Giving Compass' Take:

• Armando Zumaya, writing for the Stanford Social Innovation Review, discusses how development directors and nonprofit leaders can better their relationships to help organizations thrive. 

• What would be some points of conflict between these two roles at a nonprofit? 

• Read about how to innovate the sector through nonprofit collaboration. 

I recently spoke with a colleague, a fellow fundraiser, who said that working with her nonprofit executive director was like performing on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. She led, and his respect for her work allowed them to make a lot of money—like a wonderful dance, they were in sync and gave great fundraising performances.

From my experience training nonprofit leaders across the United States, that analogy does not hold for the majority of relationships between executive directors and directors of development.

There are many reasons for this. Most executive directors have a lot on their plate, and fundraising is only one aspect of their role. And yet most institutions prioritize fundraising highly. So why aren’t those relationships stronger?

If you’re a nonprofit leader who works with a development director, perhaps some of this rings true. Here are five ways to build a better relationship:

  •  Respect the fundraising profession—and admit what you don’t know.
  • Allow for time and failure
  • See the big picture
  • Set real goals
  • Defend fundraising work

As with any relationship, those between executive and development directors require trust. When executive directors understand and engage with the challenges and power of fundraising for their specific institution, they are better supervisors and leaders and have much more opportunity to move their organization forward.

Read the full article about nonprofit relationships by Armando Zumaya at Stanford Social Innovation Review