. Three reasons:

a.      You never know what you might learn – consultants have seen a lot.

b.      Consultants have a large contact list of people who could be mentors or help in your career growth.

c.      Everybody loves sharing a meal with a friendly person (or small group!) when traveling for work. An invitation to a solo traveler is a much-appreciated act of kindness.

6.      Know that the consultant’s report will be flawed. Consultants can only work with the information that’s in front of them during the time they’re on-site. If there’s a long-standing feud between two departments and one refuses to share data, or if a staff member willfully tries to sabotage the process, the consultant’s report will definitely be skewed.

Even in the best of times, an audit report will probably have some issues. Here’s why: unless the consultant lives on-site for several months they’re never going to know all of an organization’s underlying issues or the solutions that have been tried before. But just because they may miss some things doesn’t mean the whole report is a bomb. Talk it over with them. Any good consultant should be happy to discuss their first delivery and work together with you to create a stronger final report.

7.      If the project ended up truly being a bad idea, as much as you might be dying to – really, hold back on saying “I told you so.” (Except to your significant other, your dog, or your therapist). If you noted your objective objections (in writing!) at the beginning of the process, and if you made the best of a bad situation while the project unfolded – you’re covered. And trust me, by that time the folks in charge already know it was a bad idea. Chances are good you all learned a lot from the whole situation. That experience is valuable.

A positive outcome

There’s always the chance that the change you weren’t so keen on actually ends up being a positive thing after all.  Maybe you discover more new prospects than you thought you would. Or maybe the consultant helps prove the impact of your years of hard work. Or more money gets inserted in your budget for professional development or for a resource you’ve been lobbying for.

You just never know.  It happened to me – with a database conversion no less. That was a long, drawn out, frequently painful process that gave me incredibly valuable experience.

Change is scary and inevitable. But even if it’s thrust upon you – and maybe, especially when it is – don’t miss the opportunity of helping to shape it.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Campaign Success, Career development, Research Department Success, Strategic planning Tagged With: career growth, change management, making the best of a bad situation, managing change, prospect research

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David’s career in prospect research began in 2009, as a graduate research assistant at the Shippensburg University Foundation. In 2011, He became a development researcher for the University of Virginia. In 2015, David became assistant director of prospect research at the University of Baltimore, serving for 3 years. Recently, he was the director of development for Trees Forever. David Joined the Helen Brown Group as a research assistant in January 2020. He earned a B.A. in Theater at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Applied History at Shippensburg University. David is a member of APRA and APRA Great Plains.

Kenny has worked in development since 1999 and has been involved in prospect research since 2002.

Prior to joining The Helen Brown Group, he was the director of donor and prospect research at the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Kenny is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Tara first began her career in development in 2002 supporting the Major Gifts department at Simmons College, and ultimately went on to serve as Assistant Director of Prospect Research. Since that time, she has also worked as a Senior Research Analyst at MIT, as Associate Director of Prospect Management and Research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and as Director of Development Research at Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP).

Tara originally joined the Helen Brown Group team in 2007 and served as a Research Associate and ShareTraining coordinator until 2008 – she rejoined the company as a Senior Researcher in 2013 and was promoted to her current role in 2018.

She has been an active volunteer with NEDRA for many years and served on the board of directors from 2010-2016. During her time on the NEDRA board, she served in many different roles, including terms as Vice President, Secretary, Chair of the Website and Technology Committee, Chair of the Volunteer Committee, and as Chair and Editor of NEDRA News. She is currently a member of the NEDRA Bootcamp faculty. In addition, Tara has also been involved as a volunteer with Apra, serving stints on the Membership Committee, Chapters Committee, and Bylaws Task Force.

Angie began her career in development in 1999 at Virginia Tech in Corporate and Foundation Relations and later in prospect research at the University of Connecticut Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, her experience includes grants management at the University of South Carolina, program evaluation for South Carolina Research Authority and human resources analysis for Nissan North America.

She returned to development in 2007 and worked in various prospect research positions at Vanderbilt University, including Associate Director. She was named Director for Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s research office in 2015, and joined The Helen Brown Group in 2016.

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Josh began his career in development as the Phonathon Coordinator at Keene State College. He then worked at non-profit consulting firm Schultz & Williams in Philadelphia.

He started his research career at the University of Pennsylvania as a Research Assistant in 2005. He then moved over to the Wharton School of Business, where he became the Associate Director, Research and Prospect Management. Josh joined the Helen Brown Group in 2016.

Josh is also a Colorado licensed Realtor and graduate of Lehigh University.

In March 2017, Kristina joined the Helen Brown Group as a Research Associate. Before joining HBG, she was the Research Manager at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and an Associate Manager of Prospect Research at City Harvest, a food rescue organization. Kristina started her non-profit career as a legal assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2004.  She is a member of Apra and Apra Greater New York. She was Apra Greater New York’s Director of Programming from June 2014 to May 2016. Kristina graduated from The University of Chicago and the Bard Graduate Center.

Grace began her career in development in 2001 as Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), a Harvard Medical School-affiliated academic medical center.

In 2003, she became a prospect researcher for the BWH principal and major gifts team and spent the next 11 years in various research positions with BWH, culminating as Assistant Director of Prospect Research. She has been affiliated with The Helen Brown Group since January 2014.

Heather began her career in 2002 as a prospect research coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and then moved to Carroll College in 2004.

In 2005, Heather began working on her own as a freelancer and eventually started her own consulting firm, Willis Research Services, in 2007. She joined The Helen Brown Group in 2012.

Heather is a member of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement and the Montana Nonprofit Association.

Jennifer began her career in development at her alma mater, Wheaton College, where she was an administrative assistant for the major gifts department.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in March 2008. She earned a master’s degree in library science from the Southern Connecticut State University in May 2009. Jennifer is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Rick has been a member of the Helen Brown Group team since 2005. Prior to joining HBG, Rick was director of research at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. Rick has worked in development since 1996, both in prospect research and major gifts fund raising. His experience includes the University of Vermont, Phillips Exeter Academy and St. Paul’s School.

Rick is past president of NEDRA and is a member of and frequent volunteer for APRA.

Josh began his career in development as the Phonathon Coordinator at Keene State College. He then worked at non-profit consulting firm Schultz & Williams in Philadelphia.

He started his research career at the University of Pennsylvania as a Research Assistant in 2005. He then moved over to the Wharton School of Business, where he became the Associate Director, Research and Prospect Management. Josh joined the Helen Brown Group in 2016.

Josh is also a Colorado licensed Realtor and graduate of Lehigh University.

Mandi has worked in prospect research and management since 2006. She began her development career as a research analyst in development research at City of Hope, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Los Angeles. From there, she became the manager of prospect development at Huntington Memorial Hospital, a community hospital in Pasadena, CA. Most recently, she was the associate director of prospect research and management at Occidental College, a private liberal arts college in LA.

Mandi has a BA degree in print journalism from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree of library and information science from UCLA.

She joined the Helen Brown Group in May 2019.

Kelly began her career in development in 2008 as an administrative assistant in Major Gifts at Wheaton College.

In 2010, she became a research analyst at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the Division of Development & Jimmy Fund as part of the prospect identification team. Kelly joined The Helen Brown Group in 2013.

She is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Jayme began her career in development in 2008 at the Rutgers University Foundation, where she spent the next seven years, first in prospect management and then prospect research. She spent several years at Monmouth University as their senior prospect research analyst, working with the fundraising staff, university president, and top leadership. She has worked as both a volunteer and consultant for non-profits in the areas of research and writing.

She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Drew University and a master of communication and information sciences from Rutgers University. She is a member of APRA.

Jayme joined The Helen Brown Group in April 2019.

Julie has managed finances for The Helen Brown Group since its founding.

In her spare time, she is an editor for the PBS series Masterpiece at WGBH. Julie was nominated twice for an Emmy award for her work on the PBS show Zoom.

Heather began her career in development in 2001 as a prospect researcher for National Wildlife Federation (NWF). She was with NWF for more than thirteen years, including nearly five years as director of research and analytics. Heather is a former secretary of the board of directors of APRA-Metro DC.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in October 2014.

David began his career in development at The Gunnery school in northwest Connecticut in 2011, where he worked in database management and prospect research. Subsequently, he joined the College of Saint Rose as a development research analyst before leading Albany Medical Center Foundation’s prospect research efforts as Associate Director of Prospect Research. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Siena College and is a member of APRA and CASE.

Michele began her career in development in 2012 when she joined the UC Berkeley corporate and foundation relations team as a development analyst. She spent a year and a half at Cal before returning to UC Davis as a prospect analyst. She was with the prospect management and relations team at UC Davis for almost three years prior to joining the research and relationship management team at George Washington University as a Senior Prospect Analyst in 2016.

Michele received her BA in creative writing from Florida State University and her MA in higher education leadership from CSU Sacramento. She currently resides in Northern Virginia, is a member of Apra International, and serves as the social media chair for Apra Metro DC. Michele joined The Helen Brown Group in July 2018.

Angie has worked in development since 2002, partnering with a wide range of nonprofit institutions. She began her professional career at Vanderbilt University in research and prospect development.

She has also worked with a number of community nonprofits in front-line fundraising, grant-writing, and event management. Angie holds an MPA in Nonprofit Management from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and a BS in Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University. She resides in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a member of AFP Nashville and APRA MidSouth, where she has been active on the executive team.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in October 2015.

Maureen has been a part of the non-profit world since 1991. She started out in annual giving at Harvard Law School and continued her career as director of annual/special gifts at UC Santa Cruz.

In 1999 she made the switch from front-line fundraising to serve as director of prospect research/management at Bentley University and in 2001 began her role as administrator for the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester. She became part of the HBG team in September of 2011.

Helen has been a development professional since 1987. Her previous experience includes The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Albert Einstein Institution, Boston College, the Harvard School of Public Health and Northeastern University.

Currently she works with a variety of clients to establish, benchmark and re-align research departments; identify major gift prospects; and train researchers and other fundraisers through on-site and web-based training services.Helen is a former member of the board of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) and is past president of the New England Development Research Association (NEDRA). In 2006 she received the NEDRA Ann Castle Award for service to the prospect research community.

Helen is Special Advisor on Fundraising to the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester and is a member of the board of directors of Factary Ltd. (Bristol, UK). She is a member of NEDRA, APRA, the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP), Women In Development, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Researchers in Fundraising (UK).

Helen is a frequent speaker and has led seminars for a number of professional associations, including Action Planning, AFP, APRA, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), NEDRA, RIF, the Planned Giving Council of Central Massachusetts, the Georgia Center on Nonprofits, the International Fundraising Congress and Resource Alliance.

Helen is also co-author (with Jen Filla) of the book, Prospect Research for Fundraisers (Wiley & Sons, 2013).

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