Unlocking Development Officers’ Performance Potential

1. Unlocking Development Officers’ Performance Potential Jennifer Zaslow Senior Analyst, Eduventures, Inc. Jesuit Advancement Administrators National Conference Omaha, Nebraska June 11, 2007

2. Agenda • About Eduventures • Drivers of Development Officers’ Performance • Survey Results • Breakout/Small Group Discussions • Recruiting from non-traditional sources • Career path planning • Performance measurement practices • Best Practice Debrief

3. Eduventures Overview Research and consulting firm founded in 1993 • Exclusive focus on education sector • Work with universities, K-12 school districts, education companies • Proprietary consulting with universities starting in late 1990s Learning Collaborative Division launched in early 2004 • Functionally-focused research consortia • A shared-cost, member-driven services model • Independent, third-party researchers skilled in standardizing, collecting, and analyzing data • Structured access to an expert network of peer institutions • Access to data repository and longitudinal research

4. Need for Higher Development Officer Performance Higher Productivity Higher campaign goals Tight labor market

5. Drivers of Gift Officer Productivity Assign appropriate portfolios and support resources Recruit the most likely to succeed Recruit Manage High Productivity Retain Measure Retain the best fundraisers Motivate and reward high performance Improving productivity is all about talent management

6. Research Source #1: JAA Member Survey 22 institutions participated

7. Research Source #2: Eduventures Data Individual-level data • Approximately 1,000 development officers from 33 institutions • Performance goals and outcomes for visits and solicitations • Survey responses from 600+ officers on their: • Prior work experience • Attitudes and motivational drivers • Career expectations • Time management Benchmarking data • Data from approximately 40 institutions on: • Recruiting and retention strategies • Performance expectations • Institutional supports provided to drive productivity • Performance measurement models

8. Recruiting: Prior Work Experience Heavy reliance on traditional hiring sources; may miss promising hiring opportunities *Other backgrounds included: nonprofit executive director, television news, politics, military, foundation, events, and admissions Source: Eduventures, Inc. Jesuit Advancement Administrators Survey

9. Recruiting: Attitudinal Differentiators Interpersonal skills are baseline requirement; sales orientation distinguishes higher performers High performers were both sales oriented and passionate for the mission Cited as critical for success, but JAA membersare not hiring from sales backgrounds Note: Respondents chose the top two most important characteristics Source: Eduventures, Inc. Jesuit Advancement Administrators Survey

10. Gauging Sales Orientation “I do what it takes to close a gift.” “I have no problem making an ask that I know is a stretch or significant for the donor.” “I am comfortable initiating a meeting with someone who has not been approached before.” High performers more often strongly agree with the following statements

11. Non-Traditional Hiring Practices • Have you implemented any effective practices for hiring and on-boarding non-traditional hires? Have you implemented any behavioral interviewing strategies for identifying candidates who combine a sales and mission orientation? • What are the key elements of the practice and who was involved in developing it? • How long has the practice been in place and have you achieved any measurable results? • What challenges did you encounter in implementing the practice?

12. Returns on Retention: Tenure of JAA Officers First 18 months about ramping up visits and solicitations 5+ years in role generate more solicitations and have jump in close rates, despite fewer visits Bulk of JAA development officers not yet at tenure of highest productivity, yet at greatest risk for moving elsewhere for career opportunities Source: Eduventures, Inc. Jesuit Advancement Administrators Survey

13. Career Path Planning Practices • Have you implemented any effective practices for career path planning with high-performing individuals? • What are the key elements of the practice and who was involved in developing it? • How long has the practice been in place and have you achieved any measurable results? • What challenges did you encounter in implementing the practice?

14. Increasing Development Officer Productivity: Top Factors Cited by JAA Members 76% of JAA members reported that goals are set jointly by officers and their managers Source: Eduventures, Inc. Jesuit Advancement Administrators Survey

15. Performance Measurement Performance measurement systems: • Institutional level – Highlight factors that institutional leaders care about most • Departmental level – Provide mechanism to track performance longitudinally and across individuals and institutions • Individual level – Help officers focus on outcomes for which they will be evaluated and prioritize their time accordingly

16. Performance Measurement Models Emphasize Different Expectations Source: Eduventures, Inc. Jesuit Advancement Administrators Survey

17. Prevalence of Measurement Models Among JAA Member Institutions Source: Eduventures, Inc. Jesuit Advancement Administrators Survey

18. Focused Models Associated With Higher Performance Source: Eduventures, Inc. Measuring Gift Officer Performance

19. Performance Measurement Practices • Which performance measurement model does your institution use? • What are the key elements of the model and who was involved in developing it? • How long has the model been in place? How do you measure and evaluate results? • What challenges did you encounter in implementing the model?

20. Breakout Sessions • Recruiting from non-traditional sources • Career path planning • Performance measurement practices Questions? Jennifer ZaslowSenior Analyst, Eduventures, Inc.617-532-6065jzaslow@eduventures.com