Advancement: How Interim Leaders Can Maintain Momentum

Dr. Peyton R. Helm
Interim Chancellor
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth 
March 2016 – June 2017

[Editor’s note: This “Blindside” series aims to inform readers about the challenges interim administrators are likely to encounter, and strategies on ways to avoid being blindsided in your interim assignment. This is the second article in the Blindside series.]

Maintaining fundraising momentum may be one of the most difficult challenges facing any interim CEO.  Typically, you won’t know the staff or the donors.  Also, you are not sure that the existing fundraising priorities are the right ones or that the staff is up to the job. What should the interim President tackle first? These three action steps are one way to approach this challenge:

1. Conduct a quick assessment of the Advancement program.

• Review the past 3-5 years of fundraising data. Is the annual fund trending up or falling? Does the gift distribution show steady growth – or at least stability – at each giving level? Are new commitments coming in, or is the program coasting on payments from past pledges?
• Do the Development staff know who the top prospects are and where they are in the cultivation cycle?
• Is there an annual plan for the advancement program with specific goals and strategies?
• Are marketing materials, and stewardship reports professional-looking and effective in their messaging?
• If the institution is in a campaign or planning to launch one soon is it, positioned for success?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no” you might want to conduct a confidential 360-degree assessment of the Chief Development Officer (CDO) and the staff.  If there are doubts about the CDO, consider bringing in a consultant for a quick review to identify key problems, and address needed changes. Realize that it will be difficult for an interim CEO to replace underperforming development officers with first-rate talent as top-level fundraisers will want to know who they will be working with over the long haul. If necessary, consider recruiting an interim CDO from the Registry.

2. Communicate realistic expectations about your role in the Advancement effort.

Fundraising is a relationship-based enterprise and while you may only be on campus for a matter of months, there are still important things you can accomplish.

• Do not assume that the fundraising priorities you inherited are the right ones. If they are based on a failed strategic plan or the priorities of a departed CEO, they may no longer be relevant.  Quickly confer with trustees and senior officers to clarify what goals are appropriate for the near future, i.e., your tenure as interim.  Then make sure that the development staff know what priorities they are raising money for and why.  Steer clear of starting new initiatives that cannot be completed under your leadership.

• Do not forget that the most important prospects and institutional supporters may be distressed or even alienated by the leadership transition. If so, deal with this decisively. Confer with Advancement staff to develop a list of the important prospects who need to be kept in the loop. Make sure you are fully briefed on these individuals, including their interests, concerns, and their past history with the institution. Reach out to them.  Convey to these supporters that the institution is in good hands, on course, and still committed to its core values and mission.  Communicate the importance of and the institution’s appreciation for their past gifts prepare these prospects for the new permanent CEO when she or he arrives.

3. Identify any political landmines awaiting the new leader.

Perhaps most importantly, work specifically to address these, and as you approach your departure date prepare a comprehensive, confidential briefing summarizing all the above and conclude with your advice on first steps for the new leader.